Gustav-Adolf Schur

Last updated

Täve Schur
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-39466-0005, Gustav-Adolf "Tave" Schur.jpg
Schur before a race in 1956
Personal information
Full nameGustav-Adolf Schur
Born (1931-02-23) 23 February 1931 (age 88)
East Germany
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight73 kg (161 lb)
Team information
Current teamRetired
RoleRider
Major wins
1955 Peace Race
1959 Peace Race
1958 Amateur World Road Race Champion
1959 Amateur World Road Race Champion

Gustav-Adolf "Täve" Schur (born 23 February 1931 in Heyrothsberge, Province of Saxony) is a former German cyclist and one of the most popular sportspeople in East Germany. His sporting career began with SC DHfK Leipzig. [1] He was the first German to win the amateur competition of the World Cycling Championships and the Peace Race. Between 1959 and 1990 Schur was a member of the Volkskammer, the East German parliament.

Biederitz Place in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Biederitz is a municipality in the Jerichower Land district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

Province of Saxony province of Prussia

The Province of Saxony, also known as Prussian Saxony was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.

East Germany Former communist country, 1949-1990

East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic, was a country that existed from 1949 to 1990, when the eastern portion of Germany was part of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. It described itself as a socialist "workers' and peasants' state", and the territory was administered and occupied by Soviet forces at the end of World War II — the Soviet Occupation Zone of the Potsdam Agreement, bounded on the east by the Oder–Neisse line. The Soviet zone surrounded West Berlin but did not include it; as a result, West Berlin remained outside the jurisdiction of the GDR.

Contents

Life

East German postage stamp depicting Schur, 1960 Stamp - GDR 20 Pfennig - Road Cycling World Championships 1960.jpg
East German postage stamp depicting Schur, 1960

"Täve" Schur (a shortening of Gustav) grew up near Magdeburg. He only took up cycling aged 19 and won the highest honors an amateur cyclist could reach. Schur won the East German championships 6 times in that period and won the GDR tour 4 times. In 1953 he had a great stake in East Germany winning the blue jersey of the best team at the Peace Race. His real breakthrough came in 1955, however, when he was the first East German to win the Peace Race, considered the most prestigious amateur stage race. Schur won the Peace Race once more in 1959. [2] [3] [4]

As a member of the United Team of Germany he won a bronze medal in the team time trial at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and a silver medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, [4] at a time when the impact East Germany would have in later Olympic Games was not foreseen yet. Between 1955 and 1963 Schur studied at the DHfK Leipzig and finished with a diploma as coach. In late 1950s Schur was at the height of his form, as proven by his two wins at the amateur road race at the road world championships in 1958 and 1959, he was the first amateur to defend his title. [3] [4]

1956 Summer Olympics Games of the XVI Olympiad, celebrated in Melbourne in 1956

The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which were held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June 1956.

Melbourne City in Victoria, Australia

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Its name refers to an urban agglomeration of 9,992.5 km2 (3,858.1 sq mi), comprising a metropolitan area with 31 municipalities, and is also the common name for its city centre. The city occupies much of the coastline of Port Phillip bay and spreads into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley. It has a population of approximately 4.9 million, and its inhabitants are referred to as "Melburnians".

1960 Summer Olympics Games of the XVII Olympiad, celebrated in Rome in 1960

The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event that was held from August 25 to September 11, 1960, in Rome, Italy. The city of Rome had previously been awarded the administration of the 1908 Summer Olympics, but following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906, Rome had no choice but to decline and pass the honour to London.

Schur reached the summit of his popularity by not winning, however: At the 1960 UCI Road World Championships that took place at the Sachsenring, Schur was favorite to defend his title again, but instead he let his teammate Bernhard Eckstein pass who eventually won the race. This selfless gesture capped Schur's myth, the dimensions of which can be sensed if one considers the results of a survey conducted after the end of East Germany: here Schur was voted greatest East German sports personality of all time, 25 years after ending his career. [4] Schur was selected as East-German Sportspersonality of the Year nine times in a row from 1953 to 1961.

The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and as of 2012 Team Time Trials.

Sachsenring race track

The Sachsenring motorsport racing circuit is located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany. Among other events, it features the annual German motorcycle Grand Prix of the FIM Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship.

Bernhard Eckstein East German Olympic cyclist

Bernhard Eckstein was a German cyclist. In 1960, he won the road race at the world championships and finished in 22nd place in the road race at the 1960 Summer Olympics. During his career he won six one-day races, four in 1958, one in 1960, and one in 1966.

His son Jan (born 1962) won an Olympic gold medal in the team trial at the 1988 Summer Olympics, [5] together with Uwe Ampler, Mario Kummer and Maik Landsmann.

