When the National Socialists took power in Germany on 30 January 1933 following the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Reich Chancellor, the Weimar democracy was gradually transformed into a dictatorship: the Reichstag was stripped of its power, political opponents were persecuted, the Jewish population was marginalised and clubs and associations were brought into line. The gymnastics and sports clubs were among the organisations that helped and supported this process of political change early on. The cycling associations were particularly eager to do so. They adapted to the new movement in anticipatory obedience as early as April 1933 through association resolutions. Jewish athletes and political dissidents were excluded, the workers' cycling clubs were broken up and the Führer principle was introduced.
Around Cologne in May 1933
Shortly after the cycling association was brought into line early on, the traditional Rund um Köln race took place at the beginning of May 1933, for the first time under the new regime, which was visible in all areas: The image of the race was dominated by men in uniforms of the SA, the paramilitary fighting organisation of the NSDAP, who were up to mischief as stewards. Not only was the SA responsible for securing the route, SA motorbike squads also accompanied the race on the 260-kilometre route through the Eifel and Bergisches Land. The presence of 250 SA men on the home straight was grotesque, as they stood in a line of defence, blocking the view of the race for spectators interested in cycling. The winner was Erich Bautz from Dortmund.
The martial appearance of the National Socialist troops in May 1933 was lavishly praised by the press. The "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" wrote that "strict discipline" and "impeccable order" now prevailed. The field of riders had been protected "from all harassment". The participation of Nazi organisations in cycling events was to become the rule in the following period.
Professional sport is flourishing
Despite the Nazis' ideological reservations about professional sport as a whole, professional racing grew in Germany from 1934. Rund um Köln, still an amateur race in 1933, was upgraded to a professional race. In 1934, it was part of a series of five ranked races for the German Championship - alongside events in Frankfurt, Munich, Chemnitz and Berlin. With the presence of Reichssportführer Hans von Tschammer and Osten and cycling leader Franz Ohrtmann at the race track, the highest representatives of Nazi sport showed their colours in favour of professional cycling.
However, there were always discussions about professionalisation. Sport was supposed to promote community spirit and help integrate the individual into the "national community". For the National Socialists, on the other hand, professionalism represented the highest negative enhancement of individual sport. Every member of the people should do sport for their own physical fitness. Professional sport contradicted the idea that sport should primarily serve to "nurture, strengthen, preserve and breed the German people, the Nordic race", as Bruno Malitz, a sports ideologue loyal to the Nazis, put it. Malitz was in favour of banning money from sport. He labelled professional athletes as "artists" and said they should be removed from the list of athletes. However, despite these fundamental concerns, professional cycling experienced a considerable revaluation in the Nazi state.
Cycling should become a popular sport
As early as October 1933, the magazine "Illustrierter Radrenn-Sport" complained that public interest had declined in recent years due to too few professional races and "the lack of big-name road racers". This was to change in the following years. The importance of professional cycling was seen in the Nazi state primarily in connection with the expansion of cycling as a whole. Cycling was to become a national sport, was to move the masses and, last but not least, was to be used for military training. The German cycling industry also hoped that this would bring considerable benefits, as the advertising effect of professional races was enormous. If the masses could be enthused about cycling, it would also be possible to increase sales figures. This is why these companies in particular developed special initiatives.
The industry benefits
Herbert Dufeldt-Felden, head of sales and propaganda at the Dürkopp-Werke, presented the plans for professional cycling at the end of 1933. He expressed his joy that in spring 1934 the "terrible time without professional riders" in road cycling in Germany would finally be over. 16 individual professional races were then to be held throughout the year in 1934, one in each of the 16 sporting districts of the German Reich - from the first race Berlin-Cottbus-Berlin on 8 April to the last with the World Championships on 18 August in Leipzig.
The director of the Dürkopp-Werke, Julius Kluge, summarised the implementation of the plan at the end of the 1934 season: "Cycling and the bicycle industry are inseparable concepts. Without the promotion of cycling and thus of cycling as a whole, a healthy cycling industry is unthinkable, and conversely, without a flourishing cycling industry there can be no cycling of any noteworthy importance. This fact was recognised by the leading men when the German Cyclists' Association was founded and within this organisation in the 'Industrie-Verein' the bicycle industry was given the opportunity to work closely with the association. The first year of this co-operation has shown what extraordinary successes both parties have been able to achieve from this close connection."
Newly formed German professional teams
Newly formed German professional teams entered the races. Successes, including international ones, did not fail to materialise. Ludwig Geyer won the Tour de Suisse in 1934 and finished in the top ten in the Tour de France. Erich Bautz from Dortmund caused a sensation when he not only won two stages of the Tour of France in 1937, but also wore the yellow jersey for four days. Professional racing flourished in Germany and the best cyclists were stylised as heroes of the Nazi state.
