My World on Wheels

'Russell Mockridge was Australia's finest cyclist ever, but his career path was hardly conventional.' -- Harry Gordon, Olympic historian



Shy and bespectacled Russell Mockridge was the black sheep of Australian cycling and also its greatest all-round champion. He dominated both the track and road -- at the time of his death he was the reigning national sprint, pursuit, and road race champion. His race record in the legendary Melbourne to Warrnambool stood for nearly twenty-five years.



At the 1952 Olympics he won two gold medals in one afternoon. His first forays into European racing, where he won the Paris Grand Prix and Six-Day event and completed both Paris-Roubaix (finishing behind Fausto Coppi and Jacques Anquetil) and the brutal 1955 Tour de France, hinted at even greater glory.



In May 1958 Russell Mockridge started to write this book, the story of his life as a racing cyclist. On September 13, 1958, while competing in a road race on the outskirts of Melbourne, he was killed. Intelligent, candid, and inspirational, My World On Wheels celebrates the spirit of a unique Australian cycling legend.