Valerie M. Rushworth ( Rainbow; 1939 – March 2023) was a British

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

and track

racing cyclist Cycle sport is 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 cycling spo ...

Biography

Rushworth's first sport was running, she was a member of the Wakefield Harriers. She started cycling with Monckton CC. Rushworth was national road race champion in 1964 and held several records on the track including motor-paced records set in 1964: quarter-mile flying start in 23.5 seconds, half-mile flying start in 46.0 seconds and the mile flying start in 1 minute 34.0 seconds. Rushworth won 11 British Championships between 1959 and 1966, and went on to represent Great Britain internationally, as a rider and later as coach and team manager. In 1970 she moved to Featherstone RC. Rushworth coached Lisa Brambani, who became a national road race champion four consecutive years between 1986 and 1989. Rushworth was the European masters champion in the 500m TT for women aged 50 plus for four consecutive years between 1997 and 2000. Rushworth joined Bob Jackson's team in 2001. Rushworth, who lived in Allerton Bywater, Yorkshire near

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

, was coaching advisor for the Women's Cycle Racing Association. She worked as a customer services manager for

Waddingtons Games Waddingtons was a British manufacturer of card games, card and board games. The company was founded by John Waddington of Leeds, England and the manager, actor and playwright Wilson Barrett, under the name ''Waddingtons Limited''. The name was ...

. Rushworth died in March 2023, at the age of 83.

Palmarès

;1964 :1st

British National Road Race Championships The British National Road Race Championships cover different categories of United Kingdom, British road bicycle racing events, normally held annually. History Between 1943 and 1958, two separate bodies – the British League of Racing Cyclist ...

;1973 :3rd Sprint,

British National Track Championships The British National Track Championships are a Track cycling event held annually and organised by the national governing body for track cycling (and other forms of cycling) in Great Britain, British Cycling (formerly the British Cycling Federat ...

;1997 :1st 500m TT, European Masters Track Championships (50+) ;1998 :1st 500m TT, European Masters Track Championships (50+) ;1999 :1st 500m TT, European Masters Track Championships (50+) ;2000 :1st 500m TT, European Masters Track Championships (50+) ;2004 :3rd 500m TT, European Masters Track Championships (50+)

References

External links

* 1939 births 2023 deaths English female cyclists British female cyclists British cycling road race champions British cycling coaches Sportspeople from the City of Wakefield Cyclists from Yorkshire 20th-century English sportswomen {{England-cycling-bio-stub