This biography stands as a powerful testament to Beryl’s transformation into a formidable activist, profoundly reshaping the landscape of disability justice.

Joe is habitually unable to get his bike computer to sync and instead relies on OS maps or skills learned watching Ray Mears’ Bushcraft for navigation.However, the feeling you’re left with is that for whatever reason, it would never have been quite enough. With previously unseen material and through extensive interviews with family, friends, rivals and fellow sporting giants, Jeremy Wilson peels back the layers to reveal one of the most overlooked, yet compelling characters in cycling history. Beryl was a woman ahead of her time, she was an incredible athlete with an inspirational mindset, and we are only left to imagine what she would have achieved given the same opportunities as the women's peloton now has.

Fotheringham’s latest book does a stellar job of both laying out Burton’s achievements while also excavating her often conflicted personality. A panel of judges from the world of sports and journalism, chaired by author and journalist Alyson Rudd, concluded a four-month judging process, whittling a record 158 entries down to the winning book. Cyclist Beryl Burton - also known as BB - dominated her sport much as her male contemporary Eddy Merckx, but with a longevity that surpasses even sporting legends like Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams and Sir Steve Redgrave. Obviously both books have to cover some of the same ground, but each does it in his own style, and focuses on different things.The book doesn’t gloss over (in fact it highlights) just how challenging she inevitably was as a person in doing that - I can’t even imagine what it was like for her daughter competing against her, especially as Burton was totally unable to stop cycling competitively even into her 50s. Seems she was a relentless competitor, but once off the bike a much nicer person (except when coming second to her daughter), but that’s just part of her desire to succeed.

In this unparalleled biography, Dustin Galer demonstrates how Beryl Potter seemed to crack the code of the social system that oppressed her. Yet despite little outside assistance, Burton won the World Championships Road Race in 1960 and 1967, while on the track she won a huge haul including five gold, three silver and four bronze medals.There’s an element of early life trauma, but also just being driven to the detriment of everything else.