Barry ‘Bas’ Breedon was born in Doncaster in 1939. As a young man he was a member of the Conisbrough Ivanhoe Cycling Club. This club was founded in 1930 and saw a post-war boom in membership. Bas Breedon first came to prominence in 1962, when he took first place in the Conisbrough Road Race, and was a strong contender in the 1963 National 25 miles Road Cycling Championship, ultimately coming in 7th place.
By the following year, Bas was the rising star of the Conisbrough Ivanhoe Cycling Club. In July 1964 he broke the British 25-mile record in the National Time Trial Championship, finishing in first place in a time of 56 minutes and 57 seconds. The following month saw him slash 2 minutes and 35 seconds from the 50 mile record, when he won the Harrogate St Christopher’s 50 Time Trial in a time of one hour, 50 minutes and 3 seconds.
Bas continued to go from strength to strength in 1965, retaining the record for both the 25 and the 50 mile National Time Trial. He set a new championship record in the 50 mile race, held in Lincolnshire, of 1 hour 54 minutes and 28 seconds. This was his best year however, as the following year he lost his 25 mile cycling title when he was beaten into third place by a 21-year-old cyclist from Sheffield.
In 1966 Bas was chosen to represent Great Britain in the men’s team time trial at the World Cycling Championships held in Germany. This event, a road race over a route of 60 miles, took place on 26th August 1966. However, conditions were poor and the British team were the last of the seventeen teams to finish, Bas having to retire before the end of the race.
Bas continued to race throughout the rest of the decade, taking second place in the 1967 100 mile time trial held at Huddersfield, and third place in the Road Time Trials Council 50-mile international race held in Berkshire. He also came second along with Mick McNamara in the Coventry Alliance two-man cycling team time trial. Later in the same year he also managed to break the course record at Coventry in the 50 mile race, shaving 1 minute and 54 seconds from the previous record. The organisers had promised to double the prize money of £5 if the record was broken!
After 1967, little was heard of Bas on the time trial scene. However, in 1974, at the age of 35, Bas entered the Barnsley R. C. 50-mile Time Trial and won the race in a time of one hour, 57 minutes and 11 seconds.
Can anyone tell us more about this record-breaking Conisbrough cyclist, the Conisbrough Road Race or Conisbrough Ivanhoe Cycling Club? Does anyone have any photographs of Bas in action? We’d love to hear from you – please get in touch.
DONCASTER'S CYCLING STORIES 