- Edith Atkins
Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Edith Atkins
image_caption =
fullname = Edith Atkins
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|1920|2|2
country = ENG
dateofdeath = death date|1999|8|28
height = <5ft
weight =
currentteam =
discipline = Road
role = Rider
ridertype =
amateuryears = ? - 1937
1938 - 1999
amateurteams = Coventry Meteor Road Club
Coventry Road Club (1938 onwards)
proyears =
proteams =
majorwins = Land's End to John o' Groats record
updated = 15 September 2008Edith Atkins (2 February 1920 - 28 August 1999), was a
racing cyclist and a prolific breaker of long-distance records [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-60248777.html PENSIONER KILLED IN A45 TRAGEDY WAS A RECORD-BREAKING VETERAN] , "Coventry Evening Telegraph", 31 August 1999, Summers, Kathryn, accessed 22 September 2008] in the 1950s. She completed 12 different record-breaking journeys. The records includedLand's End toJohn o' Groats ; Land's End to London;Holyhead to London; London toYork , London toEdinburgh ; and London toGreat Yarmouth . On12 July 1953 she covered 422 miles in 24 hours, breaking the London to York; 12 hour, and London to Edinburgh records along the way. Two weeks later she also broke Land's End to John o' Groats. She died aged 79 when she was hit by a car while pushing her bicycle across a pedestrian road crossing.Early life
Edie Atkins, born Sharman, in
Bilston ,Staffordshire , England, was less than convert|5|ft|m tall. Her light build led her to take upgymnastics as a child and she excelled to champion levelObituary, "The Independent", London, August 1999] . She took up cycling when Roland (Ron) Atkins lent her a bicycle for a weekend ride and she discovered her ability. She moved from the Coventry Meteor Road Club to join Coventry Road Club in 1938 and the couple married two years later, Ron having acknowledged that she could ride faster than him. World War II ended thoughts of racing. One of their two children, John Atkins, was an internationalcyclo-cross rider and national champion.Racing career
Atkins began racing in 1946, riding for Coventry Road Club. She competed at many
RTTC championship events, helping it win the team prize in the 50-mile races of 1949 and 1950 as well as the 25-mile championship in 1950. There was rivalry between her and another rider from the city, Eileen Sheridan. Sheridan was supported as a professional record-breaker by the Hercules bicycle company but Atkins remained anamateur , remortgaging her house to pay for her cycling.In 1952 she broke the Women's Road Records Association Land's End to London record, completing 287 miles in 17 hours 13 minutes and 31 seconds. cite web|url=http://www.rra.org.uk/gbc_atkins.htm| title=Edith Atkins| publisher="Golden Book of Cycling"| accessyear=2008 | accessdaymonth = 15 September]
In 1953 Atkins broke several more records including Holyhead to London, 264¼ miles in 13h 31m 57s. In her London to York ride, she broke the 195-mile record in 9h 56m 20s before continuing north. After 12 hours she had ridden 234¾ miles. She reached Edinburgh in 21h 37m after 285 miles, going on to ride 422 miles in 24 hours. She took three records in the same ride and was the first woman to go beyond 400 miles in 24 hours.
Six days later she rode from Edinburgh to
Glasgow and back, 88 miles in 4h 38m 56s.Robin Nicholl in her obituary in "
The Independent " said:...That was the lead-up to the mammoth task of reaching John o' Groats in record time, which began on her 13th wedding anniversary, 27 July 1953, and ended trumphantly two days, 18 hours and four minutes later. Her record eventually fell to Eileen Sheridan, but in turn those figures have been improved to two days, six hours and 49 minutes by Pauline Strong.
Atkins set that record, the first established between Land's End and John o' Groats, eight days after her 24-hour record. She beat the professional record by 4h 48.
Atkins was entered in the "
Golden Book of Cycling " on 12 August 1953. Her entry says:... The first woman amateur to ride a bicycle at record speed from Land's End to John o'Groats, Mrs Edith Atkins faced many hours of continuous heavy rain... Since 1904, when a man amateur bring the End-to-End single bicycle record, there have been nine record rides by men and three by women, all professionally sponsored. Only three of the men covered this route faster than the lady honoured on this page. [Cited Journal, Fellowship of Cycling Old-Timers, vol 148 p96]
1957 saw more records broken. [cite web| url=http://www.ridecov.co.uk/edithresults.htm| title=Coventry - Edith's Results| publisher=Ride Coventry| accessyear=2008 | accessdaymonth = 15 September]
Retirement and death
Atkins remained an enthusiastic cyclist after her record-breaking years. She rode more than 40 races at the age of 76 and rode 100 miles a week.
Her obituary in "The Independent" said:
... Edie Atkins helped out whenever necessary at her cycling club's promotions, often organised by her husband... Her grandson Darren is a current regional road race champion and among the top ten of British cyclo-cross riders... "She used to take myself and other under-14 lads from the club on training runs and give us all a pasting," Darren said. "She was not fast but she could ride steadily all day. She always said: "Enjoy your cycling." Grandma was still riding 20 miles a day and if for some reason she could not get out on her bike for what she called 'my two-hour job', she was really frustrated to be stuck at home."
She died in August 1999, aged 79, while crossing the A45 with her bicycle at
Ryton-on-Dunsmore , near Coventry. The accident occurred near Knightlow Hill, probably [http://maps.google.com/maps?&q=N52.363982+W1.424918 here] . [cite web| url=http://cv3.coventrytelegraph.net/2008/07/part-of-holiday-fun-was-112mil.html| title=Ron Atkins' Memories| publisher="Coventry Telegraph"| accessyear=2008 | accessdaymonth = 23 September]Palmarès
;1952:25 September — Land's End to London, 287 miles — 17h.13m.31s.;1953:31 May — Holyhead to London, 264 miles — 13h.31m.53s:12 July — London to York, 196 miles — 9h.56m.20s:12 July — 12 hours* — 234.75 miles:13 July — London to Edinburgh, 385 miles — 21h.37m.00s:13 July — 24 hours* — 422.00 miles
:19 July — Edinburgh to Glasgow and back, 88 miles — 4h.38m.56s:27–29 July — Land's End to John o' Groats, 871 miles — 2d.18h.4m.;1957:14 July — London to Gt Yarmouth, 125 miles — 6h.01m.46s:8 August — London to Bath and back, 211 miles — 11h.11m.34s:8 September — Liverpool to Edinburgh, 211 miles — 11h.02m.40s:13 October — Edinburgh to York, 196 miles — 10h.40m.24s
References
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