1961 UCI Track World Championships

The cycling track in Zurich-Oerlikon

The 51st UCI Track World Championships took place from August 27 to September 13, 1961 on the Zurich-Oerlikon cycling track .

Before the start of the World Cup, there was a "flag dispute": the host association, the Swiss Cyclists' Association (SRB), had decreed that no flags should be hoisted at the award ceremonies and no national anthems should be played. At the introductory congress of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) there were heated discussions because the states of the Eastern Bloc in particular opposed this regulation; however, the Swiss stuck to their decision.

As competition judges made wrong decisions in the past, the use of a target film was now mandatory. In addition, automatic timekeeping from Longines was used for the first time at this World Cup in Switzerland .

In the professional standers, Karl-Heinz Marsell from Dortmund was world champion despite some adversity: his pacemaker August Meuleman had problems with his motorcycle during training . It turned out to be sabotaged by someone throwing mints in the gas tank. As of now, Meulemans' machines were locked in the hotel garage. In addition, the reporter criticized in advance that the German champion had "once again" [...] poured "ten glasses of beer behind the bandage". A sensational incident occurred at the final run: the three-time Belgian world champion Adolph Verschueren , who was annoyed about a supposed disability, threatened with his fist, left the role of his lead machine and zigzagged the track: a life-threatening maneuver for everyone other drivers and pacemakers. The commissioners, the former world champions Victor Linart and Georges Paillard , only managed to get him off the track with great difficulty. Later he was still involved in fights in the interior.

An incident involving the Swiss stayer Fritz Gallati also caused a stir : during the race he collapsed due to doping , was in danger of death, and the doctors were only able to save his life at the last minute. Gallati himself was then banned for three months, three of his supervisors were banned until the end of 1966, and a fourth was deprived of his license for life.

Rudi Altig won his second world title in the single pursuit in Zurich, but announced in an interview with journalists that he now wanted to switch to the streets.

Results

Women

discipline	space	country	athlete
sprint	1	Soviet Union	Galina Yermolayeva
	2	Soviet Union	Valentina Maximova
	3	United Kingdom	Jeanne Dunn
Single pursuit (3000 m)	1	Belgium	Yvonne Reynders
	2	United Kingdom	Beryl Burton
	3	Belgium	Marie-Thérèse Naessens

Men (professionals)

discipline	space	country	athlete
sprint	1	Italy	Antonio Maspes
	2	France	Michel Rousseau
	3	Belgium	Jos De Bakker
Single pursuit (5000 m)	1	BR Germany	Rudi Altig
	2	Switzerland	Willy stairs
	3	Italy	Leandro Faggin
Standing race (100 km)	1	BR Germany	Karl-Heinz Marsell / August Meuleman
	2	Belgium	Paul Depaepe / Albertus de Graaf
	3	Switzerland	Max Meier / Georges Grolimund

Men (amateurs)

discipline	space	country	athlete
sprint	1	Italy	Sergio Bianchetto
	2	Italy	Giuseppe Beghetto
	3	Australia	Ron Baensch
Single pursuit (4000 m)	1	Netherlands	Henk Nijdam
	2	Netherlands	Jacob Oudkerk
	3	France	Marcel Delattre
Standing race (1 hour)	1	Netherlands	Leendert van der Meulen / Bruno Walrave
	2	German Democratic Republic	Siegfried Wustrow / Erich Zawadski
	3	German Democratic Republic	Georg Stoltze / Fritz Erdenberger

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Since when exactly is unclear.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Cycling , August 29, 1961
3. ↑ ^{a b} Cycling , September 5, 1961
4. ^ The "Fritz Gallati Story" on radrennclubbasel.ch

literature

• Cycling , August / September 1961

See also

• UCI Road World Championships 1961