Frank Louis Kramer
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Frank Louis Kramer |
| Born |
15 September 1880 Evansville, Indiana |
| Died |
8 October 1958 South Orange, New Jersey |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Track |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Sprint |
Frank Louis Kramer (1880-1958) was an American gold medal cyclist. He won 16 consecutive national championships from 1901 to 1916. He was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1988.[1]
Biography
He was born on September 15, 1880 in Evansville, Indiana.
He won the national championship in 1901 and raced in competitions in Europe in 1905 and 1906.[1]
He won the UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's sprint at the Newark Velodrome in Newark, New Jersey in 1912. Alfred Grenda of Australia, won the silver medal and André Perchicot won the bronze medal.[2]
Kramer participated in bicycle racing for 27 years until his retirement on July 25, 1922 at the age of 42, after regarding "...racing as too strenuous for one of his age and expressed the belief that to continue would impair his health in later years". Twenty-three of those years he raced as a professional. Most of his racing was done in the United States of America but he also competed in races in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Denmark.[3]
He died on October 8, 1958 in South Orange, New Jersey.
References
- 1 2 "Frank Kramer". United States Bicycling Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
Kramer won national amateur titles in his second and third year of racing. He won the national championship in 1901 and raced successfully in Europe in 1905 and 1906, winning thirty-one races out of forty-three starts. In 1912 Kramer won the world professional sprint championship at the Newark Velodrome. Frank Kramer won 16 consecutive national championships from 1901 to 1916. His amazing string of championships was broken in 1917, but, he regained the championship twice in 1918 and finally in 1921 at the age of 41.
- ↑ "Champion Captures Feature Event from Grenda and Perchicot at Newark Velodrome". New York Times. September 23, 1912. Retrieved 2010-10-03.
The one-mile double century race, which was won by Frank L. Kramer, was the feature event of the bicycle races yesterday at the Newark Velodrome. After fifteen elimination heats and three semi-finals, Kramer, Alfred Grenda of Australia, and A. Perchicot of France were left to fight out the final, and the contest furnished all that the cycle fans could wish for in the way of spectacular riding.
- ↑ Vancouver Daily Province, July 25, 1922
