New Zealand's first female cyclist to gain a licence to race competitively initally got more support from overseas than her own community.
Bev May (nee Summers) as a 16-year-old. Photo: Supplied
Sixty years ago, Bev May (nee Summers) became a pioneer of women's cycling in New Zealand when she obtained a cycling licence to race competitively against men.
She was just 15-years-old at the time.
Not everyone was impressed with the Morrinsville teenager who was faster than some of the men on the cycling scene and she says a petition was circulated to try and stop her in her tracks.
But she did not give in to the naysayers and continued to race at the national level for nearly 30 more years.
Mrs May has been a rider, race promoter, women's advocate, and cycling administrator and is to be an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's Birthday honours for services to cycling.
Too small for rugby, Mrs May's brother Alan took up cycling as a child on bike purchased for one pound, and she went along when she didn't have netball.
"But I was just hooked from day one, I had a lend of someone's bike and away I went," she says.
"I went faster than the under-17 riders and cycling just took me over."
In the 1960s, when some in the cycling community were trying to slow her down, Te Awamutu bike shop owner Arthur Rickett was helping her upgrade her ride.
Mr Rickett who was the founder of the Waipa Wheelers, Mrs May's first club, gave her "all the encouragement in the world".
"He sent my measurements over to England to a cycle factory and they made this bike up and because I was the first woman to race with the men the people never charged me for my bike - that was for the frame - and then Arthur Rickett said if they didn't charge you, I can't charge you, so I got a bike for nothing."
Mrs May compares her early years in bike racing to the experiences of New Zealand's first female jockey Linda Jones who had to battle against the views of some in sport her that she should not be allowed to compete.
Like Ms Jones, an accident forced Mrs May to end her competitive career.
In 1988 riding just around the corner from where she lives in Morrinsville, Mrs May came off her bike.
"I had a nasty accident, fractured my skull, broke my collarbone, broke my shoulder and I'm on [medication] ever since," she says.
How the accident happened is unclear.
"We're not 100 percent sure, but what we think happened is my chain came off my bike just as I was speeding up to push down and I just tipped out."
Two years after the accident she developed the Bev May Women's Tour.
"I couldn't ride so I said to my husband I want to put on a race and I want to put on a race for all females from the little ones, under-13s, to elite.
"I've been going forward ever since to promote women's cycling."
The Tour, which has had some of New Zealand's top riders like Sarah Ulmer, Meshy Holt, Rushlee Buchanan and Sonia Waddell take part, marked its 30th event in 2019.
Even when she was not in the saddle Mrs May was heavily involved in cycling.
With her family she helped establish the Morrinsville Wheelers in 1964, holding several administrative positions including as a committee member since 1970 and club secretary for 37 years.
At the Western Bay of Plenty Centre level she has been secretary, selector, manager and judge.
She has had team management positions for national and international teams and has been a national commissaire for Cycling New Zealand since 1989.
Mrs May was an appointed UCI Commissaire at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland and continues as an active national commissaire today.
To be recognised for all that she has done is "fantastic" but a little surprising according to the woman who has lead the way for the thousands of New Zealand women who have taken part in competitive cycling.