Jan Schur East German track cyclist

Jan Schur is a retired track cyclist and road cyclist from East Germany, who represented his native country at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. There he won the gold medal in the men's team time trial, alongside Uwe Ampler, Mario Kummer, and Maik Landsmann. He was a Stasi informer under the codename "Reinhold" from 1981 to 1989.

1988 Summer Olympics Games of the XXIV Olympiad, celebrated in Seoul (South Korea) in 1988

The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea.

Uwe Ampler East German racing cyclist

Uwe Ampler is a retired track and road cyclist from East Germany, who represented his native country at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. There he won the gold medal in the men's team time trial, alongside Jan Schur, Mario Kummer, and Maik Landsmann.

Schur was more deeply involved politically than other sports people in East Germany. Between 1959 and 1990 he was a member of the Volkskammer. After German reunification he kept to his views and joined the SED successor party PDS and was a member of Germany's parliament, Bundestag, between 1998 and 2002. [4]

Volkskammer parliament

The Volkskammer was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic.

German reunification process in 1990 in which East and West Germany once again became one country

The German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic became part of the Federal Republic of Germany to form the reunited nation of Germany, and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz (constitution) Article 23. The end of the unification process is officially referred to as German unity, celebrated on 3 October. Following German reunification, Berlin was once again designated as the capital of united Germany.

Socialist Unity Party of Germany Marxist-Leninist political party and ruling state party of the GDR

The Socialist Unity Party of Germany, established in April 1946, was the governing Marxist–Leninist political party of the German Democratic Republic from the country's foundation in October 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989.

Schur is also a member of the "Kuratorium Friedensfahrt Course de la Paix e.V.", and works to keep the traditional race alive.

In 1992 Schur opened a bicycle store in Magdeburg that is now run by his other son Gus-Erik Schur. "Täves Radladen" supports the bicycle racing club "RC Lostau" and takes part in races all over Europe under the name "Team Täves Radladen". [6]

In May 2012 Schur re-rode two stages of the 1955 Peace Race, as part of the Alf Buttler Peace Race Tribute Ride.

Honors

In 2005 the planetoid 2000 UR was named after Schur. It now has the official designation (38976) Täve, circling the Sun on an orbit between Mars and Jupiter.


Books

Adolf Klimanschewsky: Täve. Das Lebensbild eines Sportlers unserer Zeit. Sport Verlag, Berlin, 1955

Klaus Ullrich: Unser Täve. Ein Buch über Gustav Adolf Schur. Sport-Verlag, Berlin, 1959.

Klaus Ullrich: Unser Weltmeister. Sport-Verlag, Berlin, 1959

Uwe Johnson: Das dritte Buch über Achim. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main, 1962.

Klaus Huhn: Das vierte Buch über Täve. Spotless-Verlag, Berlin, 1992, ISBN   3-928999-04-4

Tilo Köhler: Der Favorit fuhr Kowalit. Täve Schur und die Friedensfahrt. Kiepenheuer, Leipzig 1997, ISBN   3-378-01015-0

Klaus Huhn: Der Kandidat. Spotless-Verlag, Berlin, 1998, ISBN   3-92-8999-93-1

Andreas Ciesielski:: Täve. Eine Legende wurde 70. Scheunen-Verlag, Kückenshagen 2001, ISBN   3-934301-47-9

Gustav-Adolf Schur: Die Autobiographie. Das Neue Berlin Verlagsgesellschaft, Berlin, 2001, ISBN   3-360-00948-7

Klaus Ullrich, Klaus Köste: Das 9. (neunte) Buch über Schur. Spotless-Verlag, Berlin, 2002, ISBN   3-933544-60-0  Parameter error in {{ ISBN }}: Invalid ISBN.

Andreas Ciesielski: Typisch Täve. Scheunen-Verlag, Kückenshagen 2006, ISBN   3-938398-22-1

Gustav-Adolf Schur: Täve, die Autobiografie. Gustav Adolf Schur erzählt sein Leben. Verlag Das Neue Berlin, Berlin 2011, ISBN   978-3-355-01783-1

Gustav-Adolf Schur: Der Ruhm und ich. Spotless-Verlag, Berlin, 2011, ISBN   978-3-360-02054-3

Gustav-Adolf Schur: Täve, die Autobiografie. Gustav Adolf Schur erzählt sein Leben. 2. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage, Verlag Das Neue Berlin, Berlin 2011, ISBN   978-3-355-01783-1

Related Research Articles

Ebers Papyrus ancient Egyptian medical papyrus

The Ebers Papyrus, also known as Papyrus Ebers, is an Egyptian medical papyrus of herbal knowledge dating to circa 1550 BC. Among the oldest and most important medical papyri of ancient Egypt, it was purchased at Luxor (Thebes) in the winter of 1873–74 by Georg Ebers. It is currently kept at the library of the University of Leipzig, in Germany.

