Sid Patterson
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Sydney Patterson |
Nickname | Sid Patterson |
Born | Melbourne, Australia | 14 August 1927
Died | 29 November 1999 | (aged 72)
Team information | |
Discipline | Track |
Role | Rider |
Sydney Patterson (also known as Sid Patterson, 14 August 1927 – 29 November 1999) was a world champion amateur and professional track cyclist from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. While a teenager, Patterson won every Victorian and Australian title between 1,000 metres and ten miles (16.1 km). He represented Australia in cycling at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.[1]
In 1949 he won every Australian track championship in the sprint, time trial, 1 mile, and 5 mile (8.05 km) events. Later that year he won the world amateur sprint championship in Copenhagen, and in 1950, the world amateur pursuit championship in Liège. At the 1950 British Empire Games he won silver medals for the 1000m sprint and 1000m time trial.
In 1951 he won the Manchester Wheelers' Club Muratti Cup beating the British Sprint Champion, Alan Bannister, by almost a length. However Patterson was alleged to have held Bannister during the final sprint for the line and was subsequently disqualified and the race was awarded to Bannister.[2]
In 1951 Patterson became a professional and won the world professional pursuit championship in 1952 in Paris, and in 1953 in Zürich. Patterson teamed with Russell Mockridge and Reginald Arnold to win the Paris six-day race in 1955. By his final year of racing in 1967 he had 12 consecutive Australian championships.
Sid Patterson was sponsored by Malvern Star, founded by Sir Bruce Small.
At 72 Patterson died of liver cancer. The Sid Patterson Grand Prix is held in Melbourne annually in his honour. The first was won by Tommy Nankervis, who was introduced to the sport after meeting Patterson at a bike shop. In 2015, he was an inaugural Cycling Australia Hall of Fame inductee.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Sid Patterson Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
- ^ Fletcher, Jack (1983). "Ch 5 – The End of an Era" (PDF). A History of Manchester Wheelers' Club 1883-1983.
- ^ "Inaugural Cycling Australia Hall of Fame inductees". Cycling Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
External links
[edit]- 1927 births
- 1999 deaths
- Australian male cyclists
- Deaths from liver cancer in Australia
- Cyclists at the 1950 British Empire Games
- Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia
- Cyclists from Melbourne
- Olympic cyclists for Australia
- Cyclists at the 1948 Summer Olympics
- UCI Track Cycling World Champions (men)
- Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees
- Commonwealth Games medallists in cycling
- Australian track cyclists
- Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games
- Sportsmen from Victoria (state)
- 20th-century Australian sportsmen