Albert Richter
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Albert Richter (14 October 1912 – 2 January 1940) was a German
cyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
who won the world
sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace * Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automobiles *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, a rebadged v ...
championship. He was taken from a train by the
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
and never seen alive again.


Background

Albert Richter, known to friends as Teddy, grew up in Sömmeringstraße 72,
Ehrenfeld, Cologne Ehrenfeld ( ; ) is a borough (''Stadtbezirk'') of the City of Cologne in Germany. It includes the seven quarters Bickendorf, Bocklemünd, Mengenich, Ehrenfeld, Neuehrenfeld, Ossendorf and Vogelsang. It has about 109,500 inhabitants (as of Dece ...
. He was one of three brothers born in Cologne to a talented musician. Charles learned the
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...
, Josef the
clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...
and Albert the
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
. Albert worked with his father and Charles in a family business making plaster figurines, although some sources say he was a plasterer, but he was frequently out of work in the Depression. He used his spare time to train on the
velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...
in Cologne,Cycling Weekly, UK 11 January 1992, p26 in secret because his father disapproved.Ronny de Schepper, 29-01-2007, Albert Richter (1912-1940), De Kampioen DieDe Hitlergroet Weigerde
/ref> He rode his first races, on the road and on the track, at 16. His father found out when Albert broke his
collar bone The clavicle, collarbone, or keybone is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on each side of the body. The clavicle is the ...
. His rides, however, attracted the attention of Ernst Berliner, a former cycling champion who ran a furniture business in the city and who had become a reputed cycling coach. Berliner was Jewish and had had his business ransacked several times by
Brown Shirts The (; SA; or 'Storm Troopers') was the original paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party of Germany. It played a significant role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power, Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. I ...
.Chany, Pierre (1988), La Fabuleuse Histoire du Cyclisme, Nathan, France, p425 In 1932, after winning the Grand Prix de
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, Richter hoped to be picked for the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. But he was disappointed. The German federation could not afford his fare.


Professional career

Richter went to
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
and won the world sprint amateur championship on September 3. He was greeted enthusiastically in Cologne. He turned professional and Berliner sent him to Paris, the centre of European track cycling. Agnès Granjon said in her short biography:
There were races all through the year on the four vélodromes in Paris. Richter quickly learned French in particular by watching films, and adapted quickly to his new life. After uncertain beginnings, the young German triumphed at the Vélodrome d'hiver by winning a competition for foreign sprinters. His fluid style, dynamic and powerful, won him the admiration of all. Adopted in a few months by the Parisian public, Albert Richter became very popular in France and gathered a new
nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
: the German eight-cylinder.
Richter lived in Paris and spent more time abroad than in Germany. He was open about his opposition to the rise of
Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
and his
National Socialism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequ ...
. Sepp Dinkelkamp, a Swiss sprinter, said:
"I say with confidence that Albert was an anti-Nazi. If he had followed the Nazis, it would certainly have been a lot easier for him, and to his advantage. But Albert chose another way."
Richter became part of a travelling circus of sprinters that included
Jef Scherens Joseph "Jef" Scherens (17 February 1909 – 9 August 1986), better known as Poeske Scherens, was a Belgian professional track cyclist, specializing in sprint where he won seven World Championships. Biography Early life Jef Scherens was ...
and
Louis Gérardin Louis Gérardin (12 August 1912 in Boulogne-Billancourt – 23 May 1982 in Paris) was a French track cyclist. During his career, he won the World Amateur Sprint Championships in 1930, and was a 12 time national sprint champion. Major results ; ...
. Richter refused to wear a German
jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
with a
swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...
when he raced, preferring the older style with the traditional German eagle. He was on the podium of every championship he rode from 1933 to 1939 (e.g.,
UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's Sprint The UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's sprint is the world championship sprint event held annually at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Between its inception and 1892, the sprint was separated into two events; one for profess ...
), although never with the gold medal. Scherens won the world championship every year from 1932 to 1937. Richter came third in 1933 behind him and Lucien Michard. In the two following years Scherens, Richter and Gérardin finished in that order. In 1936, Richter and Gérardin changed places. In 1937 and 1938 he again came in third.


