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Edith Atkins

Edith Atkins
Personal information
Full name Edith Atkins
Born (1920-02-02)2 February 1920
Bilston, England, United Kingdom
Died 28 August 1999(1999-08-28)
Ryton-on-Dunsmore, England, United Kingdom
Team information
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Amateur team(s)
? - 1937 Coventry Meteor Road Club
1938 - 1999 Coventry Road Club (1938 onwards)
Major wins
Land's End to John o' Groats record

Edith Atkins (2 February 1920 – 28 August 1999) was a racing cyclist and a prolific breaker of long-distance records in the 1950s. She completed 12 different record-breaking journeys. The records included Land's End to John o' Groats; Land's End to London; Holyhead to London; London to York, London to Edinburgh; and London to Great Yarmouth. On 12 July 1953 she covered 422 miles (679 km) 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.

Edie Atkins, born Sharman, in Bilston, Staffordshire, England, was less than 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. Her light build led her to take up gymnastics as a child and she excelled to champion level. Her first bicycle was one won by her mother in a whist drive. She took up cycling seriously 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 international cyclo-cross rider and national champion.

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 (80 km) races of 1949 and 1950 as well as the 25-mile (40 km) 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 an amateur, remortgaging her house to pay for her cycling.


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Wikipedia

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