Henry Mayer (cyclist)
Henry Mayer (also Henri Mayer ; born January 16, 1878 in Hanover , † 1955 in Hildesheim ) was a German racing cyclist .
Henry Mayer began his sporting career as a footballer before switching to cycling and becoming a professional aviator (sprinter) on the track in 1899 .
In the following years Mayer drove on numerous tracks, preferably in France, where he also trained often and developed into an excellent tactician. His fans there nicknamed him "Ya-Ya". In 1904 he won the classic track Grand Prix de Paris ahead of Walter Rütt and Thorvald Ellegaard and in 1905 the Grand Prix de l'UVF . At the track cycling world championships (1904, 1905) he came second (1907) and third twice.
Mayer was the reason for a falling out between the German cycling federations and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). In an intermediate run against his friend Émile Friol , he was awarded the victory, against which the Germans protested unsuccessfully, left the world championship with all their drivers and then left the UCI for two years. In 1912 Mayer, who was considered a specialist in standing attempts , stepped back from active sport.
After the First World War , he got back on his bike and in 1923, at the age of 45, even made it to the finals of the German Aviator Championship. He then worked in a relative's factory and also turned to his hobby, equestrian sports.
Henry Mayer died in a nursing home in Hildesheim at the age of 77.
Trivia
Mayer was on friendly terms with the French aviator Gabriel Poulain . This friendship later turned into a bitter rivalry, which often culminated in fierce verbal battles and insults. In 1909, on the occasion of another dispute, Mayer challenged Poulain to a match with a personal stake of 1,600 gold marks. Poulain agreed. At first there was no cycling track that wanted to host the duel. After all, the Paris-Vincennes railway could be won over. Poulain won the first run, Mayer the second. In the final run, the competitors practiced several long standing attempts , over a total of 207 minutes. The race stewards set deadlines for both of them to finish the race several times. Shortly before the end of the last deadline, after well over three hours of racing, Poulain offered to get off the train and finish the race without a winner. Mayer agreed, the feud was over.
literature
- Hans Borowik : 300 racing drivers in one volume. Deutscher Schriftenverlag, Berlin 1937.
- Sports album of the cycling world. 3rd year, 1904, ZDB -ID 749618-7 .
- Walter Euhus : Spoke sport . Hanover's historic cycling. The spoke, Langenhagen 2001, ISBN 3-9807011-0-7 .
Web links
- Henry Mayer in the Radsportseiten.net database
Individual evidence
- ↑ Interest group for cycling (ed.): The cycling . No. 35/36/1948 . Sportdienst Verlag Zademack and Noster, Cologne, p. 2 .
- ^ Association of German cyclists (ed.): Radsport . No. 8/1966 . Deutscher Sportverlag Kurt Stoof, Cologne 1966, p. 14 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mayer, Henry |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mayer, Henri |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German racing cyclist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 16, 1878 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hanover |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1955 |
| Place of death | Hildesheim |