Maurice Burton (cyclist)

Maurice Burton
Personal information
Full name Maurice Joseph Burton
Born 25 October 1955
London, England
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 55 kg (121 lb; 8.7 st)
Team information
Current team De Ver Cycles
Discipline Track & Road
Role Rider
Amateur team(s)
–1974 VC Londres
1975 Archer RC
? De Ver Cycles[1]
Professional team(s)
1977 ?
1978 Fragel – Norta
until 15 May 1979 Glemp – T.J. Cycles
15 May 1979–1980 Fangio
1980 Solahart – Hercka
1981 Campitello
1982 Xaveer Coffee – Tiga Sport
1982 Viner
1983 Roberts
1984 Nico Sport
Infobox last updated on
9 August 2013

Maurice Burton (born 25 October 1955)[2][3] is an English cycle shop owner and former racing cyclist from Catford, London.

Born in London to an English mother and a Jamaican father, Maurice Burton was the first black British champion in cycling. His first taste of success came when he won the Junior Sprint national title in 1973. He won the amateur scratch title the following year, raced over a 20 km distance although he was booed as he crossed the line. He went on to represent Britain at the 1974 Commonwealth Games, but was not selected for the Olympic squad in 1976.[4]

Burton became frustrated by the racism pervasive in Britain at the time, he moved to Belgium in 1977, basing himself in Ghent. He was described as the first coloured professional cyclist.[5]

Burton rode 56 professional Six Day events, and retired from competitive cycling after a serious racing accident at the Buenos Aires Six Day in 1984. In 1987, he took over De Ver Cycles, a thriving bike shop in Streatham, South London.[6]

His son Germain Burton is also a racing cyclist who has represented Great Britain on an international level as a junior.[7]

Palmarés

1973
1st Sprint, British National Track Championships – Junior
1974
1st Scratch race, British National Track Championships – Amateur
1975
1st Team Pursuit, British National Track Championships – Amateur
2nd Madison, British National Track Championships (with Steve Heffernan) – Amateur
1980
4th Madison, European Championships

References

  1. ↑ "Individual/Points". British Cycling. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  2. ↑ Maurice Burton profile at Cycling Archives
  3. ↑ Telegraph gives his birth date as 29 January 1995: John MacLeary (12 September 2010). "Germain Burton: Q&A". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  4. ↑ Edmond Hood (11 November 2005). "PEZ Profiles: Maurice Burton". PEZ Cycling News. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "1923–1980 Riders". SixDay.org.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "Profile: Maurice Burton". Bike Culture. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "Germain Burton Bio". British Cycling. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.

External links