John Chapman (cycling official)

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John M. Chapman (* 1877 in College Park , Georgia ; † March 20, 1947 in Santa Monica , California ) was an American cyclist and later a cycling organizer and official.

From 1896 to 1902, John M. Chapman, who came from a poor background, was active as a cyclist, won several races at national level, but was never among the best in the country. In July 1901, the put Georgia Cyclone , however, together with Iver Lawson a tandem world record on the velodrome of the Salt Palace Velodrome in Salt Lake City with 9 minutes and 44 seconds over five miles on the 50 years had long inventory.

From 1902 to 1937, Chapman was the premier cycling organizer in the United States . He ran the New York and Newark Velodrome and the Salt Palace Velodrome in Salt Lake City; he traveled to Europe to hire racing drivers for races in the United States. He hired the extremely popular American racing driver Frank Kramer with a ten-year contract, according to which Kramer received an annual five-figure, fixed income. His next protégé was Freddie Spencer . When he tried to conclude contracts with promoters in Europe without the intermediary of Chapman, Chapman found out about him because he saw the stamps on the letters, which he then withheld. He made a new contract with Spencer in which he was forbidden to start in Europe. He signed the Dutch world champion Piet Moeskops for four races against Spencer, which he won in front of around 18,000 spectators after consultation.

The New York Velodrome, located between 225th Street and Broadway and holding 20,000 spectators, burned down in 1930 and was never rebuilt. For 20 years, Chapman was also President of the National Cycling Association , which represented professional cycling . From 1915 to 1937 he also organized the six-day races in New York's Madison Square Garden , which he also led at times. The Times wrote about him: "More than any other man he was responsible for the growth of the sport as a popular attraction in this country" and called him the "Czar of cycling".

literature

  • Peter Nye: Hearts of Lions. The History of American Bicycle Racing. Norton, New York NY et al. 1988, ISBN 0-393-02543-8 , pp. 65ff.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Peter Joffre Nye: The Six-Day Bicycle Races . America's Jazz Age Sport. San Francisco 2006, pp. 44f.
  2. ↑ Lou Dzierzak / Caroline Hardman: The Evolution of American Bicycle Racing . Falcon Guides, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7627-3901-1 , pp. 17 .
  3. ↑ quoted from Nye (1988), p. 68
personal data
SURNAME Chapman, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chapman, John M.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American cyclist, cycling organizer and official
DATE OF BIRTH 1877
PLACE OF BIRTH College Park , Georgia
DATE OF DEATH March 20, 1947
Place of death Santa Monica , California