CyclingNewsHound

Mike Burrows obituary

25-Aug-2022 17:03:46 | The Guardian

Pioneering bicycle designer known for the Lotus 108, which helped win Britain its first cycling Olympic gold in 72 years

In 1992 Mike Burrows, who has died age 79 of cancer, watched Chris Boardman win the 4,000-metre individual bicycle pursuit final at the Barcelona Olympics. Boardman was riding the Lotus 108 model that Mike had developed with Lotus Engineering, and the combination won Britain its first Olympic gold medal in the sport for 72 years.

Mike’s background as an engineer lay in running his own company in Norwich in the 1970s, producing packaging machines. When his car broke down he took to cycling, devising his own recumbent bicycles and tricycles, with the rider lying back for optimal aerodynamics and having the pedals in front, rather than below.