‘So proud’ - Kingswinford cycling legend going into the hall of fame

Phil Bayton reminisced on a life that has come “full circle” ahead of his induction into the British Cycling Hall of Fame.

The 76-year-old built a stellar 16-year career, in which he was known as ‘the Staffordshire Engine’, and was part of the all-conquering Raleigh team in the 1970s, representing Great Britain on the world stage when few road cyclists were.

After retiring in 1989, Bayton went on to manage the Everready-Halfords team and has become an enormous advocate for cycling among young and inexperienced riders.

He said: “The riders now are riding a lot faster. The generation of riders we’ve got now, you can’t compare. It’s almost like a different sport.

“We raced on 10 gears and now they have 22. The clothing we had was woollen, and when it got wet, it was really heavy. Your shorts would really rub on you. We hadn’t got rain jackets, we hadn’t got overshoes.

“We didn’t have computers, power meters or heart rate monitors. We just rode on feel. So if you transported a modern rider back, riding totally on feel on a 10-speed bike, in the clothing we rode in, I think they would find it a bit more difficult than it is now.”

Bayton, from Kingswinford, began cycling at 13 just to explore the local countryside, never expecting his new hobby to lead him to professional heights.

He earned 74 pro wins, 2 Milk Race stage wins, and was crowned Crit National Champion 1982 during his career, which also brought a fourth-placed finish in the 200km road race at the Munich 1972 Olympics. Though a major heart problem means he now uses a pacemaker, he refuses to leave cycling behind.

He said: “I’ve gone full circle. I started riding for fun and that’s where I’m back again. What motivates me to ride my bike now is going out into the countryside.

“Eddy Merckx always used to say that you need to know your bike, know yourself, and know your opposition. One of the things that helped me in my career was learning not to follow the trend and do what I know suited me best.

“Nowadays, there’s too much of this cut-and-paste of training schedules, and people just follow a pattern, and they don’t really get to know themselves.”

Bayton will join heroes of his such as Stan Kite, Keith Lambert and Les West in the British Cycling Hall of Fame, which was established in 2009, at the 2026 British Cycling Awards, presented by Lloyds in Manchester on November 14.

He said: “I am so proud that I’m being put in the Hall of Fame. When it first started, I always thought how incredible it must be to be part of that group of people.

“The sport gave me so much in terms of friendship, and I’m proud of what I achieved in racing. You feel that you want to give something back, and I particularly like helping people who are new to the sport.”

The British Cycling Awards presented by Lloyds is celebrating those inspiring individuals who have brought the joy of cycling to communities across the country, through their performance on the global stage, to their tireless work at grassroots level. See how you can join the movement of cycling by visiting britishcycling.org.uk