Erich HAGEN

East German road cyclist Erich Hagen was on the road race teams at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics in Melbourne and Roma, winning the silver medal in 1960. In 1956 he was the fourth best in the team and therefore was not awarded a medal. Individually he placed 22nd and 21st. He qualified for the 1956 Games as the winner of the East German national title in road race. After he was not nominated for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he retired from cycling.

At the 1960 Roma Olympics the 100 km team time trial began the 1960 Olympic cycling program. Although it started at 09.00, the day was hot, with temperatures reaching 34° C. (93° F.). Therefore the teams had to fight hard and the East German team consisting of Gustav-Adolf Schur, Egon Adler, Günter Lörke, and Hagen lost Lörke early in the race. Nevertheless the team won the silver medal behind Italy. The race was overshadowed by the death of Knud Enemark Jensen from Denmark, today widely seen as one of the first drug misuse deaths caused by doping substances.

Hagen later became a taxi driver in Leipzig. In 1978 he was found dead in his taxi after driving directly into a bridge pier. It was rumored he had family problems and committed suicide.