Rudi Altig
Rudi Altig ( born March 18, 1937 in Mannheim ) is a retired German racing cyclist. He was both on the track and on the road world champion.
Sports career
Amateur
With nearly 15 years Altig played his first race for the final sprint RRC Mannheim and reached in January 1952 on a cross-country race his first victory. Three months later, he debuted on the road and won the district championship of the B- youth. Although German junior champion on the road in 1953 to Altig concentrated in the following years on the track cycling, where he often started with his brother Willi. By 1959, he won four German Course Championships (1957 Sprint 1958 and 1959 two - team driving with brother Willi and 1959, the 4000 -m individual pursuit. Greatest success of his amateur career he achieved by winning the world title in the individual pursuit at the Track World Championships in 1959. Little later he set two world records over 1000 and 5000 meters.
Driver
As of December 1959 launched Altig, who had previously worked as an automotive electrician, as a professional driver where he made his debut at the Six Days in Cologne on the side of Rik Van Steenbergen and immediately landed in second place. In the web world championships in 1960 and 1961 he took the title in the individual pursuit. Even as a road driver he had in 1960 and 1961 recommended with 13 hits and got a 1962 contract with the French cycling team, St. Raphael - Helyett on the side of Jacques Anquetil. Since then Altig shifted its activities more on road cycling, winning the Tour of Spain in front of his captain by an outstanding performance in the time trial. At the Tour de France he was 31, after he had reached three stage wins and won the most active rider the green jersey. When you couple time driving around the Baracchi trophy he was then with his team boss Anquetil together on the podium and got a two -year contract extension as Edeldomestike the Tour de France winner.
In his career, Altig played in all three of the major stage races. At the Tour de France, he participated four times and had in 1966 with 12th place his best finish. In 1969 he won the prologue time trial and ran the last time a stage in the " Maillot Jaune ". Previously, Altig had reached with a ninth place, the best result in the total score of five starts at the Giro d' Italia. In the " monuments of cycling " denied Altig four of the classic one-day races. Victories he achieved in 1964 at the Tour of Flanders and the 1968 Milan-San Remo. Most often he drove the one-day race Paris -Roubaix, where he finished third scored his best result of 1967. He also appeared in 1966 in the race Liège -Bastogne -Liège ( 18th place) at. Only in the Tour of Lombardy Altig had never gone to the start, as he was obliged at that time already in Six Days.
In 1966, Altig took on the Nürburgring his only World Cup title in the road race. This success earned him the award for " Athlete of the Year 1966" one. Between 1962 and 1970 he competed at every World Cup road. In 1962, he was disqualified for outside assistance, in 1963, he retired exhausted, while in 1965 he only Briton Tom Simpson was beaten after he set months earlier with a broken collarbone out of action. At its last World Cup in 1970, he was 33 -year-old behind Rolf Wolf Hollow, who was 12, with number 15 still second best German participant. The national title the street rider won Altig 1964 and 1970.
Although Altig had concentrated on road racing in 1962 and had won a total of two stage races and 98 road race in Germany and many other countries, he returned to his career end up getting back on the train. Already in 1962 he had set a world record in the 5,000 meters. Mainly he played six-day race. In 1971 he won his last six-day race, it was his 23rd victory in this event. Most of these victories he won together with the Munich Sigi Renz.
Subsequent activities
After Altig in 1971 had ended his career as a bicycle racer, he first took over the office of the German national coach of the amateurs. In this capacity he remained just as unsuccessful as later as technical director at the French cycling team Puch, where he worked between 1980 and 1981. Successful Altig was as a technical advisor to the German bicycle manufacturer Schauff and as Clerk of the Course at various cycling competitions, including the Around the Henninger Tower. In addition, he was seen as a cycling expert in various television channels.
Doping
Altig was nicknamed " The pedaling pharmacy " not without reason. Among other things, he confessed afterwards taking Durabolin and Pervitin. In 1966, he escaped at the Flèche Wallonne of control. In 1969, Altig expressed in Miroir Sprint as follows: "I 'm smart enough to use agents that leave no trace in the urine. "