Interview with British cycling legend Maurice Burton

Maurice Burton is a British cycling legend – the first black British cycling champion who went on to an exciting professional career in Belgium before becoming the owner of De Ver Cycles in Streatham. Maurice has been coming to Lanzarote since the 1980s and has run regular cycling camps on the island for 20 years. We chatted to him about his eventful life in Costa Teguise last month.

Maurice, how did you start cycling?

My dad wouldn’t let me get a bike, and my dad wasn’t the sort of person you argued with. So I didn’t learn to ride until I was 12, out and about with friends. I then started to compete at then Herne Hill Velodrome, which had been built for the 1948 Olympics. I soon found out that no one could catch me!

I won my first Junior Sprint title in 1973 and the amateur scratch title the following year. It was on Grandstand, but I’m not sure if my father watched it – he preferred Mick McManus and the wrestling on ITV. I don’t have any bitterness – it’s good to know that I achieved everything on my own.

There are reports that you were booed by racist spectators when you crossed the line. Is that one of the reasons why you left the UK?

There were a few people booing, but it was more to do with problems with the team and coach. I competed in the 1974 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand, but I wasn’t selected for the Olympics in 1976, and decided to move over to Belgium, where I took part in 6-day-races.

They were big events then, and I made good money. After a couple of 6-Day races I put the money down for a Toyota! I was cycling alongside the best, and met riders like Eddie Merckx. Once he asked me to let him win a track event once, so I gifted him the race.

Did you ever do the road tours?

No. track was my thing. I could beat Eddie on the track but I wouldn’t have stood a chance on the road.

Why did you return to London?

I had a bad crash at a 6-Day event in Argentina in 1984 and had to leave professional cycling. An Australian friend who I’d cycled alongside in Belgium had opened a cycle shop, De Ver Cycles in Streatham, and kept asking me if I wanted to take it over. So, finally, that’s what I did.

When you’re running a business it’s hard to take time off, so I bought a timeshare on Lanzarote, which forced me to organise two weeks holiday a year. That was the first time I came to Lanzarote, and we later bought a property here.

Do you think the island has improved for cycling over the years?

Definitely. I remember when the roads were a nightmare, but now they’re wellmade and often resurfaced. Roads like the ascent to Tabayesco are great, a really good workout. One thing that I wish they hadn’t done is ban cyclists from the climb to Femés from Playa Blanca. I miss not being able to do that.

What are your favourite routes on Lanzarote?

That depends on the wind, but I love riding down to Puerto del Carmen and Puerto Calero, then riding up the “donkey trail” (Camino Hoya Limpia) to Tías.

The other day I was taking a rest while riding near Costa Teguise when I met a couple who recognised me – they turned out to be the parents of Lucy van der Haar, who raced alongside my son Germain a few years ago.

Have you ever had any bad accidents on the island?

Just one. It was 29th March, 2008 – I remember because it’s the day before my wedding anniversary. I was riding up from Famara when a local driver who’d had a few to drink came up behind me with the sun in his eyes. He knocked me two metres into the air. Luckily, I was riding with Dr Miguel Medina, so I got the best of attention. I was airlifted to Gran Canaria with a broken back and a nasty head injury, and I’ve still got a big lump there now.

I think Lanzarote is pretty good for cycling, though. Drivers are usually patient and give you the 1.5 metres space when passing. It can get hairy when they’re passing a group of riders and a car comes in the other direction, but accidents are rare.

Britain’s had great success in cycling in recent years. Do you ever think you were born too early?

No. I’m 70 years old now, and have spent almost 60 of them in the saddle. I was there right from the beginning, and those days in Belgium and Europe were the best of times. I gave it my best shot.