Obituary

"Walter Rutt was predestined to be a cyclist like few others. He achieved his greatest successes in pure sprinting as well as in six-day races. He recognized his special abilities in these disciplines and proved them beyond doubt during his 26-year racing career. It is fair to say that he would have made his mark as a stayer or road cyclist as well."

newspaper report

"The veteran of German cycling has passed away. This news caught the attention of older cycling enthusiasts. They reflected on their own youth, which coincided with that of the world champion, and paid tribute to him. However, we present the career of a gifted racing cyclist to the younger generation, under which we should write: Go forth and do likewise."

Obituary of Walter Rutt

"The Grim Reaper remained
a relentless companion.
The elderly Rütt and Matze Schmidt
fell victim to his scythe."

Otto-Otto
year in review 1964

"Rutt was a great sport and well liked everywhere he competed.
In Australia he made many friends
by his clean riding and gentlemanly behaviour.“

Henry "Curly" Grivell 
"Australian cycling in the golden days"

"Walter Rutt, a great role model for our youth, known and honored not only in Germany but in cycling circles around the world for his unique achievements, left us some time ago; relentless death took him from us. The cremation at the Wilmersdorf crematorium was a dignified affair. However, it was extremely regrettable that only the older generation—cyclists aged 50 to 88—were almost entirely represented. There was no honor guard at the coffin, no closed club representations, and the younger generation was completely absent.

A few days after Rutt's death, we attended an event organized by Hans Preiskeit at the Schöneberg velodrome. Anyone who had believed that a minute's silence would be held in honor of the great world champion Walter Rutt, who had passed away, and that appropriate words would be addressed to the spectators, was unfortunately bitterly disappointed. If Hans Preiskeit did not consider this necessary, one could at least assume that the chairman of the racing committee would take the initiative and make up for what had been missed, but even from this side, the tribute to the deceased was denied.

On Wednesday, July 8, the Berlin regional association of the BDR organized a so-called Volksrenntag (people's race day) with popular prizes. We old cyclists were now firmly convinced that our great deceased champion would be remembered with a much-needed minute's silence and a few short and concrete words, but the BDR also disappointed us bitterly. Although Ebert and Schützeberg, who had been so successful in the Olympic qualifying races, had to do a lap of honor, our Walter Rutt was denied a final tribute.

What Hans Preiskeit and the Berlin regional association of the BDR did and thought here is incomprehensible to us cyclists, and we can only say and recommend: This is not how we honor our champions!"

Otto Seiler, Berlin
Letter to the editor in “Radsport”
Issue dated August 4, 1964