Steele Bishop
Encyclopedia
Steele Bishop (born 29 April 1953) is a former track racing cyclist and World Champion
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From 1971 until his retirement in 1984 Bishop won numerous Australian professional track titles, including the 5000 metre pursuit eight times. In Western Australia, he won the Westral Wheelrace six times between 1975 and 1984 and won the first two Griffin 1000 road races.
In 1972, at the age of 19, Bishop represented Australia in the 4000 metre team pursuit
at the Munich Olympics.
In the world championships in Zurich in 1983 Bishop reached his zenith, retiring shortly after while at the peak of his career: riding in the 5000 metre Individual pursuit
on a specially built Malvern Star
bicycle made in Switzerland, he was up against Swiss Robert Dill-Bundi
, the 1980 Olympic pursuit gold medallist. The bicycle was relatively small framed against the powerfully built Bishop and featured aerodynamic tubing to reduce wind resistance. Riding the race of his life, three laps from the finish he caught his opponent, a feat almost unheard of in world-class cycling, thus winning the race and the championship. He set a personal best in the race of 5 minutes 51 seconds, and became the first Australian to beat 6 minutes in the event.
Bishop was awarded the Western Australian Sports Star of the Year
award in 1983 and was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions
in 1985.
UCI Track Cycling World Championships
The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling and are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale...
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Biography
Bishop was born 1953 in Subiaco, Western AustraliaSubiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north west of Kings Park. Its Local Government Area is the City of Subiaco.-History:Prior to European settlement the area was home to the Noongar Indigenous people....
.
From 1971 until his retirement in 1984 Bishop won numerous Australian professional track titles, including the 5000 metre pursuit eight times. In Western Australia, he won the Westral Wheelrace six times between 1975 and 1984 and won the first two Griffin 1000 road races.
In 1972, at the age of 19, Bishop represented Australia in the 4000 metre team pursuit
Team pursuit
The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, start on opposite sides of the velodrome.- Race format :...
at the Munich Olympics.
In the world championships in Zurich in 1983 Bishop reached his zenith, retiring shortly after while at the peak of his career: riding in the 5000 metre Individual pursuit
Individual pursuit
The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track.The event is held over 4 km for men and 3 km for women. The two riders start at the same time and set off to complete the race distance in the...
on a specially built Malvern Star
Malvern Star
Malvern Star is a manufacturer of bicycles, located in Melbourne, Australia. It began in 1902, and went on to become a household name in Australia.-History:Malvern Star opened in a small shop at 58 Glenferrie Rd, in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern in 1902...
bicycle made in Switzerland, he was up against Swiss Robert Dill-Bundi
Robert Dill-Bundi
Robert Dill is a racing cyclist from Switzerland.He competed for Switzerland in the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow, Soviet Union in the individual pursuit event where he finished in first place.-References:*...
, the 1980 Olympic pursuit gold medallist. The bicycle was relatively small framed against the powerfully built Bishop and featured aerodynamic tubing to reduce wind resistance. Riding the race of his life, three laps from the finish he caught his opponent, a feat almost unheard of in world-class cycling, thus winning the race and the championship. He set a personal best in the race of 5 minutes 51 seconds, and became the first Australian to beat 6 minutes in the event.
Bishop was awarded the Western Australian Sports Star of the Year
Western Australian Sports Star of the Year
The Western Australian Sports Star of the Year, currently known as The West Australian ANZ Sports Star of the Year, is an annual award for Western Australian sportspeople. It has been running since 1956.-List of winners by year:...
award in 1983 and was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions
Western Australian Hall of Champions
In 1983, the Sportswriters' Association of Western Australia proposed a Western Australian Hall of Champions to honour past athletes from the state who had made a significant impact in their sport...
in 1985.