Ron Keeble

Despite winning a bronze medal in the National Junior Sprint Championships, and then winning a competition for ‘up and coming sprinters’ in 1966, Ron Keeble had already made his mind up that he wanted to be a scratch racer after seeing Roy Cromack win the 1964 British 10-Mile Championship. Keeble fulfilled that dream by capturing the national title in 1969 and 1970. He made it a hat-trick by winning the new metric 20 km race in 1971. Keeble went to his first of two Olympics at Mexico in 1968, and four years later at Münich was a member of the GB bronze-medal-winning team in the 4000 metres pursuit. Keeble also took part in the scratch race at the 1970 Edinburgh British Commonwealth Games.

Keeble retired after the 1972 Olympics because he had a new wife and family to support, and required full-time employment to make ends meet. He made a comeback with the 34 Nomads in 1976, however, and at Herne Hill the following Easter won the Golden Wheel 10 km scratch race from Tony Doyle, the 1980 and 1986 world pursuit champion. Keeble won two more national titles as part of the 34 Nomads squad that captured the National Amateur Team Pursuit Championship in 1977 and 1978. He continued racing in veterans’ events beyond his 50 birthday and added many more trophies to his collection.

Keeble, who was appointed British national track manager in 1978, later spent a lot of his time living in the Murcia area of Spain and in 2022 published his biography: “Ron Keeble A Boy from the Elephant”.