Flight from Germany

Two riders whom Richter consistently beat – Werner Miethe and
Peter Steffes Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
 – were to play a role in his death. Lon Pullen said:
Miethe was already engaged in
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ...
work on behalf of the Reich, and he and Steffes were also later involved in marketing valuables taken from French Jews who had become victims of the Nazi pogrom. In September 1937, Richter's manager, Berliner, threatened by Steffes with exposure to the Gestapo for alleged smuggling of marks outside Germany, fled with his family to Holland... Even Richter could see that his survival would only be possible if he left the country.Cycling Weekly, UK 11 January 1992, p27
For a while, he stayed. He occasionally gave Nazi salutes but he refused to spy during his foreign journeys. He won the bronze medal in the 1939 world championship – the races were not completed because news came partway that Germany had invaded
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
 – and then decided to avoid being called into the army, particularly because it would mean shooting at the French. Instead, he would escape to
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
once he had ridden the
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
Grand Prix in the
Deutschlandhalle Deutschlandhalle was an arena located in the Westend (Berlin), Westend neighbourhood of Berlin, Germany. It was inaugurated on 29 November 1935 by Adolf Hitler. The building was granted landmark status in 1995, but was demolished on 3 December 20 ...
on 9 December. Richter had many friends in Switzerland, the family of cyclists called Suter (see
Heiri Suter Heinrich 'Heiri' Suter (10 July 1899  – 6 November 1978) was a Swiss road racing cyclist. Excelling mainly in the classic cycle races, classics, Suter was the first non-Belgian winner of the Tour of Flanders (men's race), Tour of Flanders ...
), and a family that owned a hotel in
Engelberg Engelberg (lit.: ''mountain of angel(s)'') is a village resort and a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. Alongside the central village of Engelberg, the municipality enc ...
. He called Berliner, who urged him not to return to Germany. He also told Berliner that a Jewish business man from Cologne named Schweizer, who had already left Germany, had asked him to smuggle money for him when he went. Against Berliner's advice, he went to Berlin and won the grand prix, his last victory.


Death

On 31 December 1939, he boarded the train to Switzerland. It crossed into Switzerland at
Weil am Rhein Weil am Rhein (, ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Wiil am Rhii'') is a German town and commune. It is on the east bank of the River Rhine, and extends to the tripoint of Switzerland, France, and Germany. It is the most southwesterly tow ...
. The station straddled the border and it was there that the German steam engine would be replaced by a Swiss electric locomotive. German exit controls and Swiss entry controls could be carried out at the same place. To catch
smugglers Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
on the border meant their guilt was clear. Two Dutch sprinters, Cor Wals and
Kees Pellenaars Cornelis Petrus "Kees" Pellenaars (10 May 1913 – 30 January 1988) was a Dutch road cyclist and coach. In 1934 he won the amateur road race at the world championships, which was the first world road title for the Netherlands. The same year he tur ...
, later the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
'
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
manager, had been on the train since
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
. They told the Belgian newspaper '' Het Volk'' that German soldiers walked through the snow on the station platform and went straight to Richter's compartment. The door opened and Richter fell unconscious from the train. The Germans pulled his bike from the baggage van – not bothering with his suitcase – and cut open the tyres. Inside were 12,700 marks. Richter, still unconscious, was pulled along the platform, the Dutchmen said, his legs trailing behind him. Outside the station, witnesses said, Richter was loaded on a truck and taken to
Lörrach Lörrach () is a city in southwest Germany, in the valley of the Wiese, close to the French and the Swiss borders. It is the district seat of the district of Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg. It is the home of a number of large employers, inclu ...
, site of a "correction" camp.Cycling Weekly, UK 11 January 1992, p28 Richter had been a popular champion. He had been seen being dragged from the train. The Germans insisted he had died
skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
but Richter was still in Germany. The next claim was that he had been beaten to death by rival smugglers, and then that he had hanged himself in his cell in shame. One version is that he was given the choice between suicide and a firing squad, that he shot himself with a revolver and that the Germans then said he had died on the eastern front. When one of his brothers tried to see him on 2 January, he was shown Richter's corpse in the hospital morgue or, according to some reports, slumped in a cell. It was bloody and his suit full of holes. Berliner tried to learn the truth after the war but was unsuccessful. His death has not been formally registered. The German cycling federation said: "His name has been effaced from our ranks, from our memories, for ever."


