Bernhard Eckstein

Bernard Eckstein ( born August 21, 1935 in Zwochau Delitzsch ) was a racing cyclist in the GDR.

Eckstein, State Amateur and professional turners, ran from 1953 only road race. He was discovered by former professional cyclist Richard Huschke. By 1957, he scored only minor successes and excited until 1957 with a fifth place in the GDR Tour of greater attention. 1958 succeeded now starting for the SC DHfK Leipzig, the breakthrough to nationwide peak with the East German championship in the 100 -km team time trial and a second place in the individual road race. In the latter discipline Eckstein came in the GDR championships in 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1963 on the second place.

1959 was the cornerstone for the first time in the squad of the GDR for the three-country stage race International Peace Race. In his debut he reached the final scoring 13th place his best Friedensfahrt result he achieved in 1961 with the third place. In his fourth and last part he was forced to retire in 1962 after the ninth stage.

Sports career

Eckstein's biggest success was winning the World Amateur Championship in 1960 in the domestic Sachsenring. He benefited from the tactical constellation and the behavior of his team-mates Täve Schur, the 1958 and 1959 amateur world champion: Eckstein was made up of a group of three with the defending champion and the Belgian Willy Vanden Berghen from. The Belgian hesitated and stayed with virgin since he assumed that Eckstein would be subordinated as a helper of Schur its third victory. He, the hope was that he would be able to outdo Schur, at the rear, he stuck the whole race formally and in its slipstream, the final spurt he drove all the time realized not that Schur was ready to give up the title when he was able to secure as his country 's success. Schur did not take to the pursuit of Eckstein and thus slowed from the Belgian, who remained with him in order to outdo his timely arrival to the final sprint can. Schur had great respect for the Belgians and therefore did not rule out that he would be subject to him in a sprint can. The Belgians realized too late that the defending champions would make no attempt at even overtaking his teammate. Eckstein won this renunciation Schurs the race seven seconds ahead Schur, who decided to sprint against the Belgians for itself. Schur, who had been traded as the winner of the last two World Cup sweeps as the top favorite, was written up as the real heroes of the race, before the winner of the corner. The output has been described among other things as " tactically greatest performance in the history of cycling " ( Leipzig People's Daily of 14 August 1960).

After his World Cup success Eckstein started with the All-German Olympic Team at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960. The East German Cycling Federation presented the road driver and Eckstein came under 76 drivers evaluated in single race on the 22th Place. After he won the 1960 British Amateur Race Manx International, he was able to once again participate in the Amateuer World Cup in Bern in 1961, but ended up as winners of the best DDR driver only in 14th place. Then it was made impossible because of Visa refusal for GDR athletes by the Allied Travel Office in connection with the construction of the Wall further participation in the World Championship until 1964. In the Tour of Austria 1963 he was captain of the GDR team and finished the two- stage race Vienna Rabenstein - Gresten Vienna in 1964 as best foreigner in third place. Ninth, he was at the Tour of Austria in 1965. His last notable victory won Eckstein 1966 when one day race around the lignite and thus became the fifth time after 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1965 at the road world championship ( at the Nürburgring ) was used.

In 1960 the cornerstone was honored for winning the world title with the Patriotic Order of Merit in bronze.

After his cycling career, Eckstein operated as a press photographer in the SED press organ of New Germany and escorted to 1990 and the Peace Race.