Ronald Baensch (5 June 1939 – 28 December 2017) was an Australian racing cyclist, specialising in track sprinting events. He represented Australia at the 1960 Olympics and several World Championships in the 1960s and in 1970.
![]() Baensch at the 1966 UCI Track Cycling World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Ronald Baensch | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Melbourne, Australia | 5 June 1939|||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 28 December 2017 | (aged 78)|||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 58 kg (128 lb; 9.1 st) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Retired | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Discipline | Track | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Rider type | Sprinter | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Professional teams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1965 | Lamot-Libertas | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1966 | Libertas | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1967 | Casagrande | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1970 | Carlton-Truwel-Campagnolo | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Cycling career
edit1960 Olympic Games
editBaensch competed in the 1,000 metre sprint at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Losing to eventual gold medalist Sante Gaiardoni in the semi-final and to Valentino Gasparella in the final round race for bronze, Baensch finished in fourth place.[1][2]
UCI Track Cycling World Championships
editBaensch won a bronze medal in the men's amateur sprint at the 1961 World Championships in Zurich.[3] After turning professional in 1964, he won silver in the men's sprint at the 1964 World Championships in Paris,[4] bronze in the 1965 (San Sebastian)[5] and silver again in 1966 (Frankfurt).[6]
Baensch was fined ƒ 2,000 and disqualified from the 1967 World Championships in Amsterdam after testing positive to ephedrine.[7] He claimed to have taken the drug to combat a heavy cold.[7]
Baensch was beaten by Angelo Damiano in the quarter-finals at the 1970 World Championships in Leicester.[8]
Later life
editAfter his professional cycling career, Baensch was a truck driver in Europe and, on his return to Australia in 1974, he settled in Newcastle, New South Wales and worked on oil rigs.[9] He continued to compete in local cycle races in Australia until 1980, winning his last race.[9] In 2011, Baensch was inducted into the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame.[10]
He died on 28 December 2017 at the age of 78.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Baensch among World cyclists". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 August 1960. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "Cycling at the 1960 Roma Summer Games: Men's Sprint". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
- ^ "World Championship, Track, Sprint, Amateurs 1961". Cycling Archives. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ^ "Baensch Second in Wild Finish". The Age. Melbourne. 15 September 1964. p. 26. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ^ "Baensch third in world sprint title". The Age. Melbourne. 14 September 1965. p. 28. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ^ "Italian retains cycling title". The Age. Melbourne. 6 September 1966. p. 27. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ^ a b "Eight more out for dope". Cycling. 9 September 1967. p. 9. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
- ^ "Day of ups and downs for Australia". The Age. Melbourne. 13 August 1970. p. 26. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
- ^ a b Hood, Edmond (9 March 2011). "A Man From The Golden Age: Ron Baensch". Pez Cycling News. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ^ "Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame Presentation night". Cycling Victoria. 1 March 2011. Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ OBITUARY: From the Rome Olympics to a Newcastle oil rig - the life and times of cyclist Ron Baensch
External links
edit- Ron Baensch at Cycling Archives
- June 2011 Making Waves newsletter - article about Baensch's induction into the Victorian Cycling Hall of Fame