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Celebrating International Women's Day

08th March 2022
Today, we're remembering the achievements of the great female cyclists of the past
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On International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the achievements of women in cycling.

In particular, we’re looking back to the achievements of British female cyclists from earlier eras, like the 1982 world champion, Mandy Jones (pictured above). She rode clear of the field to win by 10 seconds when the championships were held at Goodwood 40 years ago. We’re excited to welcome Mandy Jones (now Mandy Bishop) to Sussex for Eroica Britannia this August.

From the generations before Jones, we remember the exceptional career of Beryl Burton, twice world champion on the road, and perhaps the finest time trial rider Britain has ever produced. Burton won 72 national time trial titles, and numerous championships on the track. She set a women’s record for the 12-hour time trial in 1967 that wasn’t beaten by a man for another two years. Reputedly she passed a sweet to the fastest male rider in the race as she overtook him.

Today, we’re also celebrating the cycling career of Eileen Sheridan, who broke 21 of the Women’s Road Record Association (WRRA) records. Some of these place-to-place records still stand today, some 70 years after they were set.

These are just three of the remarkable women whose talent and determination set the standard for today’s cyclists.

Since our first event in 2014, Eroica Britannia has always attracted a high proportion of female riders. So let’s not just recall the great champions of the past, but the many hundreds of women who have contributed to Eroica Britannia.

We look forward to seeing many more in the South Downs this August.