Gestapo's knowledge

It will never be known how the Gestapo knew not only that Richter planned to smuggle money but when he would do it and where he would hide it. Wals and Pellenaers said the agents were not interested in anything but the bike's tyres. Speculation is that they were told by Steffes or Miethe. Miethe was a professional informer. Their link was through the German federation; their link to Richter was through his manager, Berliner. Berliner had smuggled money and Miethe and Steffes had found out. The French historian,
Pierre Chany Pierre Chany (; 16 December 1922 – 18 June 1996) was a French cycling journalist. He covered the Tour de France 49 times and was for a long time the main cycling writer for the daily newspaper, '' L'Équipe''. Biography Chany was born ...
, says it was Richter who did the smuggling. Miethe or Steffes went to see Berliner and that was why Berliner and his family fled to the Netherlands. Berliner and Richter had stayed in touch. Miethe and Steffes knew that. Richter appeared to have trusted Steffes and may even have told him about the money. Lon Pullen said:
The German television film ee belowincluded an interview with Peter Steffes and his wife, then in their 80s. Steffes' manner before the cameras left no doubt in the minds of viewers that his conscience was not clear on the matter... The most currently accepted theory is that Victor Brack, acting upon information from Miethe or Steffes, had given the order for the apprehension and execution of Germany's greatest track rider.
This theory was confirmed by a German named Huertgen, living in
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, to
Karl Altenburger Karl Altenburger (27 August 1909 – 2 February 1978) was a German racing cyclist. He rode in the 1931 Tour de France The 1931 Tour de France was the 25th edition of the Tour de France, which took place from 30 June to 26 July. It consiste ...
, the German industrialist whose name became known in post-war
Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
through his gears and brakes. Under threats from Nazis living in Argentina, Huertgen withdrew this statement.
In the documentary, made by Raimund Weber and cameraman Tillmann Scholl in 1990, ''Auf der Suche nach Albert Richter'' ('Looking for Albert Richter'), Steffes' wife jumped in on a question asked of her husband and called Berliner "''ein Schweinehund''." Victor Brack could not be questioned. He was hanged for
war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...
after being convicted at the Nuremberg Doctors' trial at
Landsberg Prison Landsberg Prison is a prison in the town of Landsberg am Lech in the southwest of the German state of Bavaria, about west-southwest of Munich and south of Augsburg. It is best known as the prison where Adolf Hitler was held in 1924, after the ...
, on 2 June 1948. Berliner survived the war and emigrated to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.


Burial and honour

Richter was buried in the Melaten-Friedhof cemetery. In 1977, the new Cologne
velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...
was named ''Albert Richter''. In 2018 the
International Cycling Film Festival The International Cycling Film Festival (, ) is an independent, not-for-profit film festival held annually in Germany, in Poland, in Kosovo and in the Netherlands. Its mission is to strengthen international cooperation in the areas of art film and ...
introduced the film award ''Souvenir Albert Richter'' for the best road cycling film of the festival. Albert Richter was inducted to the
Germany's Sports Hall of Fame The Germany's Sports Hall of Fame () is the national sports hall of fame in Germany, initiated 2006. The inductions are made by Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe, Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund and Verband Deutscher Sportjournalisten. Members Uli ...
in 2008.


Palmarès

*
Grand Prix de Paris The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), an ...
1932, 1934, 1938 *World amateur sprint champion 1932 (on a Selbach) *Germany sprint champion 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939 *UCI Grand Prix, 1934 *Grand Prix de la République, 1934 *Grand Prix de Berlin 1939 *Silver medal
UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's Sprint The UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's sprint is the world championship sprint event held annually at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Between its inception and 1892, the sprint was separated into two events; one for profess ...
1934, 1935 *Bronze medal
UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's Sprint The UCI Track Cycling World Championships – Men's sprint is the world championship sprint event held annually at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships. Between its inception and 1892, the sprint was separated into two events; one for profess ...
1933, 1936, 1937, 1938


References


Bibliography

Franz, Renate: ''Der vergessene Weltmeister. Das rätselhafte Schicksal des Radrennfahrers Albert Richter'', Covadonga, 2007.


External links


Film about Albert Richter produced by Gedeon Programmes for ARTE
(English)
On Albert Richter
(German) * *
On his death
(French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Richter, Albert 1912 births 1940 deaths German male cyclists People from North Rhine-Westphalia executed by Nazi Germany Cyclists from Cologne Sportspeople from the Rhine Province German civilians killed in World War II People executed by Nazi Germany by firearm 20th-century German sportsmen