Eileen Sheridan, who dominated women’s cycling in Britain in the decade following World War II. He is still considered to be one of the greatest cyclists the country has ever produced. at She lives in her home in Isleworth is a London suburb. Her name was 99.
Bob Allen was the chairman of Coventry Cycling ClubThe death was confirmed by, an amateur riding club of which Mrs. Sheridan was a member for many years and an ex-president.
At four feet eleven inches, Mrs. Sheridan, who was tall at 4’11”, became known as “The Mighty Atom” and caught the eye of many countries trying to understand the aftermath of World War II. This was the golden age in cycling. Millions of Brits pedaled beyond bombed out cities into the countryside. Many looked up to Mrs. Sheridan as an inspiration.
Although her physical abilities were exceptional, she was single-minded. She seemed more driven by pure joy than competition. Kenneth brought her into the sport. She started with Coventry as a casual rider. After her peers noticed her extraordinary speed and endurance, she decided to take up racing.
“I was one of those people who, if I was in an event, even if I was tiny, I had to do my hardest,” She said in Interview included in “Come On Eileen,” A 2014 short documentary about her life.
In 1945, her first year of competitive cycling, Mrs. Sheridan won the women’s national time-trial championship for 25 miles, and in In the years to come, she will be a winner at You can also drive 50-100 miles. After going professional in 1951, she broke 21 women’s time-trial records, five of which she still holds.
Her epic rides are what will be remembered most. in July 1954 from Land’s End, at England’s southwestern tip, to John O’Groats, at the northern edge of Scotland — an 870-mile trek that she completed in Just 2 days 11 hours 7 minutes. This record is almost twelve hours faster than any previous one.
Although she had been training for six months, the journey was still difficult with mountains and rough roads, as well as cold nights. in It was the middle of July. Her palms became so painful she could not hold onto her handlebars using her thumbs. in sponge.
“We had a nurse,” She said in This documentary “and she actually wept.”
The moment she arrived at John O’Groats, after getting just 15 minutes of sleep over the previous two days, she decided to push farther, to see if she could set a women’s record for the fastest 1,000 miles. After completing the ride, she took a short break of an hour and 48 minutes. This allowed her to have a quick meal and get some rest. After that, she got back on the bike and went out into the dark.
She started to wobble towards the side. The voices of strangers and friends encouraging her to continue were hallucinations. in The wrong direction, she imagined that she would be riding in the polar bear’s path. But she stayed the course and made it to her final destination, the John O’Groats Hotel, the next morning, after riding for three days and one hour. The house was her celebration spot.
It was held for over 48 years until Lynne Taylor from Scotland broke the record with her 1,000-mile run. in 2002.
Constance Eileen Shaw was born Oct. 18, 1923. in Coventry, England. Her mother worked as a homemaker, while her father was a car maker.
Although swimming was her favorite sport, her love for the water changed when her father gave her a bike.
Her job was to work. in An office in Coventry in the first days of World War II. The Germans made a massive attack on Coventry with hundreds of highly explosive bombs. They set off a fire which destroyed its cathedral. The rubble was too much for her to navigate, so she counted down the hours to be free.
“Bikes and cycling were our blessing,” She spoke to The Telegraph in London, in 2021.
She wed Kenneth Sheridan an engineer. in 1942; he died in 2012. Clive Sheridan is her only survivor. Louise Sheridan is her daughter.
Mrs. Sheridan has joined the Coventry Cycling Club in 1944. She set a club record of 25 miles in the time trial in Her first competition was the final in It took her just one hour, thirteen minutes, and 34 seconds. She broke her own record two years later, when she came in at a mere one hour, 13 minutes and 34 seconds. in at one hour, seven minutes, and 35 seconds
In the years that followed, she was able to win almost all competitions open for women. However, she had to contend with the often sexist expectations of society which made it difficult for her. (The Olympics, for instance, did not add women’s cycling until 1984.)
A 2013 radio interview “The Bike Show,” She recalled one example in 1950 when, at Reception in London, where she was about to give an award. She struck up a conversation with the man sitting beside her.
“We were chatting away and I was just about to get up and he whispered in my ear, ‘I can’t stand these lady champions, I like my ladies to be feminine,’” Sie said. “I looked at him, put my hand on his shoulder and said, ‘I’m sorry.’ When I returned he was gone.”
After Mrs. Sheridan had decided to take the plunge and go pro in 1951: She signed a contract for three years with Hercules (a bike manufacturer), even though she was forever banned from racing. Hercules required her to set as many records as possible, but she did it quickly using the company’s bicycles.
“They would give me a day’s notice and say ‘You will be riding from London to Edinburgh’ or ‘London to Bath and back’, which is a record I still hold,” She spoke to The Western Mail, Cardiff, Wales. in 2008.
“I mustn’t grumble,” Elle added. “I had a lovely time and it’s a great sport.”
After the end of her contract, she retired. However, she continued to participate in charity or promotional races. She spent the rest of her time supporting women’s cycling as a spokeswoman, watching in As younger cyclists poured through her doors, she was astonished and admirable.
