Ernst Claussmeyer

Ernst Claußmeyer (2016)

Ernst "Ernie" Claußmeyer (* 26. May 1947 in Dortmund ) is a German entrepreneur and former amateur - cyclist .

Cycling career

Ernie Claußmeyer began his cycling career at RRC "Curve 24" Dortmund-Brackel eV in 1962. As an amateur, he was German champion several times and crowned his sporting career as part of the gold four with the 1970 world championship in Leicester , England, under the direction of Gustav Kilian . Claußmeyer won the first amateur race in 1967 in the run-up to the Dortmund six-day race in 1967. This race was then held as the Dortmund six-day race for amateurs with a few interruptions until 1993.

A father of the "Cycling Bundesliga" and cycling organizer

On October 10, 1983, Claußmeyer founded the RC Olympia Dortmund, one of the first clubs to operate an amateur team semi-professionally . Together with other clubs he founded the "Cycling Bundesliga". In about 20 races spread over the season, it formed a racing series in which the best amateurs and the best teams were determined. The team of the RC Olympia was able to win this rating several times.

Claußmeyer also organizes world-famous cycling events such as the Sparkassen Giro Bochum professional bike race or the Dortmund six-day race . Until the beginning of 2010 he was chairman of the VDR ( Association of German Cycle Race Organizers ), which looks after the interests of the organizers of such well-known races as Around Cologne or Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop (until 2008: Around the Henninger Tower ).

Mentor to many top amateurs

With the RC Olympia, Claußmeyer was also a mentor to many top German amateurs who later achieved great success with the professionals. The most prominent examples are the former T-Mobile professional and current team manager Rolf Aldag and the vice-world champion of 2004 and 2006, Erik Zabel .

During his time at Olympia Dortmund, among other things, the success at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona , where Zabel took 4th place.

Private citizen and entrepreneur

Ernst Claußmeyer has been married for over 30 years. He has two sons.

Today Ernst Claußmeyer heads the Olympia group of companies. The group has companies in the real estate, logistics, sports marketing and travel sectors. In the meantime, Ernie Claußmeyer has passed large parts of the operational responsibility for these events to his sons Mark and Sven .

Familiar

Ernst Claußmeyer is the son of Ernst "Erni" Claußmeyer (born April 5, 1910 in Dortmund , † December 25, 1983 in Dortmund). This was also a cyclist in Dortmund. In 1932 he and his partner August Sagurna became the most successful team driver among the German amateurs. In 1934 he became a professional and started with Sagurna in the 9th Dortmund six-day race , which was won by Marcel Guimbretiere and Paul Broccardo . After there were no more six-day races in Germany, he turned to work in his parents' haulage company. After returning from captivity, he started again, but without major success, in cycling races. He supported his sons Rainer and Erni in their desire to become racing drivers as well.

Web links

• Ernst Claußmeyer in the Radsportseiten.net database

Individual evidence

1. ^ Association of German cyclists (ed.): Radsport . No. 44/1967 . Deutscher Sportverlag Kurt Stoof, Cologne 1967, p. 13 .
2. ^ Association of German cyclists (ed.): Radsport . No. 3/1983 . German sports publisher Kurt Stoof, Cologne, p. 22 .