Kind Longsjo

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Memorial to Art Longsjo in his native Fitchburg , Massachusetts

Arthur Matthew "Art" Longsjo (born October 23, 1931 in Fitchburg , Massachusetts , † September 16, 1958 in Burlington , Vermont ) was an American cyclist and speed skater .

Art Longsjo was the only American to take part in both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Games in the same year : in 1956 he started speed skating in Cortina d'Ampezzo and finished 40th, and in Melbourne in cycling, in the team pursuit on the track .

Longsjo had originally been a speed skater; Initially, he only practiced cycling as training. His first major success as a cyclist was winning the Quebec-Montreal 170 mile race in 1954, for which he was named Canadian Cyclist of the Year . He was also successful many times in amateur cycling races in North America, such. B. several times at the championship of Massachusetts. In 1958 he won the Tour of Somerville , the Tour de Saint-Laurent in Canada and a third time Quebec-Montreal . On the way back from that race, Longsjo was killed in a car accident at the age of 26. The reason for the accident is said to have been a bee that had flown into the car. While Longsjo slept, the driver, a school friend of sorts, tried to hit the bee and lost control of the car in a sharp turn and on a wet road. The car rammed a telephone pole, which dug into the passenger side of the car, fatally injuring Longsjo.

In 1960, his hometown of Fitchburg hosted the one-day Fitchburg-Longsjo Memorial Race for the first time , now known as the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic , which now comprises four stages, is top-class and has also been held for women since 1977. The winners include Lance Armstrong , Zach Bell and Tyler Hamilton . In addition, there is a memorial to Art Ljongso in the village. In 1988 he was posthumously inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Peter Nye: Hearts of Lions. The History of American Bicycle Racing. Penguin Books 1988, p. 2008. The driver survived the accident, seriously injured.
  2. ↑ longsjo.com ( Memento from December 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive )

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Longsjo, Art
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Longsjo, Arthur Matthew (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American cyclist and speed skater
DATE OF BIRTH October 23, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Fitchburg , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH September 16, 1958
Place of death Burlington , Vermont