Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's individual road race
| Men's road race at the Games of the I Olympiad | |||||||
| Venue | Athens–Marathon | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 12 April 1896 | ||||||
| Competitors | 7 from 3 nations | ||||||
| Medalists | |||||||
| |||||||
| 1936» | |||||||
| Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
Road cycling_pictogram.svg){kind=small} | |
| Road race | men |
Track cycling_pictogram.svg){kind=small} | |
| Time trial | men |
| Sprint | men |
| 10 km | men |
| 100 km | men |
| 12 hour | men |
The men's road race was the only road cycling event in the 1896 Summer Olympics. The course was 87 kilometres long. It was on 12 April. 7 cyclists from 3 nations were in the race.[1] The event was won by Aristidis Konstantinidis of Greece. August von Gödrich was in second. Edward Battell was in third.
Background
[change | change source]This was the first time that this race was held in the Olympics. It would not be held again until 1936. Since 1936, this race has been held at every other Summer Olympics. The cycling race had the same course as the marathon. 7 cyclists were in the event. The German athlete August von Gödrich, the British athlete Edward Battell, and five other Greek athletes were in the race. Battell worked in the British Embassy and was almost not allowed to compete.[1][2]
Competition
[change | change source]The race was on an 87 kilometres course. The course went from Athens to Marathon and back. At Marathon, the cyclists had to sign a document that showed that they were there. The end of the course was at the velodrome. Along the road, there were many Officials.[1][2][3]
Schedule
[change | change source]| Date | Time | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gregorian | Julian | ||
| Sunday, 12 April 1896 | Sunday, 31 March 1896 | 12:00 | Final |
Race
[change | change source]Aristidis Konstantinidis was in the front of the race until the turn at Marathon. His bicycle broke when he was riding back to Athens. This allowed Edward Battell to pass Konstantinidis before he was able to get another bicycle.[3] Battel fell afterwards, however. This allowed both Konstantinidis and August von Gödrich to pass Battell. Battell finished in third place.
Results
[change | change source]| Rank | Cyclist | Nation | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Aristidis Konstantinidis |  Greece
|
3:22:31 |
|
August von Gödrich |  Germany
|
3:42:18 |
|
Edward Battell |  Great Britain
|
Unknown |
| 4–7 | Georgios Aspiotis | Greece
|
Unknown |
| Miltiades Iatrou | Greece
|
Unknown | |
| Konstantinos Konstantinou | Greece
|
Unknown | |
| Georgios Paraskevopoulos | Greece
|
Unknown |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Road Race, Individual, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Official Report, p. 100.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wallechinsky, David (1984). The Complete Book of the Olympics. England: Penguin Books. p. 200. ISBN 0140066322.
- Lampros, S.P.; Polites, N.G.; De Coubertin, Pierre; Philemon, P.J.; Anninos, C. (1897). The Olympic Games: BC 776 – AD 1896. Athens: Charles Beck. (Digitally available at [1])
- Mallon, Bill; Widlund, Ture (1998). The 1896 Olympic Games. Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0379-9. (Excerpt available at [2])
- Smith, Michael Llewellyn (2004). Olympics in Athens 1896. The Invention of the Modern Olympic Games. London: Profile Books. ISBN 1-86197-342-X.