The men's professional tandem sprint was a track cycling event contested at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. It was an event during the 1900 Summer Olympics, but is classified as a non-medal event. The competition was held on 10 September 1900 at the Vélodrome de Vincennes. The event was contested by 54 professional cyclists from 14 countries.
The competition featured 27 tandems from 13 countries. The heats and semi-finals were raced over 1,000 metres, while the final was held over 2,000 metres.
The American tandem of Tom Cooper and Floyd McFarland was regarded as one of the strongest teams, but they were eliminated in the third semi-final. The semi-final was won by the mixed Dutch-Italian tandem of Harrie Meyers and Gian Ferdinando Tommaselli.
In the final, Meijers and Tommaselli defeated the mixed German-Austrian tandem of Anton Huber and Franz Seidl. The French tandem of Edmond Jacquelin and Jean-Baptiste Louvet finished third.
Nowadays, the professional events are not recognized by the International Olympic Committee as official Olympic medal competitions, as only amateur events are classified as medal events. Before July 2021 the IOC has never officially decided which events were "Olympic" and which were not.
Competition format
The large field required nine heats in the first round, with three tandems in each heat. The winner of each heat advanced to one of the three semi-finals. The heats and semi-finals were contested over 1,000 metres, while the final was raced over 2,000 metres.
The three semi-final winners advanced directly to the final.
Results
Round One
Date 10 September 1900 Format Winners of each heat advanced to the semi-finals. Distance: 1,000 metres.
Heat 1
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Etienne Balajat / Andrea Chiozza 12.8 1:40.0 Q 2 Antonio Oliveira / Manolo Cervera – at 1 length DNF / Robert Protin – – DNF
Heat 2
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Pietro Bixio / Giuseppe Singrossi 11.6 1:34.8 Q 2 / Gentel – at ¼ wheel 3 Depege / Arthur Deleu – –
Heat 3
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Willy Arend / George Banker 11.0 1:23.6 Q 2 / Mathieu Cordang – – DNF Rollin / Longé – – DNF
Heat 4
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Harrie Meyers / 11.6 1:31.8 Q 2 Paul Ruinart / – at 1 wheel 3 / – –
Heat 5
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Edmond Jacquelin / Jean-Baptiste Louvet 11.8 1:32.4 Q 2 Richard Heller / – – 3 Divet / Bernard – –
Heat 6
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Virginio Minozzi / Diego Conelli 11.6 1:29.6 Q 2 Jean Broka / – at ½ length 3 Léonce Ehrmann / – bad third
Heat 7
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Anton Huber / 12.2 1:24.2 Q 2 José Soler / Ségur – – 3 Jack Robertson / – –
Heat 8
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 / 11.8 1:23.2 Q 2 Carl Käser / – at 1 wheel 3 Lucien Grognet / – –
Heat 9
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Tom Cooper / Floyd McFarland 12.6 1:27.4 Q 2 / Honoré Fossier – – 3 Henri Mayer / – –
Semi-finals
Date 10 September 1900 Format Winners of each heat advanced to the final. Distance: 1,000 metres.
Heat 1
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Edmond Jacquelin / Jean-Baptiste Louvet 11.8 1:38.8 Q 2 Pietro Bixio / Giuseppe Singrossi – at 10 centimetres 3 Jack Green / Sydney Jenkins – –
Heat 2
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Anton Huber / Franz Seidl 12.2 1:37.6 Q 2 Virginio Minozzi / Diego Conelli – – 3 Etienne Balajat / Andrea Chiozza – –
Heat 3
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time Result 1 Harrie Meyers / Gian Ferdinando Tommaselli 11.2 1:34.2 Q 2 Willy Arend / George Banker – at 1 wheel 3 Tom Cooper / Floyd McFarland – at ½ wheel
Final
Date 10 September 1900
Pos Tandem Nation 200 m sprint time Time 1 Harrie Meyers / Gian Ferdinando Tommaselli 11.4 3:16.0 2 Anton Huber / Franz Seidl – – 3 Edmond Jacquelin / Jean-Baptiste Louvet – –
References