If you're interested in the history of track cycling, you might enjoy checking out Bernd Wagner's website on Walter Rutt and the Rutt-Arena.
One of Germany's great track cyclists of his day, it's likely that he competed against America's Major Taylor on the world circuit in the early years of the 20th century. Both raced in the grueling six-day cycling events and other track competitions in Europe, Australia and the U.S.
In fact, Taylor wrote a letter to his wife, Daisy, in September 1909 in which he says that he'll be riding in a match against Rutt.
Both also had velodromes built in their names. The Rutt Arena, built with an investment from the retired cyclist, was completed in 1926 in Berlin. Later, Indianapolis built a velodrome in its bid to host the 1982 National Sports Festival and named it the Marshall “Major” Taylor Velodrome.
According to the website, the Taylor Velodrome was closed for the 2010 season; I don't know if it's in use this year.
The Rutt Arena burned down in 1931 after a fire erupted in a stockroom, above. By this time the track had become a struggling business, according to Wagner. Rutt had lost his financial interest in the track and creditors would line up at the entrance on race days to collect money owed them.
The fire marked “the darkest hours of his life,” Wagner writes. Along with the fire loss of the stands and the track, Rutt also lost memorabilia from the early track racing days either in the fire or from looters.
Wagner sent out an email saying that, after years of searching, he found film footage of the 1931 fire and had it restored.
Wagner also has an extensive biography of Rutt at his website. He has spent years collecting memorabilia on the racer, some of which can be viewed in the video at top. Below is a short video about the Rutt-Arena.
Thanks to Wagner on spending so much time searching out information and artifacts from the early days of bicycle racing and sharing them with the world.
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