Franz Hofmann (pacemaker)

Franz Hofmann

Hofmann on the cover of La Vie au Grand Air

Franz Josef Hofmann (born March 13, 1879 in Striesen , † August 19, 1926 in Hamborn ) was a German racing cyclist and pacemaker .

Franz Hofmann, son of the tailor Johann Hofmann, trained in a bicycle shop after school, which he later took over. In his spare time he drove successfully as an amateur at home. In 1901 he moved to Berlin, became a professional driver and discovered his talent as a pacemaker. In 1903 Hofmann went to the USA with Jimmy Michael , where he worked as a pacemaker and carer for a year. He also led one-stop races there with the only female train driver, Margaret Gast . In 1903 the racing driver Harry Elkes was killed in a race behind Hofmann.

In the following years Hofmann led well-known drivers such as Peter Günther , Paul Guignard , Thaddäus Robl and others. He led drivers to the world title five times, in 1904 and 1905 the American Robert Walthour and in 1906 and 1907 the French Louis Darragon . In 1909 he was together with the Englishman Leon Meredith world champion in the amateur standing.

Hofmann was considered the best pacemaker of his time and was therefore also called the “pacemaker king”.

In 1908 he married Wally Bock from Berlin.

During the First World War , Franz Hofmann, who had also tried his hand at being a pilot privately, was deployed as an aviator. In 1916 he was, however, after a serious injury retired .

In 1911 Hofmann bought the Berlin "Olympiabahn" and acted as its director until 1919, when he resumed his pacemaker activity because he lacked the money to restore it. In the spring of 1926, during a race in Marseille , he suffered a severe fracture of the lower leg, which was supposedly a golden screw, and needed crutches. Nevertheless, he went on 15 August 1926 at the opening race of the new cycling track of Hamborn before Jules Miquel at the start. He fell and died of his injuries four days later.

literature

• Sports album of the cycling world . A cycling yearbook (1921) . tape 20 . Verlag der "Rad-Welt", Berlin 1922, p. 101-104 .
• Toni Theilmeier: The wild, daring hunt. The rise of professional standing sport in Germany. The early years up to 1910 (= series of publications on bicycle history. Vol. 6). Maxime, Verl. Kutschera, Leipzig 2009, ISBN 978-3-931965-23-5 , pp. 97 ff.

Web links

Commons : Franz Hofmann  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Heinz Weidner: Stehersport »historical results. World Championships amateurs ( memento of July 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). In: stayer.de, accessed on August 29, 2017 ( PDF; 18 kB ( Memento from July 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ))

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Birth register, registry office Striesen, No. 98/1879.
2. ↑ Marriage register, Berlin XI registry office, No. 1507/1908.
3. ↑ Illustrated cycling sport . August 29, 1926.