Keith Butler (cyclist)
Encyclopedia
Keith Butler is a former British cycling champion who raced as a professional in Belgium
and France
and who now organises cycle races in England
.
, England
, in 1938. As an amateur
, Butler won stages of the Milk Race, the Tour of Britain
, in 1961 and 1963. He won the national team pursuit
championship with colleagues from the Norwood Paragon club, south London, in 1963.
He went to Belgium to race soon afterwards. He won his second race, the first of 11 victories. He said:
He won the professional British National Road Race Championships
at Harlow
, Essex
, in 1964, beating Albert Hitchen and Ged Coles. He finished third in 1965.
He returned to Belgium, took a fully professional licence - until then he had been an independent, a semi-professional allowed to ride with both amateurs and professionals - and rode briefly for Jacques Anquetil
's St-Raphaël team before leaving shortly afterwards for the Ruberg team in West Germany
. The team rode bikes made in Britain by Viking Cycles. Butler earned 5,000 francs a month, he remembers, "which doesn't sound much now but remember that 1,000 francs would get you a flat for a month and that on top of your retainer you got your travel expenses and your prizes."
He rode the Belgian spring classics and finished 14th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. He rode for Tom Simpson
, a fellow Briton, in the 1965 world championship in Spain
. There he followed Anquetil as the Frenchman began to chase. Anquetil was one of the fastest riders in the world alone. Butler said: "It was like riding behind a bloody motorbike!"
He now organises cycle races in southern England. He formed the Surrey
League, a consortium of organisers, in 1974. It runs 170 races a year. He managed the British road teams at the world championship in Colorado
and has managed other teams in France, Holland and Ireland
.
His father, Stan Butler, was a significant time-triallist in Britain in an era when the country had only velodrome
racing and dawn competitions on the road against the clock. Stan Butler also rode the Olympic Games
. Keith Butler's son, Gethin Butler, was a prominent amateur rider in Britain during the 1990s.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and who now organises cycle races in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Biography
Butler was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1938. As an amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
, Butler won stages of the Milk Race, the Tour of Britain
Tour of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain....
, in 1961 and 1963. He won the national team pursuit
Pursuit
Pursuit may refer to:In aircraft:*Rans S-11 Pursuit, lifting body style light aircraft designIn cars:*Pontiac G5, formerly called Pontiac PursuitIn film and television:*Pursuit , a 1950s anthology...
championship with colleagues from the Norwood Paragon club, south London, in 1963.
He went to Belgium to race soon afterwards. He won his second race, the first of 11 victories. He said:
- There'd be so many races that you'd cross one going the other way. And there'd be a lot of catcalling and waving and then you'd get on with the racing. And there'd be no team tactics allowed and there were no service cars or team cars. But what used to happen is that all the riders from, say, DestelbergenDestelbergenDestelbergen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Destelbergen proper and Heusden and was created on January 1, 1977 by the fusion of these two municipalities...
, would ride together in a group even though they came from four or five different clubs. But that's as far as it was allowed to go. The only times the roads were closed was in criteriums, and that was because they were on circuits of just two or three kilometres and it wouldn't be safe to have traffic on them. But that also meant you couldn't have many riders either, so they'd be invitation only. They'd get two or three good riders to attract the crowd, then all the local boys they could get and if there were any places left over you could get one as a foreigner. But essentially they were just by invitation.
He won the professional British National Road Race Championships
British National Road Race Championships
The British National Road Race Championships cover different categories of British road bicycle racing events, normally held annually.-History:...
at Harlow
Harlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, in 1964, beating Albert Hitchen and Ged Coles. He finished third in 1965.
He returned to Belgium, took a fully professional licence - until then he had been an independent, a semi-professional allowed to ride with both amateurs and professionals - and rode briefly for Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
's St-Raphaël team before leaving shortly afterwards for the Ruberg team in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. The team rode bikes made in Britain by Viking Cycles. Butler earned 5,000 francs a month, he remembers, "which doesn't sound much now but remember that 1,000 francs would get you a flat for a month and that on top of your retainer you got your travel expenses and your prizes."
He rode the Belgian spring classics and finished 14th in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. He rode for Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson was the most successful English road racing cyclist of the post-war years. He infamously died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967...
, a fellow Briton, in the 1965 world championship in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. There he followed Anquetil as the Frenchman began to chase. Anquetil was one of the fastest riders in the world alone. Butler said: "It was like riding behind a bloody motorbike!"
He now organises cycle races in southern England. He formed the Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
League, a consortium of organisers, in 1974. It runs 170 races a year. He managed the British road teams at the world championship in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and has managed other teams in France, Holland and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
His father, Stan Butler, was a significant time-triallist in Britain in an era when the country had only velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
racing and dawn competitions on the road against the clock. Stan Butler also rode the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. Keith Butler's son, Gethin Butler, was a prominent amateur rider in Britain during the 1990s.