Erich Metze

Erich Metze (7 May 1909 – 28 May 1952) was a German professional cyclist.

Erich Metze

Personal information
Born	7 May 1909 Dortmund, Germany
Died	28 May 1952 (aged 43) Erfurt, Germany
Sport
Sport	Cycling
Medal record Representing  Germany UCI Motor-paced World Championships 1933 Paris Professionals 1934 Leipzig Professionals 1935 Brussels Professionals 1938 Amsterdam Professionals

He began his career as a road racer, and in 1931 won the Deutschland Tour and finished eights in the Tour de France. He then changed to motor-paced racing. In this discipline, he won four medals at the UCI Motor-paced World Championships between 1933 and 1938, including two gold medals in 1934 and 1938.[1] He also won five national titles in 1933–1936 and 1939.[2]

The long breaks in his career were caused by severe crashes, which caused two fractures of the skull. He had further injuries during World War II while fighting as a soldier. After the war he returned to competitions, but had another serious crash, which resulted in a third skull fracture and death in a hospital in 1952.[3]