Michael Wright

Michael Wright was an English professional road bicycle racer who raced from 1962 to 1976 and died in 2026. Born in Bishop's Stortford in 1941, he moved to Belgium with his family as a small child and grew up in Liege, where his first language was French. He took up cycling after football, turning to it when his family was short of money. Too heavy to ride well in the high mountains, he was a fast finisher from a small group. He rode the Tour de France eight times, finishing 24th in 1965 and winning three stages, and he won four stages of the Vuelta a Espana, two in 1968 and two in 1969. He represented Great Britain at several world championships and in the national-team Tours of 1967 and 1968.