Ossie Nicholson

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Oserick Bernard "Ossie" Nicholson (* 1906 in New Norfolk , Tasmania , † after 1965) was an Australian cyclist and record-breaking cyclist . He set a new annual world record for endurance twice .

Beginnings and successes as a cyclist

Ossie Nicholson was born in Tasmania but lived in the Australian state of Victoria for most of his life after moving his family there as a teenager. By profession he was a blacksmith, only 1.65 meters tall, boyish in appearance and muscular, which is why he was nicknamed "Pocket Hercules". As a member of the Prahran Amateur Cycling Club , he initially participated in touring rides .

In 1928 Nicholson became a professional cyclist . In the Australian classic from Warrnambool to Melbourne , Nicholson achieved almost his first victory in a road race after his competitors, Australian cycling star Hubert Opperman , and Horrie Marshall were disqualified for disability. However, Opperman appealed and Nicholson was dropped back to third place. In the next race, from Wangaratta to Melbourne, Opperman was again the favorite. However, he fell and was unable to continue the race. Nicholson also fell when he got into a flock of sheep, but fell on a sheep and therefore hardly injured himself. Because his water bottle broke in the fall, the competitors helped him out with drinking water. Later, he had a plate , however, the tire could mend themselves and eventually won the race in the sprint.

With this victory, the bicycle manufacturer Malvern Star became aware of Nicholson and signed him. In 1930, he set an Australian record over 90 kilometers behind pacemaker , undercutting a record by Opperman. As a result, a match between Opperman and Nicholson was scheduled, which attracted numerous spectators and was won by Opperman.

In the following years, Nicholson established himself as one of the best cyclists in Australia, winning numerous races or standing on the podium, both in road and track races. In addition to Malvern, Dunlop was soon one of his sponsors; the company provided him with tires which he brought back to the company for testing purposes after the races. Often, however, he was also unlucky and had to end road races prematurely due to material damage.

In 1931, Malvern Star put together a team of Nicholson, Oppermann, Richard-William Lamb and Frankie Thomas for the Tour de France . During the long boat trip to France, the athletes kept themselves fit by driving on the training roller. It is said that a passenger asked a member of the crew what “that young fellow” was doing there. The answer: “He's producing the electricity for the ship, madam.” The tour was not very successful for Nicholson: During the third stage his chainring broke and he had to run 18 kilometers before he got a new one. Because he exceeded the time limit, he was disqualified.

The record runs

In 1932, an English cyclist, Arthur Humbles , set a new world distance record of 58,000 kilometers; he had covered this distance in a year. This record has been recorded since 1911. The Malvern company approached several drivers about tackling this record, and Nicholson agreed to do so.

Nicholson temporarily left his family to move into a house with a coach, who also gave him massage and advice. Every day , regardless of the weather, he drove at least 180 kilometers from Richmond to Portsea Bay to achieve his record workload. In addition, he also gave lectures, made demonstrations on the role in theaters and at events of cycling clubs and gave lessons. In provincial cities he went with parades, met the local dignitaries and spoke on the radio. He was a national celebrity when he headed for Sydney in June and led a large group of cyclists who followed him. At the end of October he had already set the Humbles record. He received $ 25 from Cyclo, the manufacturer of his circuit, and a gold watch from Dunlop. Then he was supposed to do several "centuries" (trips over 100 miles), but had an accident and had to first go to the hospital. When he arrived in Mordialloc at midnight on December 31 after such a hundred-mile drive , he was cheered by 20,000 spectators.

In 1936, the Briton Walter Greaves broke Ossie Nicholson's all-time record from 1933 and set a new mark of 45,383 miles (73,073 kilometers). Nicholson immediately announced that he would attempt a new record. But two other drivers - the Englishman Bernard Bennett and the French René Menzies - accepted the challenge, so that there was now a long-range battle between three drivers. Nicholson chose a slightly different route than on his first attempt and drove it twice a day to get 300 kilometers. The public interest was huge: one day he was accompanied by such a large enthusiastic crowd that he fell. He also suffered sunstroke several times, had an inflamed toe and survived tonsillitis. By the end of May he had covered 40,000 miles, but Menzies was now catching up as summer had started in Europe and the days were getting longer. At the beginning of October the two drivers were head to head for miles and had already surpassed Greaves' record. When winter began in England and the days again got longer in Australia, Nicholson was able to improve on Menzies and finally win the record attempt with 62,657 miles (100,837 kilometers).

Last years as a cyclist

After his new record, Ossie Nicholson was further "marketed" by Malvern Star by circumnavigating a 36-kilometer course 67 times in Adelaide , for example . He appeared on radio broadcasts and sang. On Friday evenings he was in a big Malvern Star store driving the reel while a spokesman told the story of his records, with Nicholson "acting" when the sun was hot or there was strong wind. Then he performed songs.

As a racing driver, however, he was unable to build on his earlier successes. In December 1938 he started a six-day race in Sydney , together with New Zealander Hubert Turtill . During the early morning neutralization, Nicholson entertained his fellow athletes by singing popular songs to keep them awake.

In 1939 World War II broke out, racing in Australia was severely limited and Ossie Nicholson stopped racing. From 1942 to 1947 he was employed by Malvern Star, which now manufactured accessories for the Royal Australian Air Force . Between 1946 and 1948 he accompanied 75-year-old Ernie Old , who was cycling through Australia several times . In 1947 he took part in the race from Warrnambool to Melbourne, which was held that year for the first time after the war. He also set a tandem record from Launceston to Hobart together with Opperman .

When an Italian choir was making a guest appearance in Melbourne, one of the singers fell ill and Nicholson stood in for him. The choir toured Australia and New Zealand where it eventually disbanded. Nicholson stayed in New Zealand and took on a children's radio show as "Uncle Ossie". He is said to have died there at the age of 59.

Personal

Ossie Nicholson was described by friends as someone who was mostly in a good mood and always had a song on the lips. He was also popular with women and was said to have had numerous affairs; once he even had to spend a short time in prison for bigamy . In 1948, however, he was registered with his wife Annie at the same address; the couple had a son.

literature

  • Ron Shepherd: "Ossie Nicholson, Australian Cycling Legend". In: Cycle History 10th Proceedings, 10th International Cycling History Conference Nijmegen 1999 . Edited by Prof. Dr. Hans-Erhard Lessing and Andrew Ritchie. Pp. 103-113.

Web links
personal data
SURNAME Nicholson, Ossie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Nicholson, Oserick Bernard (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Australian cyclist and record-breaking cyclist
DATE OF BIRTH 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH New Norfolk , Tasmania
DATE OF DEATH after 1965