John Cotton Allis (born May 31, 1942) is an American
cyclist
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...
who entered into international
road cycling competition in the 1960s. He was one of the strongest competitive cyclists in the United States in the early 1970s, winning the
United States National Road Race Championships in 1974. He is an inductee of the
United States Bicycling Hall of Fame
The United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, located in Davis, California, is a private 501c3 non-profit organization formed to preserve and promote the sport of cycling. The organization was founded in 1986 in Somerville, New Jersey and has inducte ...
.
Biography
Born in
Boston, Massachusetts,
Allis began racing while a student at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
, and had not yet graduated when he led three of his Princeton teammates to compete in the world road championships in
Ronse
Ronse (; french: Renaix, ) is a Belgian city and a municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only encompasses the city of Ronse proper.
History
Early settlements to 14th century
The hills around Ronse show clu ...
, Belgium. The team performed poorly in the road race, but better in the time trial, where they took 20th place. This was the first American presence in international cycling competition since the era of
Major Taylor.
Allis stayed to race in Europe when his teammates returned to the United States, signing on as a category 1 amateur with the Paris club,
AC Boulogne-Billancourt (ACBB). He was the first English speaker to ride for the team.
Despite the skepticism of French cycling enthusiasts, who informed him that Americans were biologically unfit to compete, Allis did achieve victories, including Paris to
Cayeux-sur-Mer
Cayeux-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cayeux on Sea''; pcd, Tchéyeu-su-Mér) is a resort town in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The town is part of the Baie de Somme - Picardie maritime regional natural park project.
Its i ...
in 1964.
The team was so surprised to see their American rider win that they had to scramble to find him a clean jersey to wear on the podium; he had been given the worst one in the shop. His victory was covered in ''
L'Équipe
''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor w ...
'' and mentioned in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''.
Allis returned home to complete his Princeton degree. In the fall of his senior year, he participated in the
1964 Olympics in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
, the first of three Games he competed in. After placing fourth in trials in
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
, he was selected for the men's individual road race, but was under academic probation and the school almost declined to allow him to attend. However, somebody pointed out to the administration that Harvard and Yale each had two Olympians that year and that, without Allis, Princeton would have had only one (
Bill Bradley). Allis produced the best American result in the event that year, 70th out of 126 riders. In the spring of 1965, he placed second in the national collegiate road championship. Allis also raced in the team time trial in the
1968 Olympics in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
and the road race at the
1972 Olympics in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, where he took 63rd. In 2005, Allis said that his failure to gain success at the Olympics was the biggest disappointment of his career.
After a brief stint in the
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
, Allis shone in American racing in the early 1970s, organizing along with
Dave Chauner Dave may refer to:
Film, television, and theater
* ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
* ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film
* Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
the
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
team that dominated American racing, and winning the national road championship in 1974, which he won by applying brutal tactics against the newcomer
Tommy Officer, the Quebec-Montreal race in 1973, and two runnings of the
Mount Washington Hill Climb. He retired from national competition in 1976.
Allis achieved all his victories as an amateur. He later recounted that in 1969 he raised the possibility of turning professional with ACBB, but they told him he was too old.
He was inducted into the
United States Bicycling Hall of Fame
The United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, located in Davis, California, is a private 501c3 non-profit organization formed to preserve and promote the sport of cycling. The organization was founded in 1986 in Somerville, New Jersey and has inducte ...
in 1993.
As of 2005, Allis lived in
Belmont, Massachusetts, where he was a partner at a local bike store, and had been working with the
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
cycling team for over 20 years.
, Allis lives in
Dublin, New Hampshire
Dublin is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,532 at the 2020 census. It is home to Dublin School and ''Yankee'' magazine.
History
In 1749, the Masonian proprietors granted the town as "Monadnock No. ...
.
See also
*
List of Princeton University Olympians
This is a list of Princeton University alumni who competed in the Olympic Games. In this list, the term athletics refers to track and field.
Summer Olympians
#Robert Garrett, class of 1897, men's athletics, 1896 Athens Olympics, 1900 Paris Ol ...
References
Other sources
* ''The Ride'' magazine, issue 103, 2002
History of the Princeton Cycling Team* ''
Outside'' magazine, September 2004
* conversations with John Allis, 1992
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allis, John
1942 births
Living people
American male cyclists
Princeton Tigers athletes
Cyclists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Cyclists at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Cyclists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Olympic cyclists for the United States
Sportspeople from Boston
Cyclists from Massachusetts
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War