Jack Fitzgerald (cyclist)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Jack, Fitzie |
| Born |
10 November 1899 Iona, Victoria |
| Height | 5 ft 8 1⁄2 in (174 cm) |
| Weight | 182 lb (83 kg; 13.0 st) |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Track |
Maurice "Jack" Fitzgerald (10 November 1899 – unknown) was an Australian Track racing cyclist, particularly in sprint and Six-day racing.
In his first year of racing, 1921 Fitzgerald won the 25 mile road championship of Victoria in 1921 and 1922 although his then bicycle sponsor, Lily Cycles appears to have elevated it to the 25 miles Australasian championship.
The event that shot Fitzgerald to prominence though was the 1922 the Austral Wheel race which Fitzgerald won from scratch. In 1923 he set his best time of 11 4/5 seconds for the final furlong.
Fitzgerald travelled to France in 1924, including racing at the Vélodrome Buffalo and the Parc des Princes. He is reported to have won the Grand Prix d'ete (1000 metres), 1000 Kilometres at Paris with Bob Spears Grand Prix de Monterouge and the Grand Prix d'Etrangers and the last 26 races in which he started.
Fitzgerald was a regular competitor in six day racing. In 1923–24 Fitzgerald, riding with F Wells (NZ), finished 3rd in the Sydney Six Days, at the Sydney Sports Ground. Two years later in 1925–26 he finished 2nd with Dick Marshall in the Sydney Six Days, at the Sydney Sports Ground.. In 1927–28 Fitzgerald won the Sydney Six days with Ken Ross.. In 1932 he finished 3rd in the Brisbane Six Day with Hubert Opperman.
In 1927 Fitzgerald travelled to the United States to compete, riding at Revere Beach, Providence, Hartford, Newark and New York City.
In 1929 Fitzgerald won the National Professional Sprint Championship and the all round championship, with points being scored in races at the Canterbury Velodrome.
Willy Hansen, the world amateur champion and Olympic 1000 meter record holder, and Mat Engel, visited Australia in early 1930. Engel initially defeated Fitzgerald in February 1930 but Fitzgerald triumphed against Hansen and Engel in 3 heats over half a mile.
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