Jack Fitzgerald (cyclist)

Maurice Jack Fitzgerald
Personal information
Nickname Jack, Fitzie
Born (1899-11-10)10 November 1899
Iona, Victoria
Height 5 ft 8 1⁄2 in (174 cm)
Weight 182 lb (83 kg; 13.0 st)
Team information
Discipline Track
Infobox last updated on
7 June 2015

Maurice “Jack” Fitzgerald (10 November 1899 - unknown) was an Australian Track racing cyclist, particularly in sprint and Six-day racing.

Career highlights

1922
1st Austral Wheel Race [1]
1923
3rd in Sydney Six Days [2]
1925
2nd in Sydney Six Days [3]
1927
1st in Sydney Six Days [4]
1930
Equalled world record for a quarter mile (standing start) [5]
Claimed world record for a quarter mile (flying start) [6]
1932
3rd in Brisbane Six Days [7]

Professional Career

In his first year of racing, 1921 Fitzgerald won the 25 mile road championship of Victoria in 1921 [8] and 1922 [9] although his then bicycle sponsor, Lily Cycles appears to have elevated it to the 25 miles Australasian championship.[10]

The event that shot Fitzgerald to prominence though was the 1922 the Austral Wheel race which Fitzgerald won from scratch.[1] In 1923 he set his best time of 11 4/5 seconds for the final furlong.[11]

Fitzgerald travelled to France in 1924, including racing at the Vélodrome Buffalo and the Parc des Princes. He is reported to have won the Grand Prix d'ete (1000 metres), 1000 Kilometres at Paris with Bob Spears Grand Prix de Monterouge and the Grand Prix d'Etrangers and the last 26 races in which he started.[12]

Fitzgerald was a regular competitor in six day racing. In 1923-24 Fitzgerald, riding with F Wells (NZ), finished 3rd in the Sydney Six Days, at the Sydney Sports Ground.[2] Two years later in 1925-26 he finished 2nd with Dick Marshall in the Sydney Six Days, at the Sydney Sports Ground.[3]. In 1927-28 Fitzgerald won the Sydney Six days with Ken Ross.[4]. In 1932 he finished 3rd in the Brisbane Six Day with Hubert Opperman.[7]

In 1927 Fitzgerald travelled to the United States of America to compete, [13] riding at Revere Beach, Providence, Hartford, Newark and New York.[14]

In 1929 Fitzgerald won the National Professional Sprint Championship [15] and the all round championship,[16] with points being scored in races at the Canterbury Velodrome.[17]

Willy Hansen, the world amateur champion and Olympic 1000 meter record holder, and Mat Engel, visited Australia in early 1930. Engel initially defeated Fitzgerald in February 1930 [18] but Fitzgerald triumphed against Hansen and Engel in 3 heats over half a mile.[19]

In 1930 Fitzgerald set an Australian record at the Brisbane Velodrome over a quarter mile, of 28 seconds from a standing start, equalling the then world record held by Victor Johnson.[5] Fitzgerald also set what was claimed as a world record for a quarter mile flying start of 23 seconds.[6] Fitzgerald used a pacing motorcycle to get him up to speed, before riding the quarter mile unpaced. In December 1930 Fitzgerald joined the Massey Bicycle and Sports Depot and was reported to be riding a Superb Bicycle.

By 1932 Fitzgerald appears to have been sponsored by Malvern Star, going on a promotional visit to Townsville with Opperman.[20]

Coaching Career

Fitzgerald denied that he ever retired from cycling[21] and continued to compete after World War II, including winning his heat in the 1952 Cartlon Pro wheel race.[22] His continued prominence was, however, as a coach, including cycle coaching by mail.[23] Fitzgerald was the Australian Olympic cycling coach in 1956.[24] Cyclists he was reported to have coached include Russell Mockridge,[25] Lionel Cox,[25] and Neil Percival[26].

Fitzgerald continued to occasionally race, in 1964 he entered the Austral wheel race[21] and in 1968 accepted a challenge from Nino Borsari for an “old gentleman’s race”.[27]

References

  1. 1 2 "15,000 People Applaud Fitzgerald's Austral Victory.". The Sporting Globe. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 22 November 1922. p. 13. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Cycling.". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 2 January 1924. p. 12. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 "The Six Days Wheel Race.". The Referee. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 6 January 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Six Days' Cycling Spoiled.". The Referee (newspaper). Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 20 April 1927. p. 19. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Sporting.". Telegraph (Brisbane). Brisbane, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 24 March 1930. p. 12. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Cycling Notes.". The Courier-Mail. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 2 April 1930. p. 7. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Six Days' Race.". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 15 August 1932. p. 13. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "Cycling.". The Argus (Melbourne). Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 31 October 1921. p. 10. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "25 Miles Championship. of Victoria.". Daily Telegraph (Launceston). Launceston, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 28 October 1922. p. 5. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  10. ↑ "Advertising.". The Sporting Globe. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 25 October 1922. p. 10. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "Talking of Champions.". The Referee. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 16 December 1937. p. 20. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "Spencer and Fitzgerald Return.". The Sporting Globe. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 5 November 1924. p. 8. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "Cycling.". The Referee (newspaper). Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 11 May 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "£500 Austral Wheel Race.". The Referee (newspaper). Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 30 November 1927. p. 17. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Cycling Championships.". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 21 February 1929. p. 12. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "Consistent Jack Fitzgerald.". The Sporting Globe. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 1 May 1929. p. 11 Edition: Edition1. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  17. ↑ "Cycling.". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 19 January 1929. p. 22. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "Engel defeats Fitzgerald". The Sunday Mail (Brisbane). Brisbane) (Qld.: National Library of Australia. 9 February 1930. p. 10. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  19. ↑ "Cycling Notes.". The Courier-Mail. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 19 March 1930. p. 7. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  20. ↑ "Hubert Opperman Visit to Townsville.". Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 - 1954). Qld.: National Library of Australia. 1 September 1932. p. 3. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Comeback at 64". The Age. Melbourne, Vic.: Google. 23 Jan 1964. p. 1. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  22. ↑ "Wet Track And Wind Beat Patterson.". The Argus. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 13 February 1952. p. 8. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  23. ↑ "Advertising.". The Sporting Globe. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 12 May 1954. p. 4. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  24. ↑ "Cox Tipped to win two medals". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, NSW: Google. 31 July 1956. p. 8. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  25. 1 2 "English cyclist takes honors.". The Argus. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 16 March 1953. p. 9. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  26. ↑ "Heard this one?". The Sporting Globe. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 28 July 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  27. ↑ "Nino has a challenger". The Age. Melbourne, Vic.: Google. 21 Dec 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/20/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.