Jimmy Michael

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Jimmy Michael

Jimmy Michael (born August 18, 1877 in Aberaman , † November 21, 1904 on board the ocean liner Saxonia ) was a Welsh cyclist .

Like the equally internationally successful cyclists Arthur and Tom Linton, Jimmy Michael came from the small Welsh town of Aberaman, where his father ran a butcher's shop. He was only 1.53 meters tall, which is why he was given attributes such as "dwarf" or "boy wonder" in the contemporary press.

Michael started cycling at the age of twelve, and subsequently took part in numerous domestic amateur races. In 1894, at the age of 17, Michael started a race at the Herne Hill Velodrome near London , where he attracted attention and received a professional contract. His manager was Choppy Warburton , notorious for his doping tricks , who also had Arthur Linton under contract.

Already in his first year as a professional Michael was in 1895, on his 18th birthday, in Cologne stayer world champion, according to which the relationship with his childhood friend Linton deteriorated. However, he died in the same year, six weeks after he had won the Bordeaux – Paris road race . Typhus was named as the official cause of death, but consequences of doping by Warburton were suspected.

Michael made his fortune as a cyclist, but most of that was lost when he turned to equestrian sports, gambling and even became a jockey himself. However, due to unsuccessfulness, he returned to cycling, but was never able to build on previous successes. He suffered severe head injuries in a training fall on the Friedenau Velodrome, from which he never recovered. He also began to drink. During a crossing on the Saxonia to the USA , he probably died of a stroke while intoxicated . The captain of the ship wanted to surrender the body to the sea , but this was prevented by the Swiss cyclist Jean Gougoltz , who was also traveling on the ship , by paying the not inconsiderable costs of a transfer.

literature

  • Sport-Album der Rad-Welt , 4th year, 1905, p. 48 and p. 70f.

Web links

Commons : Jimmy Michael  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Michael, Jimmy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British cyclist
DATE OF BIRTH August 18, 1877
PLACE OF BIRTH Aberaman
DATE OF DEATH November 21, 1904
Place of death Ocean liner "Saxonia"