Cycling pioneer Brian Robinson – first Briton to take part in Tour de France, dies aged 91
Cycling pioneer Brian Robinson – the first Briton to take part in the Tour de France and who represented Team GB at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics – has died aged 91
- Brian Robinson, the first Briton to take part in the Tour de France, has died aged 91
- Yorkshireman Robinson won stages of the Tour de France in both 1958 and 1959
- Robinson was the first Briton to reach the Milan-Sanremo podium in 1957
- His death was announced by his grandson and fellow cyclist Jake Womersley
Brian Robinson, the first Briton to win a stage Tour de Francehas died at the age of 91.
Robinson won stages of the Tour in both 1958 and 1959, and was also the first British rider to complete cycling’s most famous race in 1955.
A pioneer of Britons competing on the continent, he also won the prestigious Criterium du Dauphine stage race in 1961 and was the first Briton to stand on the podium of cycling’s monumental Milan-Sanremo, finishing third in 1957.
The Yorkshireman’s death was announced by his grandson and fellow cyclist Jake Womersley, who wrote Twitter: “It is with great sadness that the family of Brian Robinson announce his death yesterday.”
Born in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, Robinson joined a local cycling club as a teenager and later took up racing in between working at the family construction business.
Brian Robinson (pictured), the first Briton to take part in the Tour de France, has died aged 91.
Robinson (right) won stages of the Tour in both 1958 and 1959, and was also the first British rider to complete cycling’s most famous race in 1955.
He competed for Great Britain in the 1952 Olympics before turning professional. He rode the Tour de France for the first time in 1955, when he finished 29th overall.
In 1958 he won the first British stage, the seventh stage from Saint-Brieuc to Brest, although he did not get to raise his hands in victory that day, only learning that he had won later in the evening when the news came through the Italian Arigo Padovani. , first across the line, had been abandoned.
He made up for it a year later when he won stage 20 of the 1959 Tour, from Annecy to Chalon-sur-Saone, by a full 20 minutes.
Robinson finished 29th overall when he rode the Tour de France for the first time in 1955.
At a time when many professional cyclists lived hand to mouth, Robinson retired at the age of 33 to return to the UK with his family. He continued to ride his bike in relative anonymity until becoming an ambassador for the Tour de France’s Grand Depart in Yorkshire in 2014.
The cycling legend has also been praised, with the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team posting: “The man who blazed a trail for British cyclists in the Tour de France.
“We would like to join the cycling world in sending our condolences and love to the family and friends of Brian Robinson, who passed away yesterday at the age of 91. A true legend of our sport.”
Velo UK also said: “Brian Robinson died a few days before his 92nd birthday… He will be remembered as the first Briton to win a stage in the Tour de France. That was 1958. RIP Brian.
Cycling UK added: “RIP Brian Robinson – a cycling legend. The first British rider to complete the Tour de France and then win a stage, he was a pioneer of the sport and a true inspiration.
“We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”
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