John Nicholson (cyclist)

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John Nicholson (born June 22, 1949 in Melbourne ) is a former Australian track cyclist and two-time world champion in cycling .

In 1972 John Nicholson, who had already participated in the Mexico City Games four years earlier , won a silver medal at the Munich Olympic Games in the sprint behind Daniel Morelon . At the end of his career as an amateur, he won at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand the sprint and finished second in the 1,000-meter time trial .

In 1974 Nicholson joined the pros. In the same year he was runner-up in sprinting at the UCI track world championships in Montréal and finally world champion in each of the following two years. He was also twice Australian Sprint Champion and in 1977 third at the Grand Prix de Paris .

In the early 1970s, long before the invention of the clipless pedals, Nicholson introduced a curious innovation: he attached his racing shoes to a pair of conventional pedals with a metal plate and screws in order to achieve the highest possible power transfer during sprinting. So instead of clicking in, as is the case today, or establishing a firm connection between the pedals and shoes with the help of track hooks and straps, he slipped into his shoes after climbing the bike.

Today John Nicholson is still connected to cycling as President of the Melbourne “Blackburn Cycling Club”.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ German Cycling Association of the GDR (ed.): The cyclist . No. 8/1974 . Berlin, S. 3 .
  2. ↑ Chris Boardman: The Biography of the Modern Bike, p. 50
  3. ↑ BBN.org.au: "John Nicholson"

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Nicholson, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian cyclist
DATE OF BIRTH June 22, 1949
PLACE OF BIRTH Melbourne