- Russell Mockridge
Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Russell Mockridge
fullname = Russell Mockridge
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|df=yes|1928|7|18
dateofdeath = death date and age|df=yes|1958|9|13|1928|7|18
country = AUS
height =
weight =
currentteam =
discipline = Track
role = Rider
ridertype =
amateuryears =
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majorwins =
updated = 13 April 2008Russell Mockridge (born 18 July 1928 – died 13 September 1958) was a racing
cyclist from Geelong, Victoria, Australia whose life ended during a race, in a collision with a bus in 1958.Born in
Melbourne , his cycling career started in 1946 by winning his first race of 40km with the Geelong Amateur Cycling Club. His reputation continued to grow and he became described as "Australia’s greatest all-round cyclist for all time". Due to his upper-class accent he was initially dubbed "Little Lord Fauntleroy", however his race wins soon earned him thenickname of "The Geelong Flyer".He participated in the
1948 Summer Olympics in London but two punctures ruined his performance in the road race, and his team was eliminated in the quarter final of the 4000m team pursuit.He represented Australia at the
1950 British Empire Games inAuckland . He took gold in the 1000m sprint and the 1000m time trial, and silver in the 4000m pursuit.In Paris in July 1952 he won the Amateur Grand Prix and the following day the Open Grand Prix (beating the world professional champion,
Reg Harris ), becoming the first rider to win both the amateur and professional divisions of the Paris Sprints. The humiliation to the professionals resulted in the rules being changed and amateurs being barred for many years.His selection for the
1952 Summer Olympics Australian team was in doubt as he refused to sign the Australian Olympic Federation’s fidelity bond, which demanded he remain amateur for at least two years after the Games. In the end, another great Australian cyclist,Hubert Opperman , or "Oppy" as he was known, (then Federal parliamentarian for Geelong), negotiated the bond being reduced to one year. At the1952 Summer Olympics inHelsinki he went on to win two gold medals for Australia, in the tandem event withLionel Cox , and in the 1000 metre time trial.A year after the Games he turned professional and raced with success on the European and Australian circuits. Mockridge teamed with
Sid Patterson and Roger Arnold to win the Paris 6-Day race in 1955, defeating the French favourites. Later that year Mockridge was one of the 60 riders out of 150 entrants to cross the line in Paris of the 1955Tour de France . Up to his final year of cycle racing in 1958 he had 12 consecutive Australian championship wins.In 1958, at the age of 30 while participating in the 225km Tour of Gippsland, he was killed by a bus in
Melbourne at the Dandenong Rd / Clayton Rd intersection just 2.1 miles from the start of the race.Russell Mockridge was married and had one daughter, Melinda (1955).
External links
* [http://canberrabicyclemuseum.com.au/cyclists_Aust.htm#A%20Tribute%20to%20Russell%20Mockridge Russell Mockridge]
* [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A150448b.htm ADB biography]
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