Les West was born on 11 November 1943 and was one of the dominant figures of amateur and professional cycling in Britain during the 1960 and 1970s.
17 Facts About Les West
1.
2.
Les West won the Milk Race twice, came second in the world amateur road race championship and fourth in the world professional championship.
3.
Les West won the North Staffordshire 25-mile time-trial championship when he was 16.
4.
Les West beat one hour for 25 miles in 1961 and won North Staffordshire championships at 10,25,30 and 50 miles, won the area track league and became five-mile and 4,000m pursuit champion.
5.
Les West rode the Milk Race, the Tour of Britain for the first time in 1965, riding as a late selection for the Midlands.
6.
In 1966 Les West lived in the Netherlands, riding round-the-houses races.
7.
Les West saidI mean, you never earned a fortune [as an amateur].
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Felice Gimondi 8.
Professional racing had developed in Britain but Les West held on for the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968.
9.
Les West punctured early, waited for the mechanics in the service car behind the last rider, changed bikes twice, chased for 30 miles and gave up.
10.
Les West turned professional for the Holdsworth team, managed by a shopkeeper called Roy Thame in west London.
11.
Les West had four more wins and came second nine times.
12.
Les West got into the winning break with Jempi Monsere of Belgium, Leif Mortensen and the Italian Felice Gimondi.
13.
Monsere won and Les West came fourth, troubled once more by cramp in the sprint.
14.
Les West won the British championship, broke the London-Portsmouth, London-Bath-London records, won the Tour of the Peaks and then in 1978 retired as a professional.
15.
Les West started racing again, as an amateur, in 1980, rode for two years, then retired.
16.
Les West returned to cycling in the veteran class, and remarked on the fact that he was remembered by older neighbours in Stoke-on-Trent but not by others.
17.
In 2003 he dominated the national masters' championship in Warwickshire In September 2006, Les West became national champion of the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists and rode for GS Strada-Afford Rent-a-Car-Pinarello team which is sponsored by Phil Griffiths.