A Champion Lost

Barrie Michael Elson lost his life on August 29th 1967, he had celebrated his sixteenth birthday just three weeks earlier. A multiple cycling champion he was destined for the very top. A Champion Lost is written by the brother he left behind, indeed, someone who has only one memory of this cycling superstar. Using Barrie’s scrap books and diaries along with the many stories passed down through the years, the author attempts to piece together his elder brother’s amazing but short career. Thoughtful, incisive, at times tragic, the book seeks to explore the almost subliminal relationship between the two brothers whilst also linking up the world of Cyclo-Cross from the 1960’s right up to present day.