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Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics – Men's individual road race

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Men's road race
at the Games of the I Olympiad
VenueAthensMarathon
Date12 April 1896
Competitors7 from 3 nations
Medalists
Gold medal 
Silver medal 
Bronze medal 
 1936»

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

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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

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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

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Date Time Round
Gregorian Julian
Sunday, 12 April 1896 Sunday, 31 March 1896 12:00 Final

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.

Rank Cyclist Nation Time
1 Aristidis Konstantinidis  Greece 3:22:31
2 August von Gödrich  Germany 3:42:18
3 Edward Battell  Great Britain Unknown
4–7 Georgios Aspiotis  Greece Unknown
Miltiades Iatrou  Greece Unknown
Konstantinos Konstantinou  Greece Unknown
Georgios Paraskevopoulos  Greece Unknown

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Road Race, Individual, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Official Report, p. 100.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Wallechinsky, David (1984). The Complete Book of the Olympics. England: Penguin Books. p. 200. ISBN 0140066322.