Gustav Ludwig Hertz German physicist

Gustav Ludwig Hertz was a German experimental physicist and Nobel Prize winner for his work on inelastic electron collisions in gases, and a nephew of Heinrich Rudolf Hertz.

Manfred von Ardenne German politician

Manfred von Ardenne was a German researcher and applied physicist and inventor. He took out approximately 600 patents in fields including electron microscopy, medical technology, nuclear technology, plasma physics, and radio and television technology. From 1928 to 1945, he directed his private research laboratory Forschungslaboratorium für Elektronenphysik. For ten years after World War II, he worked in the Soviet Union on their atomic bomb project and was awarded a Stalin Prize. Upon his return to the then East Germany, he started another private laboratory, Forschungsinstitut Manfred von Ardenne.

Peace Race defunct cycling race

The Peace Race was an annual multiple stage bicycle race held in the Eastern Bloc states of Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and Poland. First organized in 1948, it was originally created with the intent of relieving tensions existing between Central European countries following the interwar period and World War II.

Bitterfeld borough of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany

Bitterfeld is a town in the district Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 July 2007 it has been part of the town Bitterfeld-Wolfen. It is situated approximately 25 km south of Dessau, and 30 km northeast of Halle (Saale). At the end of 2016, it had 40,964 inhabitants.

Adolf Engler German botanist (1844–1930)

Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler was a German botanist. He is notable for his work on plant taxonomy and phytogeography, such as Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, edited with Karl A. E. von Prantl.

Klaus Theweleit is a German sociologist and writer.

United Team of Germany at the 1960 Summer Olympics

Athletes from East Germany and West Germany competed together as the United Team of Germany at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. 293 competitors, 238 men and 55 women, took part in 148 events in 17 sports.

The Cabinet of Three Counts was an unofficial triumvirate which dominated the politics of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1702 to 1710.

Hubertus Knabe German historian

Hubertus Knabe is a German historian and was the scientific director of the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial, a museum and memorial in a notorious former Stasi torture prison in Berlin. Knabe is noted for several works on oppression in the former communist states of Eastern Europe, particularly in East Germany. He early became involved with Green politics, and was active in the Green Party in Germany.

Erich Kern, was an Austrian journalist. He became a writer of revisionist books that sought to glorify the activities of the German soldiers during the Second World War.

Ruth Schleiermacher German speed skater

Ruth Schleiermacher is a former East German speedskater. She took part in eight international championships. Twice at the European Championships, thrice at the World Allround Championships, once at the World Sprint Championships (1971) and two times at the Winter Olympics, 1968 and 1972.

Inge Görmer German speed skater

Inge Görmer is a former East-German speedskater. She took part in five international championships. Four times as East-German at the World Allround Championships and once, as member of the German Unified team, at the Winter Olympics (1960).

Friedrich Sieburg German journalist

Friedrich Sieburg (1893–1964) was a German journalist. He was born in Altena and died in Gärtringen.

Jan Veselý (cyclist) Czechoslovak biker

Jan Veselý was a Czech cyclist. He won the Peace Race individually in 1949 and with the Czechoslovak team in 1950 and 1951. He finished second individually in 1952 and 1955, and won no fewer than sixteen stages. Thus he became one of the most famous cyclists in the Eastern Bloc, and an iconic figure in his homeland.

Erik Neutsch German writer

Erik Neutsch was one of the most successful writers in East Germany.


Klaus Leidorf is a German aerial archaeologist.

Eberhard Heinrich is a German journalist.

Friedrich Jung was a German doctor who became a leading Academic and Research Pharmacologist in the German Democratic Republic.

Klaus Huhn German journalist

Klaus Huhn was a German sports journalist, writer and sports administrator. Huhn worked for the East German mass-market daily newspaper, Neues Deutschland, and was chairman of the Sports Journalists Sub-Association within that country's important Union of Journalists.

References

  1. Radsport Almanach 5. Berlin: Junge Welt. 1964. p. 2.
  2. "Course de la Paix (Tch) – Cat.2.2" (in French). Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  3. 1 2 Gustav-Adolf Schur. cyclingarchives.com
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Gustav-Adolf Schur. sports-reference.com
  5. Jan Schur. sports-reference.com
  6. Interview mit "Täve" Schur, Magdeburger Radsportidol (4 February 2010) pp. 4–7