Most cyclists joined the new movement without criticism. Quite a few joined the NSDAP in order to take advantage of it.
Albert Richter spoke to his Jewish trainer
Most cyclists joined the new movement without criticism. Quite a few joined the NSDAP to take advantage of it, such as the six-day cyclist and later national track cycling coach Gustav Kilian. Only a few resisted, such as track sprinter Albert Richter, the 1932 world champion, who refused to be co-opted, refused to give the Hitler salute at victory ceremonies and stood by his Jewish coach Ernst Berliner. He had to pay for this with his life: He died under mysterious circumstances in a Gestapo prison at the beginning of 1940.
In 1936, the bicycle manufacturers Adler, Diamant, Dürkopp, Opel, Phänomen and Wanderer signed up a total of 37 professionals. Other companies in the bicycle industry also became involved, such as Presto, Express, Viktoria, Göricke, Seidel & Naumann and Fichtel & Sachs. In order to limit costs, a distinction was made in the professional teams between material riders, who only received material and expenses, and contract riders with a regular monthly salary. All riders were obliged to ride only German bikes with German equipment.
New cycle races support NS expansion policy
From 1935, new competitions were organised in the German Reich to support the National Socialist expansion policy. These included the 1935 Rund um das Saargebiet cycle race, which celebrated the incorporation of the Saar region into the German Reich. The magazine "Illustrierter Radrenn-Sport" emphasised that the route led through "old historical German territory" and underlined its ideological significance. It read: "Years of longing of the German Saar for the motherland, years of struggle, deprivation and hardship, until the victory, the enthusiasm of which still rings in our ears like yesterday. The German cyclists were also among those who congratulated the Saar people for their Germanism and loyalty and brought them a joyfully welcomed gift in the form of the Saarland Road Prize."
In 1937, after a six-year break, the International Tour of Germany was finally held again. The Tour of Germany had been organised for the first time in 1911, but in contrast to the major tours such as the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, it had lacked continuity until then.
In the service of expansion
With many sponsors in the background and strong German professional cyclists at the start, such as the Tour runner-up of 1932, Kurt Stöpel, and the internationally successful Ludwig Geyer, Emil Kijewski, Hermann Buse, Otto Weckerling, Hermann Schild, Oskar Thierbach and Willi Kutschbach, the Tour of Germany took on a completely new format in the years 1937 to 1939.
Hermann Schwarz, who worked as an advertising expert for the German cycling industry, managed to acquire the necessary funding for the event. The declared aim was to be on a par with the other major European tours. So on 6 June 1937, 68 professional cyclists set off on the twelve-stage ride, starting and finishing in Berlin. The cycling enthusiasm was huge, with many thousands of people lining the route. At the finish in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, the stands were packed with 80,000 spectators. The overall victory went to Otto Weckerling from Magdeburg, who had already built up a lead of more than eleven minutes on the first stage together with Willi Kutschbach, which he was able to capitalise on. One year later, Hermann Schild was the great triumphant rider. He reached the finish in Berlin after 15 stages with a lead of almost 40 minutes.
The Great German Journey
The 1939 Tour of Germany became a mirror of National Socialist gigantism. It was now called the "Grand Tour of Germany". The National Socialists wanted to use it to impressively demonstrate the dimensions of their empire. From today's perspective, this tour can be described as a sporting demonstration of Nazi megalomania. With a total of 5,037 kilometres over 20 stages, it was longer than the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. It not only led through areas that today belong to Poland, but also through the annexed Austria - a display of Germany's greatness.
Cycling was misused in line with Nazi ideology to further political goals. The leadership wanted to show their arch-enemy France that they could do even better.
Cycling was misused here in the spirit of Nazi ideology to further political goals. The political leadership wanted to show their arch-enemy France that they could do even better than the French. As in the Tour de France, a yellow jersey was now awarded to the leader, and a mountain classification and a team classification were introduced. The winner of the tour was Georg Umbenhauer, who had already taken over the yellow jersey on the fifth stage. Swiss rider Robert Zimmermann won the mountain classification and the Belgians had the strongest team.
Apparent normality
After the start of the war with the invasion of Poland by the German Wehrmacht, cycling was by no means stopped, but a Tour of Germany was no longer organised. On the other hand, the cycling association, in cooperation with the clubs, tried to showcase apparent normality in other races, such as Rund um Köln, in the middle of the war in order to strengthen the population's will to persevere. Even the danger of air strikes was ignored. Cycling races continued to take place, albeit over shorter distances, so that they could be cancelled in the event of an air raid. The Cologne race thus became a circuit race in 1940. In 1941 and 1942, however, it took place again - despite all the dangers - as a road race on a 209-kilometre route that led all the way to the Eifel. Even after the bombing raid on Cologne ("Thousand Bomber Attack"), a race was held in 1943 through the city, which lay in ruins - on a 2,300 metre circuit around the Müngersdorf stadium.
