Matthew Bowne wrote:
> Most of my family in Southern California gathered this weekend for
> my brother-in-law's surprise 50th birthday party. I unfortunately
> was 3000 miles away and unable to attend, but got a full report
> from my father, who was thrilled to tell me about a gentleman he
> spent a good portion of the evening speaking with.
> At the party, he was introduced to an old friend of my brother-in-
> law's: a former Olympic track cyclist and six-day racer named
> Russell Alan.
> Russell Alan, now 93 years old, raced in the 1932 Olympic Games in
> Los Angeles and while he competed until 1940, remained active in
> the California racing community for many more years. According to
> my father, Mr. Alan never held a full-time job for very long,
> instead persuing a career as a "professional gambler".
> At the age of 92, he set some sort of record as the oldest man to
> bungee jump at a gorge in New Zealand. Last year, the feat was
> repeated by a 93 year old man and Mr. Alan 's record was
> smashed...temporarily.
> This year, Mr. Alan will spend his 94th birthday on that same
> bridge in New Zealand, reclaiming the spot at the top that is "his".
> Once a racer, always a racer. And it's inspiring for this twenty-
> something to see that even at 94, a determined man can still have
> some cork!
> I am hoping to get a chance to meet Mr. Alan next time I am in
> California. Oh the stories!
> Does anybody recall seeing his name? Mr. Ernst?
>
> A quick google search turned up this interesting 1988 interview:
> http://www.aafla.org/
>
> Matthew Bowne
> Brooklyn, New York
Thanks for the link to that wonderful interview Matthew!!!
Highly recommended reading if any of you have an interest in a first hand account of cycling at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics or US Six Day bike racing in the 1930s.
http://www.aafla.org/
Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California
.