Abstract (eng)
Looking back on the history of Austrian cycling, one sooner or later inevitably encounters the name of Franz Dusika. To this day, "Ferry", as he was often called, is regarded as one of the great idols of Austrian, and especially Viennese cycling. For many years the view of his life and his impact remained unclouded, but this has changed in recent years. For in addition to his outstanding sporting achievements and his merits as a tireless promoter of cycling, Dusika also had a Nazi past, which he was able to conceal while he was alive but became known to the public in recent years. Thus, during the historian report on the street names of Vienna, his name was classified as highly questionable, as his SA membership and the Aryanization of a bicycle shop were established. From today's perspective this makes Dusika a very ambivalent, but also interesting personality that cannot be judged on a simple black and white or good-evil scale. Both critics and advocates have to recognize the positive as well as the negative aspects of his biography, which are highlighted in this work. A lot can be learned from Dusika's biography for the present.
This work discusses the various aspects of his life. Ferry" Dusika was an excellent commu-nicator and his networks are detailed. Other aspects of this work include the work of Dusika, both at the time of his active career as a cyclist and in his later years as an organizer and manager. Also, of great importance is the fact that Dusika was active as a bicycle deal-er and businessman, and after the Second World War he was involved in a company rivalry in the Austrian bicycle industry, both in Vienna, and against Graz.
Furthermore, a chapter is devoted to the history of Austrian cycling and its racing events in general, with a special focus on the period between 1945 and 1960. In addition to the first editions of the Tour of Austria, there were also many one-day and multi-day races, which in addition to the criterium and track competitions led to a boom in cycling. Finally, the social importance of cycling at this time is being scrutinized.