Peter Graham: The man who raced and beat five world champions

Cycling Weekly visited Peter Graham, a man with a habit of beating world champions

Photo: Chris Catchpole

As a three-time winner of the RTTC National Hill-Climb Championships and a perennial figure at time trials, road races and track events throughout the 1950s and 60s, Peter Graham is well known to riders of a certain generation.

But the Lancastrian, now 81, doesn’t just have a reputation as one of the country’s finest domestic riders during his heyday. In 2013, it dawned on him that he also holds a feat as romantic as it is remarkable: across his 40-year racing career he beat five world champions. Just how did he manage that?

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Jack Elton-Walters hails from the Isle of Wight, and would be quick to tell anyone that it's his favourite place to ride. He has covered a varied range of topics for Cycling Weekly, producing articles focusing on tech, professional racing and cycling culture. He moved on to work for Cyclist Magazine in 2017 where he stayed for four years until going freelance. He now returns to Cycling Weekly from time-to-time to cover racing, review cycling gear and write longer features for print and online.