Around Leipzig
Around Leipzig is a former cycling race that was held with interruptions from 1904 to 1990. The first tour “Around Leipzig” was worked out in 1904 as a replacement for the “popular distance trip Zittau – Leipzig” by SRB- Fahrwart, Mr. P. Clauss.
On 9. October 1904 was around Leipzig organized. The route was 146.4 kilometers long; the winner Walter Lorenz needed 5:45:00 hours. The next cycle race "Around Leipzig" was not held until 1907, but then quickly developed into a well-known event. In the next few years, several races were organized by various organizers ( Saxon Cyclists Association , German Cyclists Association , German Cyclists Union , Association of German Cycling Associations ). The names of these races were also different; But it always went through streets in the area around Leipzig. The last winner before World War I drove a 170 km route.
In the 1920s, the race was expanded significantly. “Around Leipzig” became an integral part of an event week with many other attractions. In 1921, the 266.3 kilometer journey was started separately for professionals and amateurs . The winner of the amateurs was Fritz Brenne from Leipzig, the winner of the professionals Erich Aberger from Berlin . In 1923 the race was announced as the German Road Championship . International participation also became common in the next few years. In 1924 there were over 200,000 spectators on the route.
“All around Leipzig, the 'Grand Prize of the Leipzig Latest News'. - Shiny gradient. - Strong participation. - Huge crowds. - In the A-Class x , the Berliner Risch wins ahead of his compatriot Hoffmann and the Dresdner Unger. - In the B-Class x, the Berlin-based Tatweiler drives a 21 minutes better time than the A. drivers! "
In 1929 751 riders started, the race was excellently organized and was attended by well-known cycling press. Fredy Budzinski even called it "the greatest street race in the world". Until 1942 it was called the "Grand Prix of the Leipzig Latest News".
After the Second World War , the race was not restarted until 1949. The winner was Lothar Meister I , Walter Dittrich x came second
“The three classes set off at intervals of three minutes and after only 30 km the 6 A-class drivers, who were driving hard in the rain, managed to get connected to the B-class in Hobburg, Switzerland. Unfortunately, however, this hunt turned out to be fatal for the A drivers, as they blindly followed the B drivers, who had recently taken a wrong course, and had to accept a detour of 7 km with them. The top of the C-Class field, which had already grown considerably apart, enjoyed a time advantage of 10 minutes. Dietrich and Meister (Leipzig), the Chemnizer Urban Ebert (Berlin) and Bernd (Mülhausen) led the C-Class ... "
In the GDR , the race was rated as a qualifying race for the Peace Drive from 1958 to 1969. For a few years the race was called the “Grand Prix of New Germany”. In 1958 a two-stage trip was organized for the first time . The first stage was a 3.5 kilometer circuit over 30 laps, so a total of 105 kilometers; the second stage - one day later - was 170 kilometers long.
“After the two-stage trip in Leipzig, the team that won last year’s victory for the German Democratic Republic at the XI. To defend peace drive. Günter Grünwald, Egon Adler, Erich Hagen, Roland Henning and Rolf Töpfer will take up the fight for Captain Gustav Adolf Schur. "
In the 1970s the race was stopped. It was only resumed in 1985 with the help of the SC DHfK Leipzig until 1990. In 1991 the race was finally shelved by the fall of the Berlin Wall .
Winners list
Before the Second World War , the race was partly for professionals and amateurs; in some cases several races were held by different organizers on the same route. After the Second World War, only one amateur race was started.
Web links
- Around Leipzig 1904 - 1989 on cycling4fans.de
Individual evidence
- ^ Sächsische Rad- und Motorfahrer-Zeitung, XIII. Year No. 19, p. 303, September 10, 1904; see. jensbemme.de (2017): “Around Leipzig” instead of “Zittau – Leipzig”? .