As a time tester myself ‘back in the day’, I’ve always had an interest in the great Pursuit riders. A year or two ago I was fortunate enough to interview Steele Bishop, World Professional Pursuit Champion in 1983; and then, earlier this year I reviewed his autobiography, Wheels of Steele.
When I saw he was competing at Manchester in the 2019 Veteran’s World Track Championships I resolved to keep an eye out; I knew he wouldn’t be there to make up the numbers.
He duly won four titles – here’s what he had to say to me after he’d ‘done the business.’
Congratulations, Steele – but why come back this year?
“In 2018 while following the second week of the Tour De France, I decided that I was going to break the World’s Best Time for the pursuit in the masters 65-69 age group.
“The reason for this was that my Wheels of Steel autobiography which I had just finished ended in the late