Arthur Augustus Zimmerman

Arthur Augustus Zimmerman (1902)

Arthur Augustus Zimmerman (born June 11, 1869 , Camden (New Jersey) , † October 22, 1936 , Atlanta , Georgia ) was an American cyclist and winner of the first world championship in the sprint 1893 in Chicago .

Zimmerman, later known as "Zimmy" as a racing driver, was born the son of a real estate agent . The boy, who attended a military school, attracted attention early on because of his versatile athletic talent in athletics . At the age of 17 he started cycling on a penny farthing . In 1889 he won his first bike race.

As early as 1890 Zimmerman took first place 45 times, and one year later he switched to the Niederrad . Among other things, he won the US American championship over the half mile and set a world record over the quarter mile with 29.4 seconds .

In 1892 Zimmerman came to Europe for the first time and competed in races in England , where he won several titles, and in Germany, where he drove in Berlin . He later traveled to France for cycling races , where he won the Grand Prix de l'UVF , to Scotland and Australia . In 1894 he became a professional and subsequently set numerous other world records. He was one of the first racing cyclists who could make a living from his profession, as his name was marketed for "Zimmy shoes" or "Zimmy clothing".

Two years later, after winning over 1,000 victories, he ended his racing career and became a businessman. Ten years later, at the request of organizers in Paris, he competed in another bike race, but without success.

Arthur Augustus Zimmerman died in Atlanta at the age of 67.

literature

• Andrew Ritchie, Flying Yankee. The International Career of Arthur Augustus Zimmerman. John Pinkerton Memorial Publishing Fund, Cheltenham 2009, ISBN 0-9560430-4-6 .
• Wheel world. Sports album. A cycling yearbook. 9th year, 1912, ZDB ID 749618-7 .

Web links

Commons : Arthur Augustus Zimmerman  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Arthur Augustus Zimmerman in the Radsportseiten.net database

Individual evidence

1. ^ Peter Nye: Hearts of Lions. The History of American Bicycle Racing. Norton, New York NY et al. 1988, ISBN 0-393-02543-8 , p. 43.
2. ↑ James C McCullagh (Ed.): American Bicycle Racing. Rodale Press, Emmaus PA 1976, ISBN 0-87857-144-2 , p. 13.
3. ^ Memoire du Cyclisme