Egg Oscar
Oscar Egg
Champion racer, Bike shop owner, frame maker, manufacturer of lugs & fitments including the Champion & Super Champion derailleur system. Avenue des Grandes Armees, Paris.
Updated 5.14.2014
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“Oscar Egg was born at Schlatt near Zurich in Switzerland on the 2nd March 1890 but moved to France when still quite young.”
“On leaving school he worked as a draughtsman in Paris and bicycled in his spare time and watched all the races he could, on one occasion he even tried to follow the Bordeaux-Paris racers on his bike.”
“His first proper race was not on the track but on the road. This was in the ‘Premier Pas Dunlop’ and it was nearly his last as he crashed heavily. But Oscar was determined to succeed and a few weeks later after recovering from his injuries he entered the Asnieres- Viarmes and won.”
“In 1911 aged 21 he started in the independent classic the “Circuit of France and he made quite an impression by winning the first 3 stages but his successes was short-lived as he had to retire from the race due to illness.”
This turn of events caused him great disappointment and when he got back on the bike he decided to try his luck at the track. His success was immediate and at the old Buffalo track in Paris on October 28th 1911 he established a new world record for the 50 kilometres in 1H 14M 47.4S.
“This was just the beginning as he attacked all the track records and he managed to hold all the world records from 500 meters to 100 kilometres during this period.”
“The next year 1912 he broke the world hour record held by Marcel Berthet (the man the pedals are named after) by beating his ride by over I kilometre and establishing a new record distance of 42Km 112M. This epic ride set in motion the electrifying duel between the pair of them that enthralled the cycling public.”
“A year later Berthet recaptured the hour record with a distance of 42Km 502M and this prompted Oscar to try again to regain the record. Two weeks later on a scheduled record attempt for the 10 kilometre after reaching the 10K mark he decided to carry on and go for the hour and he recorded 43Km 280M for the hour.”
“This was only the start of the battle and one month later Berthet despite a puncture on his first ride increased the distance by a further 495M. In less than 6 weeks the world record had improved by 1273 meters.”
“Oscar Egg then put the record on the shelf with a ride of 44Km 247M in June 1914 just 16 days before the start of the First World War. This distance was not beaten until 1933 by Francis Faure.”
“The Swiss Cycling Federation offered Oscar a gold medal for his record braking achievements but he declined on the grounds that his great adversary and friend Marcel Berthet was in the army and had no chance of beating his world record.”
“So he turned to Six Day racing and from 1915 to 1926 he raced in 28 sixes and won 8: These were: 1915 Chicago with Francisco Verri, 1916 New York Marcel Dupuy,1921 New York Piet Van Kempen, 1921 Paris Georges Seres, 1922 Ghent Marcel Buysse, 1923 Chicago Maurice Brocco, 1923 Paris Piet Van Kempen & 1924 Chicago Alf Grenda.”
“He finally retired from racing in 1926 at the age of 36 just after winning The Swiss sprint championship when he defeated Ernst Kaufmann. Upon retirement he began manufacturing racing bicycles and components. Palmares including road: Road 1st Paris-tours 1914. 13th Overall Tour de France 1914. 1st Milan-Modena 1917. 1st Milan-Torino 1917.”
“Track World Records: 50Km 1911. Hour 1912/13/14. Kim flying start 1M 10.2S. Swiss champion 1914 & 1926 and Bol d’ Or Paris 1924 plus three second places and three third placing’s on the 6 day circuit and rode as a professional for the Griffon, Peugeot and Bianchi teams during his career.. Truly a phenomenal rider.”
“Oscar Egg died in Nice France on the 9th February 1961 aged 70.”
