Collectibles 10

Advertising card Torpedo bicycles

The enormous demand for advertising material for the bicycle industry is illustrated by the fact that the picture postcard shown here was printed in December 1912 in a run of 200,000 copies, after a brown version of this motif had already been printed in the same quantity in April of the previous year.However, neither card showed what they claimed to show.

The bicycle manufacturer “Peugeot,” with whom Walter Rutt had previously been under contract, had already had a card printed in 1908 showing Walter Rutt on one of their racing bikes.

The Weil factory used the same motif and merely retouched the head tube badge. Whether this measure was carried out with the consent of the French seems questionable.

Press photo, 1925

Walter Rütt recorded his ninth and final six-day victory in Berlin in 1925 alongside Belgian Emile Aerts.

In the photo, he is flanked by his son Oskar and his friend Clemens Schürmann, and looks visibly worn out from the rigors of the race.

Postcard of the sprinter race in Adelaide

The E.T. Smith Blue Ribbon race was a hive of activity, not only in the stands but also on the track. Seven drivers competed in the final race, which was won by Walter Rutt.

Publishing House: Heinrich Ohler, Köln

Rutt Arena program booklet

On Friday, July 31, 1930, the Rutt Arena hosted the 11th event of the season. Thirty-two cyclists, most of them from Germany, competed in a handicap race and a 100 km team race in six-day style.

The front cover features a photo of crowd favorite Paul Buschenhagen, while the last inside page shows an advertisement for Walter Rutt's restaurant, the “meeting place for the cycling community.”

Postcard from the tandem race in 1903

Henry Mayer from Hanover formed one of the strongest tandems of their time with Walter Rutt.

Mayer, nicknamed “Ya-Ya” by his fans, won the Grand Prix of Paris in 1904. His trademark was long knee socks that actually reached the edge of his racing pants, while all the other riders wore short socks.

Biography by Charles Ravaud

The Walter Rutt biography by journalist Charles Ravaud was published around 1910 by the publisher of the magazine “L'Auto.”

Ravaud was highly regarded in French cycling circles. He was part of the extended circle of organizers of the Tour de France, wrote a biography of Francois Faber, and co-authored a textbook on road cycling with Henri Pélissier.

The brochure measures 13 cm x 18 cm and has 30 pages.

Advertising card “German Cyclists' Association”

In 1911, the German Cyclists' Association elected Walter Rutt as its first chairman. He held this office for 10 years.

In September 1918, the DRV used this card to advertise a track race, the proceeds of which were to go to the support fund for war victims. A glance at the list of participants shows that the event was attended by many prominent figures.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks go to the individuals who have enriched the collection with their donations, namely:

• Peter Rutt und Ester Falck
  
• Renate und Thomas Rutt
• Alain Bouchet
  
• Herbert Schürmann
  
• Wolfgang Rupprecht
  
• Bernd Weiß
  
• Wolfgang Schoppe
  
• Harald Simon
  
• Fritz Pitz
• Mieze Langhoff
  
• Nick Bolton
  
• Michael Darrah
  
• Allard van Willigen