GDR road cycling championships 1951
The road cycling championships in the GDR in 1951 were held in the individual discipline in three races between May and August. GDR champion was Werner Gallinge from Berlin . The team championship was won by BSG Aufbau Börde Magdeburg .
Individual championship
The GDR champion in the single road race was determined in three races on May 27th at the "Rund um Dresden", on June 17th at the "Durch die Thüringer Lande" and on August 30th at the "Berlin-Neubrandenburg-Berlin". After each run, points were awarded for the placements, ten for first place and further down. The driver with the most points after the third run became the champion.
1st run: Around Dresden
The route “Around Dresden” was 217.3 kilometers long. On May 26, 1951, 47 drivers took part, including defending champion Edgar Schatz . After about 150 kilometers, Horst Siegel from Chemnitz and Lothar Meister I from Leipzig pulled away from the field and had a lead of five minutes by the time they reached the finish line in Dresden . In the final sprint, Lothar Meister Siegel was still 25 meters behind.
| driver | team | time | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lothar Master I. | BSG Rotation Leipzig | 6:48:07 | 10 |
| 2. | Horst Siegel | BSG Dwigatel Wismut Chemnitz | same time | 9 |
| 3. | Gotthard Weber | BSG Motor Chemnitz Süd | 6:53:16 | 8th |
2nd run: Through the Thuringian countryside
The second championship run "Through the Thuringian Lands" took place on June 17th. It was started in Erfurt , led into the Thuringian Forest as far as Oberhof and back to Erfurt. A total of 191 kilometers had to be covered and an altitude difference of 600 meters had to be overcome. After 70 kilometers, Rudi Kirchhoff, one of the favorites on the ascent to the Hohe Sonne near Eisenach, gave up exhausted. Shortly before Meiningen after 120 kilometers, the Leipzig Josef Ernst and Rudi Pietzsch from Freiberg started the first successful breakaway attempt, with which both drove a lead of two minutes. Behind Oberhof, another three drivers, including Horst Siegel, joined the leaders, and behind them a group of pursuers formed. While Siegel was able to leave alone, the two groups united, but they could no longer catch up with Siegel. Siegel reached the goal in Erfurt alone with a lead of almost three minutes.
| driver | team | time | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Horst Siegel | BSG Dwigatel Wismut Chemnitz | 5:28:30 | 19th |
| 2. | Lothar Master I. | BSG Rotation Leipzig | 5:31:10 | 19th |
| 3. | Paul Dinter | BSG Stahl Wildau | same time | 13 |
3rd run: Berlin-Neubrandenburg-Berlin
On August 30, 1951, 65 drivers tackled the third and final round of the GDR championship. In ideal racing weather, they had to cover 260 kilometers. After 43 kilometers, a top group of seven had formed for the first time, but none of the favorites were represented. After 70 kilometers the field was together again, but after another 50 kilometers it was moving towards Neubrandenburg . After the turning loop in Neubrandenburg, the drivers had the wind from the front, so the speed decreased. 80 kilometers from Berlin , a new breakaway group formed, initiated by Werner Gallinge . A little later another favorite caught up with Paul Dinter. The other title contenders, Meister and Siegel, did not succeed in motivating the field to catch up, so that finally a group of nine headed towards the goal in Berlin. The final sprint decided Rudi Kirchhoff with tire strength in front of Werner Gallinge, for whom the second place was enough to win the championship.
| driver | team | time | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rudi Kirchhoff | BSG Semper Berlin | 7:26:12 | 10 |
| 2. | Werner Gallinge | BSG unit Berlin Bear | same time | 22nd |
| 3. | Horst Graebner | BSG unit Berlin Bear | same time | 8th |
Final score
| driver | team | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Werner Gallinge | BSG unit Berlin Bear | 22nd |
| 2. | Horst Siegel | BSG Dwigatel Wismut Chemnitz | 19th |
| 3. | Lothar Master I. | BSG Rotation Leipzig | 19th |
| 4th | Paul Dinter | BSG Stahl Wildau | 16 |
| 5. | Rudi Kirchhoff | SG Semper Berlin | 10 |
| 6th | Horst Graebner | BSG unit Berlin Bear | 8th |
| 7th | Gotthard Weber | BSG Motor Chemnitz Süd | 8th |
| 8th. | Edgar sweetheart | BSG Chemistry Hall | 7th |
| 9. | Werner Marschner | BSG Motor Chemnitz Süd | 7th |
| 10. | Rudi Pietzsch | Freiberg | 7th |
Team championship
The 1951 team championship was held as a 100-kilometer time trial on the Magdeburg - Burg - Genthin - Magdeburg route . The teams involved, each consisting of six drivers, were sent individually on the trip. At the turning point in Genthin, the BSG Semper Berlin team had set the fastest time. With the wind in their backs and thanks to their local knowledge, BSG Aufbau Börde Magdeburg was able to make up its one-minute gap and clinched the championship title 2:14 minutes ahead of BSG Einheit Berliner Bär . Horst Gaede , Gustav-Adolf Schur , Kurt Hünerbein and Sauer ensured the victory ; Heinz Höhne and Schumann left early.
| team | Time (h) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | BSG development Börde Magdeburg | 2: 27: 57.9 |
| 2. | BSG unit Berlin Bear | 2: 30: 12.3 |
| 3. | BSG Rotation Berlin | 2: 30: 19.7 |
| 4th | BSG Semper Berlin | 2: 31: 00.9 |
| 5. | BSG Motor Siegmar Chemnitz | 2: 31: 35.9 |
| 6th | BSG Dwigatel Wismut Chemnitz | 2: 33: 05.7 |
| 7th | BSG Turbine Gasag Berlin | 2: 37: 24.9 |
| 8th. | BSG Post Berlin | 2: 37: 27.4 |
| 9. | BSG Rotation Leipzig Southeast | 2: 38: 11.2 |
| 10. | BSG locomotive Leipzig-East | 2: 38: 28.7 |
literature
- Illustrated cycling, born 1951
- GDR sports newspaper Deutsches Sportecho, born in 1951