After the forcible annexation of the German-speaking areas of Belgium - Eupen and Malmedy - in May 1940, the magazine "Der Deutsche Radfahrer" announced a completely new race in the middle of the war, the "Grand Prix of Unification". It was held for the first time on 8 September 1940. "German cyclists greet the returning cyclists in Eupen and Malmedy" was written in the magazine. The Nazi cycling magazine made it clear that the race had "not only a sporting but also a political flavour". After all, "this ride is intended to advertise the unbroken German idea of sport in difficult times".
The race, which started and finished in Cologne, had its very own "political dramaturgy", as Cologne historian Frank Schwalm points out. There was a sprint classification on the outward and return leg at the former border of the Reich. The route led through the area in the Ardennes around the Baraque Michel, a traditional training ground for the strong Belgian riders, who were among the best in the world. Before the Second World War, they achieved great success in the Tour de France. The Belgian Sylvère Maes won the Tour of France in 1939 and five other Belgians finished in the top ten. The newly created "Grand Prix de la Unification" had the political aim of humiliating the Belgians and their successful cycling. The military conquest was followed by the sporting seizure by the German Reich.
The end
The "Grand Prix of Unification" was held a further three times. However, the last edition in 1943 mutated into a circuit race on a 1,200 metre course in Mühlheim. It was no longer a triumphal procession of German cyclists through Belgium, but a small criterium. Just like the ideologically motivated Rund um das Saargebiet race, this race was completely forgotten after it was held for the last time. Cycling in the German Reich was completely discontinued in the summer of 1943.
Gino Bartali: The brave one
Italian cycling legend Gino Bartali was active in the resistance during the Second World War and was involved in the rescue of Jewish citizens. A cycling chapter that only came to light late.
When Gino Bartali won the Tour de France for the second time 75 years ago in 1948, there were exactly ten years between his first victory and this new triumph. At the height of his career, Nazi Germany unleashed the Second World War, which robbed Bartali of his best years as a cyclist. Nevertheless, he achieved more successes than almost anyone else. Not only did he win the Tour of France twice, he also won the Giro d'Italia in 1936, 1937 and 1946 and won numerous one-day classics, including Milan-San Remo four times. His duels with Fausto Coppi, five years his junior, with whom he shared a friendly rivalry, are unforgettable.
As a bicycle courier, he smuggled documents and photos for identity papers
But in the years in which he was unable to race due to the war, Bartali achieved much more than any further victory could be worth. After Mussolini's overthrow in July 1943, northern Italy was occupied by German troops. The persecution of Italian Jews and their deportation to concentration camps now began. In order to save Jews threatened with deportation, Bartali, who was also known as the "cycling monk" because of his deep faith and his membership of the Carmelite order, joined the Catholic resistance. As a bicycle courier, he smuggled documents and photos for identity papers back and forth between Florence, Assisi, Genoa and Rome in order to issue new identities to Jews. Bartali had not even informed his wife about his activities. When he made his courier trips over hundreds of kilometres, he told her he was going to train.
Bartali had prominent advocates
Due to his high profile, Bartali was rarely checked on his long tours. Nevertheless, it was not without danger for him. However, he always managed to prevent his handlebars, forks or saddle, in whose tubes he had hidden the papers, from being checked. However, he also experienced critical situations. He was even arrested once and detained for three days. Fortunately, he was released again because nothing could be proven against him and he had prominent advocates.
Smuggling documents was not his only resistance activity. He also brought Jews across the Swiss border and hid a Jewish family in a flat in Florence. It is estimated that the Italian cycling icon saved the lives of around 800 people through his efforts. The Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem posthumously awarded him the honorary title of "Righteous Among the Nations" in 2013.
Throughout his life, Gino Bartali himself made no fuss about what he had done. "Certain medals are pinned to the soul, not to the jacket," he once said to his granddaughter. For him, it was only "small things" that he did: "In the end, I just did what I did best: Riding my bike." At some point, he told his son Andrea everything. However, he made him promise to keep quiet about it until his death.
Book tip: Pioneering work
The role of cycling in the Third Reich has been little discussed to this day. The close links between cycling and the Nazi system have been all but forgotten, as have those cyclists who resisted National Socialist ideology. The educationalist and political scientist Dieter Vaupel has been working intensively on the historical reappraisal of National Socialism for many years; the enthusiastic amateur cyclist was therefore keen to shed light on the history of cycling during that period. His book is the first ever to be dedicated to this topic.
