British Cycling was deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of multiple national champion, coach and former Great Britain team manager Valerie Rushworth (née Rainbow).
As a member of Featherstone Road Club, Valerie’s racing career started in the late 1950’s when she turned from a runner to a rider and went on to win a total of 10 national titles on the hard and grass track.
She represented Great Britain on both the road and the track at world championships between 1960 and 1964, and was crowned national road champion in 1964 whilst racing for the Abbotsford Park Road Club. Throughout her racing career, Valerie held 17 British national records on the track including standing, flying, tandem and motor paced records.
Valerie then utilised her racing knowledge to become a successful coach, starting at club and division level, before working up to a women’s national coach – a post she held for over eight years.
She was also team manager for Great Britain for 13 years, travelling as far afield as Tokyo, and managed the team in the first ever women’s road race at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
In 1995, Valerie made a comeback to racing at the first Masters World Track Championships in Manchester. Racing again for the Featherstone Road Club, she went on to win five world titles in the 500m TT, and in 2000 she set a new record for the 2,000m pursuit in the 50+ category.
She continued to work hard for the sport and raise the profile of women’s cycling in voluntary positions, whilst holding a full-time job and raising two children, Claire and Sara. In 1989, Valerie received the CA Rhodes Memorial Award for her achievements as a cyclist and international coach.
Alongside her cycling achievements, Valerie was instrumental in the formation of the Yorkshire and Humberside Cycling Centre of Excellence and was the Director of Coaching and Administration for four years.
Valerie also enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a volunteer official, working for many years as a committee member for the British Cycling Federation’s West Yorkshire Division, with regular attendance as a National Councillor at British Cycling’s Annual General Meeting.
British Cycling President, Bob Howden OBE, recalls his own connection with Valerie, extending back over 50 years:
“Back in the 60s and 70s as a young aspiring cyclist in Wakefield, I was drawn to the successes of our local luminaries, which at the time included Barry Hoban, Beryl Burton and Val Rushworth. But, it was with Val that I was to develop a lifelong link, alongside her husband Alan.
“After a long and successful competitive career, Val began to pass on her knowledge to others and in many cases her thinking was ahead of its time, particularly in terms of training quality and diet. For me, Val and Alan were valuable mentors and friends as I began a voluntary career beyond my own racing days.
“Amongst many memories, my standout ones will be Val’s attention to detail and her tenacity in stating her case, but perhaps most importantly, the passion she had for the sport and the care she felt for those fortunate to have known her.”
The thoughts of everybody at British Cycling are with Valerie’s family and many friends at this difficult time. Her funeral is at 2.30pm on Thursday 30 March at St Mary the Less Church, Station Road, Allerton Bywater, Castleford, WF10 2BZ.
