Erich Schulz (cyclist)

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Erich Schulz (left) with Rudi Kirchhoff in 1952
The first three of the Erich Schulz memorial race in 1966 (from left to right): Erhard Hancke , Siegfried Köhler and Wolfgang Schmelzer .

Erich Schulz (born April 14, 1914 in Berlin ; † July 11, 1956 in Höhnstedt ) was a German racing cyclist .

Athletic career

Memorial stone at the site of his fatal accident

Schulz was already enthusiastic about cycling as a child, he carried newspapers in order to fulfill his dream of owning a bike. It was not until the time of his commercial apprenticeship that he could afford a real racing bike. Equipped in this way, he joined the RV Arminius in Berlin, where Rudi Risch trained , among others .

Erich Schulz was a successful cyclist even before the Second World War . At the age of 15, he won his first victory in the 1930 year-end race. In the following year he dominated the races of his age group, so that he received the unofficial title of German youth champion. Very early (at the age of 17) he started for his club in the German championships in the team time trial . Although the Arminen took second place, Schulz was so exhausted after the race that he had to take an almost one-year break from racing. During his time with the Wehrmacht, he had to pay for his enthusiasm for cycling with three days of "construction" because he had competed in a civilian bike race while on holiday. When he returned to Berlin from the war, he suffered from a stomach disease, so that at first it did not seem possible to continue his career as an athlete. But the disease was cured and the "Eiserne Ete" was able to do competitive cycling again. Schulz celebrated his first post-war victory for the Berlin cycling division Friedrichshain at the Lichterfeld triangle race.

From 1950 to 1956 Erich Schulz was one of the most prominent figures in GDR cycling. In 1950 he became GDR champion in the 100 km team time trial with SG Semper (formerly RS Friedrichshain), won the Harz Tour and took third place in the GDR Tour , in 1952 he won the overall ranking of the GDR Tour and the one-day races in Berlin– Leipzig , Berlin – Cottbus – Berlin , Berlin – Frankfurt – Berlin, Berlin – Oderberg – Berlin, around the Petersberg and around Meißen. At the beginning of the 1952 cycling season, he switched from SG Semper to BSG Post Berlin . In 1955 he reached second place in the GDR tour. In 1953 and 1954 he was the captain of the GDR team on the international peace voyage . However, he retired early on both tours.

In 1956 he fell on the sixth stage of the GDR tour from Halle to Gotha and died at the scene of the accident. Erich Schulz's grave is in the Laurentius cemetery in Berlin-Köpenick. On April 14, 1957, a granite memorial stone for Erich Schulz was unveiled at the accident site ▼ in the Höhnstedt district on the road from Halle to Eisleben between Langenbogen and Rollsdorf (between kilometer stones 17.3 and 17.4). The inscription on the memorial reads: "Here, on July 11, 1956, master of sports Erich Schulz had an accident on the GDR tour".

Many GDR cyclists like Gustav-Adolf Schur and Georg Stoltze named Schulz as their role model. From 1957 to 1990 the Erich Schulz memorial race was held 32 times on the Berlin – Angermünde – Berlin route and has been revived on the Berlin-Bad Freienwalde-Berlin route in recent years. The course de la Paix cycling museum in Kleinmühlingen is reminiscent of Erich Schulz with exhibits.

Professional

Erich Schulz worked as a quality controller in a brewery in Berlin-Köpenick.

literature

  • Andreas Ciesielski : Erich Schulz. A life dedicated to cycling . Scheunen-Verlag Kückenshagen 2006 ISBN 978-3-938398-21-0 .
  • Illustrated cycling , edition November 1st, 1952, overall result of the performance class 1952, p. 9
  • Cycling Week (Ed. Presidium of the Cycling Section of the GDR), 15/1954, p. 12

Web links

Commons : Erich Schulz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c General Secretariat of the Cycling Section of the GDR (Ed.): Illustrated Radrennsport . No. 18/1950 . Sportverlag, Berlin 1950, p. 12 .
  2. ↑ Maik Märtin: 50 years of Course de la Paix . Agency Construct, Leipzig 1998, p. 256 .
  3. ↑ Andreas Ciesielki: Erich Schulz. A life dedicated to cycling . Scheunenverlag, Kückenshagen, ISBN 3-938398-21-3 , p. 126 .
  4. ^ General Secretariat of the Cycling Section of the GDR (ed.): Illustrated Radrennsport . No. 9/1950 . Sportverlag, Berlin 1950, p. 8 .
personal data
SURNAME Schulz, Erich
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German racing cyclist
DATE OF BIRTH April 14, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH July 11, 1956
Place of death Höhnstedt