John Sigfried Johnson (May 11, 1873 – January 17, 1934) was an early American cyclist and speed skater.[1] He was born as Johan Sigfrid Jonsson in Sweden and emigrated with his parents to Minnesota in the United States in 1881.
 John S. Johnson | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Johan Sigfrid Jonsson |
| Nickname |
|
| Born | May 11, 1871 Kil, Sweden |
| Died | January 17, 1934 (aged 62) Minneapolis, Minnesota, US |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Track |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Sprinter |
Johnson was the first to bicycle 1-mile in less than two minutes, or 1:56.6. This happened in 1892 at a racing track in Independence, Iowa.[2] Besides racing on the track, early in his career he also competed in road races.[3] Johnson was also a world record holder in speed skating, and won world championship titles in both sports. Later in his career, Johnson rode for racing teams sponsored by the bicycle manufacturers E.C. Stearns Bicycle Agency of Syracuse, N.Y., and Schwinn Bicycle Co. of Chicago. He retired from competitive cycling in 1900. He died January 17, 1934, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[4]
See also
edit- For more early American bicycle racing history, see the League of American Wheelmen and Major Taylor.
References
edit- ^ "John S. Johnson of Minneapolis". U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ Jim Peipert (April 4, 2011). "John Johnson's wonderful mile". Jim's Bike Blog · Riding a bicycle across America. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ "Johnny Johnson's palmares at Cycling Ranking". CyclingRanking.com.
- ^ Minnesota Death Certificate 1934-MN-018375
External links
edit- In 2003, Johnson was introduced into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame
- In 1960, Johnson was introduced into the Speed Skaters Hall of Fame
- Picture from a 1902 magazine, showing Johnson on bicycle behind a motorized tandem pacemaker, photo by Carl Horner, Boston.