Maurice Burton (born 25 October 1955) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

cycle shop owner and former

racing cyclist Cycle sport is Competition, competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing ...

from

Catford Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green (ward), Rushey Green and Catford South Ward (electoral subdiv ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. 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 The 1974 British Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1974 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 24 January to 2 February 1974. The bid vote was held in Edinburgh at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games. The Games were off ...

, but was not selected for the Olympic squad in 1976. Burton became frustrated by the racism pervasive in Britain at the time, he moved to Belgium in 1977, basing himself in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

. He was described as the first black professional cyclist. 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. His son

Germain Burton Germain Burton (born 29 January 1995) is an English racing cyclist from London, who currently rides for . Germain Burton is the son of Mia and Maurice Burton, who was the first black British champion in cycling. He rides for a team sponsored b ...

is also a racing cyclist who has represented Great Britain on an international level as a junior.

Palmarès

;1973 :1st Sprint,

British National Track Championships The British National Track Championships are held annually and organised by British Cycling (formerly the British Cycling Federation). The main events are various track cycling disciplines for elite athletes to determine the British national cha ...

– Junior ;1974 :1st Scratch race,

– Amateur ;1975 :1st Team Pursuit,

– Amateur :2nd Madison,

(with Steve Heffernan) – Amateur ;1980 :4th Madison, European Championships

References

External links

* *
De Ver Cycles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burton, Maurice 1955 births Living people People from Catford Cyclists from Greater London English male cyclists Black British sportspeople English people of Jamaican descent Cyclists at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for England