Andreasried cycling track
The Andreasried Radrennbahn is located in Erfurt , in the north of the city. Since the modernization in 2006-2008, the runway is exactly 250 meters long and made of concrete with synthetic resin covering and a modern stretch tarpaulin roof. It is considered to be the oldest cycle track in the world that is still used for racing today.
history
The first forerunner of today's cycling track was built in 1885 as a dirt track, on which only high bike races were held. On September 6, 1899, a cement track was opened at the same location with a four-meter curve superelevation. Low bike races could now also be held on this track. In the mid-1920s, the runway was rebuilt and extended to 454.4 m. In addition to hosting track races, the cycling track has been the target of road races on several occasions, such as the Thuringia Tour and Rund um die Hainleite which are still held today . For years the Grand Prix of Thuringia was held on the track , partly for sprinters and partly for stayers . The first event of the Grand Prix took place in 1902 as an air race, won by the German Willy Arend .
Two fatal accidents occurred on the cycling track in the early 1950s: the pacemaker Walter Heßlich , great-grandfather of two-time Olympic champion and multiple world champion in sprinting , Lutz Heßlich , died in 1951 after a training accident. In 1952 the multiple stayer world champion Erich Metze fell on the track and then died in an Erfurt hospital.
From 1972 to 1974 the track was rebuilt again and shortened to the then internationally normal size of 333.33 m, a prerequisite for holding competitions in the Olympic disciplines. The cycling track, which in the past few decades had been more of a venue for folk festivals related to cycling, became a sports facility that primarily served the training of top athletes, such as the multiple world champion in the single pursuit, Detlef Macha . The multi-year renovation was completed with the reopening on May 4, 1975. The multiple GDR champion Karl Kaminski won the opening prize of the stayer .
Standing races continued to enjoy high priority .
The train today
After a superficial renovation of the railway around the turn of the millennium, a further, complete renovation of the railway was necessary. Construction began in 2006 and lasted two years. The track now has the new international standard of 250 m, it is 7.50 meters wide and semi-open (grandstands and track are covered). The canopy consists of plastic-coated polyester fabric, the basic structure mainly of round steel tubes. The grandstands hold 3000 spectators. The first major competition on the newly opened railway was the German Railway Championships in 2009. Standing races are held several times a year, including the traditional race for the “Golden Wheel of Erfurt”, which has been held since the 1920s.
The "Radrennbahn Andreasried" is used by high-performance athletes from the Olympic training center in Thuringia , young athletes from the Erfurt sports school and the RSC Turbine Erfurt.
Well-known athletes who trained on the Erfurt Radrennbahn after the fall of the Wall are the Olympic champion of Sydney 2000 in team pursuit driving Daniel Becke , the world championship medalist Ulrike Weichelt , the sprint world champion of 2004, René Wolff , as well as the multiple German champion and European champion Matthias John .
Award
In December 2009 the city of Erfurt received the “Silver Plaque” for the new construction of the “Radrennbahn Andreasried”, the highest award for sports facilities from the International Olympic Committee and the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities .
literature
- Stayers, stars and sensations: Since 1885 Andreasried Erfurt , brochure
- Erfurt cycling almanac . SC Turbine Erfurt, 1983
Web links
- Website of the Andreasried cycling track
- Steffen Raßloff : Germany's oldest cycling track . In: Thüringer Allgemeine from February 8, 2014.
- Planning company building concept
Individual evidence
- ^ A b German Cycling Association of the GDR (Ed.): The cyclist . No. 20/1975 . Berlin, S. 2 .
- ↑ Interest group for cycling (ed.): The cycling . No. 41/42/1948 . Sportdienst Verlag Zademack and Noster, Cologne, p. 4 .
- ↑ Stayers, stars and sensations: Since 1885 Andreasried Erfurt , brochure, p. 27
- ↑ Emil Lewanow on cycling4fans.de
- ↑ Stayer.de (December 9, 2009)
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 0 ′ 6 ″ N , 11 ° 0 ′ 38 ″ E