Bob Tetzlaff

Robert Paul "Bob" Tetzlaff (born November 13, 1935 in Milwaukee , † September 27, 2012 in Los Gatos ) was an American cyclist .

In 1951, Bob Tetzlaff won his first race at the age of 15. In the following years he won numerous domestic races and was nicknamed "platinum terror" because of his very light blond hair. In 1952 he started in the elimination races to participate in the Olympic Games in Helsinki , but could not qualify. In 1958 he started at the UCI Road World Championships in Reims . This experience led him to promote the participation of American racing drivers in international cycling events and to start as a pioneer himself in many foreign races.

In 1959 Tetzlaff won the gold medal in the individual time trial at the Pan American Games in Chicago , and in the road race he finished sixth. In the same year he won the “Best All Rounder” trophy. In 1960 he started at the Olympic Games in Rome and was 75th in the road race and eleventh with the team. In 1963 he repeated his success in the individual time trial at the Pan American Games , finished eleventh in the road race and together with the team won the silver medal in the team time trial . In 1966 he was American road racing champion. In 1970 he was the first US American to compete in the Tour of Ireland .

In the 1970s, Bob Tetzlaff revised the rule book of the American Cycling Federation and adapted it to international standards. He accompanied teams to races in Europe and organized a bike race in his home town. In 1977 he won the silver medal at the national Masters championship in road racing.

In 1960 Tetzlaff co-founded the Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club . He only raced as an amateur . He was trained as a primary school teacher and worked in this profession for many years.

In 2003, Bob Tetzlaff was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame . His laudation read: “Bob Tetzlaff was the first 'giant' of modern American cycling, comparable to Greg Lemond , and Lance Armstrong in other eras. In his own time, Bob was known as King of the Road for his ability to win every type of race; he was equally as good on the track. "

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club-The Beginnings from lgbrc.org accessed on December 28, 2012

Web links

• Bob Tetzlaff in the Radsportseiten.net database
• Bob Tetzlaff in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
• Bob Tetzlaff on usbhof.org