William Spencer (cyclist)

William Spencer (born November 11, 1895 in Great Britain , † October 2, 1963 ) was a Canadian cyclist and national champion in cycling .

Athletic career

William "Willie" Spencer, who was born in Great Britain and emigrated to Canada with his family, moved with his brother Arthur from Toronto to Newark in the USA in 1915 to become a professional driver. In the USA he was a Canadian national sprint champion in 1922, 1923 and 1926. His brother was also a three-time title holder. He started in more than a dozen six-day races, won two of them (1917 in San Francisco and in 1919 Sydney ). In 1947 he became a citizen of the United States.

Professional

After his active career, Spencer became a cycling promoter and organizer of six days. He became a competitor of John M. Chapman , until then the almost undisputed ruler of the North American six-day racing scene. Spencer signed more than 20 drivers in 1927 and ran six-day races himself. This sparked a bitter conflict that resulted in Spencer's riders being suspended from the National Cycling Association (the American federation).

Gustav Kilian later reported that Spencer was a very uncomfortable and tough contractor. He offered Kilian and his partner Heinz Vopel a fee of 125 dollars per race for their first contract in the USA. The drivers were supposed to pay the transfer and expenses themselves. In the end, both of them accepted the offer anyway, as it was their only chance to start in the USA at the time.

Familiar

William was the brother of Arthur Spencer , who was also a cyclist.

Honors

In 2005 he was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame .

Web links

• William Spencer in the Radsportseiten.net database

Individual evidence

1. ^ William Spencer - Six Day Racing Canada. In: 6dayracing.ca. August 13, 1916, accessed January 20, 2020 .  (English)
2. ↑ Roger De Maertelaere: Zesdaagen Six Jours six-day race . Uitgeverij Worldstrip, Gent 1991, p. 222 .
3. ↑ procycling . No. 2/2010 . bede-Verlag, Ruhmannsfelden, p. 52 .
4. ^ Peter Joffre Nye: The Six-Days Bicycle Races . Van der Plas Publications / Cycle Publishing, San Francisco 2006, ISBN 1-892495-49-X , p. 144-145 (English).
5. ^ Association of German cyclists (ed.): Radsport . No. 5/1966 . Deutscher Sportverlag Kurt Stoof, Cologne 1966, p. 10 .
6. ^ US Bicycling Hall of Fame. Accessed January 20, 2020 (English).