Gustav-Adolf SCHUR

One of the most popular East German athletes ever, Gustav-Adolf “Täve” Schur was the greatest road cyclist produced by the former Eastern bloc nation. He started his career in 1953 with the Aufbau Börde Magdeburg club, but rode from 1956 to the end of his career for the Sportclub Deutsche Hochschule für Körperkultur Leipzig. He was so popular that from 1953-61 he was voted East German Athlete of the Year for nine consecutive years.

Schur first came to international prominence in 1955, winning the Friedensfahrt (Peace Race), at the time the top stage race for amateurs, and he repeated that title in 1959. In 1958-59 he became the first cyclist to defend the amateur world championship road race, placing second in 1960 when he allowed his teammate, Bernhard Eckstein, through for the win. At the Olympics Schur won a bronze medal in 1956 in the team road race, and a silver in 1960 in the team time trial, although his son, Jan, won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in the team time trial. Schur won 14 East German titles on the road and in the individual time trial, won the Tour of East Germany in 1953-54, 1959, and 1961, the Tour du Harz in 1955-56 and 1959-60, the Tour Around Berlin in 1951 and the Tour du Sachsenring in 1958.

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 Günter Lörke, Egon Adler, Erich Hagen, and Schur 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.

At the time of German unification, Schur was voted the greatest ever East German athlete. Also active politically, he was a member of the Volkskammer, the East German Parliament, from 1959-90, and after unification, was a member of the German Bundestag from 1998-2002.