Reitz, Franz

Professional cyclist

Born: 28.01.1929 in Wiesbaden

died: 10.06.2011 in Wiesbaden

Trained as a baker and car mechanic, Reitz was a professional cyclist from 1954-62. He celebrated his greatest successes as second in the 1955 Tour of Germany and as German road champion in 1957. His colleagues called him the "mountain spirit" because of his climbing skills; he also took part in the Tour de France three times. A performance at the 1954 Road World Championships in Solingen caused a sensation when he crossed the finish line hand in hand with Günter Pankoke, the only other German rider to reach the finish line, and came in last place.

After ending his active career, Reitz was active in the organization of many cycling events and as a course director, particularly at races in and around Wiesbaden. The highlight was the Frankfurt - Wiesbaden - Frankfurt stage of the 1980 Tour de France. Together with Udo Sprenger, Vice President of the German Cycling Federation, he organized the German Road Championships held in Wiesbaden in 2007 and numerous other major cycling events.

After the end of his professional career, Reitz opened a petrol station, later a car dealership and, in 1980, a cycling center, through which he maintained close contacts with amateur and professional cycling. In the 1980s, his Schierstein-based company R & R Fahrzeuge (Radsport Reitz) worked together with other companies to set up the Bundesliga team of the Radsportgemeinschaft Wiesbaden and assembled and serviced the racing bikes of a professional team in the 1990s. Even after his active time as a competitive athlete, he remained an enthusiastic cyclist and completed over 15,000 km of training rides every year.