John Howard (cyclist)

John Howard
John Howard, 1991
Personal information
Born (1947-08-16) August 16, 1947 (age 77)
Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
Team information
RoleRider
Medal record
Men's road cycling
Representing the  United States
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1971 Cali Individual road race
Men's triathlon
Ironman World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1981 Individual
Bronze medal – third place 1980 Individual

John Howard (born August 16, 1947 in Springfield, Missouri) is an Olympic cyclist from the United States, who set a land speed record of 152.2 miles per hour (245 km/h) while motor-pacing[1] on a pedal bicycle on July 20, 1985 on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. This record was beaten in 1995 by Fred Rompelberg.

Career

Howard instructs Paula Newby-Fraser in California, 1991

A competitor at the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Summer Olympics,[2] Howard won the gold medal in the 1971 Pan American Games road cycling race in Cali, Colombia, as a member of the U.S. Army cycling team by beating Luis Carlos Florez in a sprint finish. He is a former 4-time U.S. National Road Cycling champion (1968, 1972, 1973 and 1975) and won the 1981 Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Hawaii. Howard won the first two editions of the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic stage race in Colorado in 1975 and 1976.[3]

In 1982, Howard was one of four competitors in the inaugural Race Across America RAAM, eventually finishing second.

In 1989, John Howard appeared in an instructional videotape produced by New & Unique Videos of San Diego, California, entitled "Ultimate Mountain Biking: Advanced Techniques & Winning Strategies" in which he demonstrated proper stretching and training techniques.[citation needed] In 1991 John Howard produced a video with New & Unique Videos partners Mark Schulze and Patty Mooney, entitled "John Howard's Lessons in Cycling."[4] This instructional videotape featured Jeff Pierce, Marianne Berglund, Martin Graf, Paula Newby-Fraser and Sports Nutritionist Dr. Nick Martin. "Lessons in Cycling" earned a Bronze Telly and a Silver Medal at the International Film & TV Festival in New York.[5]

John Howard has trained several cyclists over the years including working with Denise Mueller-Korenek, who set the paced bicycle land speed record on Sept. 16, 2018, at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Howard (cyclist).
  1. ^ "John Howard motor pacing the Vesco Streamliner". Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2005.
  2. ^ "John Howard Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  3. ^ Pez interview with John Howard Feb 25, 2011
  4. ^ "Lessons in Cycling - Crystal Pyramid Productions".
  5. ^ Windy City Sports, July 1992, p.14