| Paul Dangla | |
| Birth Name: | Léopold-Marie Dangla[1] [2] |
| Nationality: | French |
| Birth Date: | 16 January 1878 |
| Birth Place: | Laroque-Timbaut, Aquitaine, France |
| Death Date: | or (22 or 26) |
| Death Place: | Magdeburg, Province of Saxony, Germany |
| Resting Place: | Dolmayrac, France |
| Years Active: | 1899-1904 |
| Sport: | Road bicycle racing |
Léopold-Marie "Paul" Dangla (Laroque-Timbaut, Aquitaine, 16 January 1878[3] [1] – Magdeburg, Province of Saxony, 18[1] or 25[2] June 1904) was a French professional road bicycle racer.
Paul Dangla was born to Marie Pelegrin and Ferdinand Dangla. Ferdinand, a former gendarme, worked as a garde champêtre (rural guard) in his birthplace, Le Passage. A brother had died a year before Dangla's birth at the age of nine months. From 1896 Dangla gained a reputation in his home region as a good amateur in sprint and tandem races.[1]
In 1899 Paul Dangla, actually a trained accountant,[4] went to Paris to start as a professional in motor-paced racing and became a popular local hero.[2] He competed in non-medal cycling events at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris and placed second in the sprint event at the 1901 Grand Prix d'Angers.[5]
After Dangla had beaten all the world records of the German Thaddäus Robl on 16 August 1903, he became a "national hero".[2] On 18 October, he again set an hour record behind pacemakers over at the Parc des Princes, as the August record had now been beaten by Tommy Hall of England.[1] [2] [6]
In 1903 Dangla placed second in the motor-paced event at both the European Championship and French Championship.[5] In April 1904, he was injured in a fall and unable to race for a month.[4] On 12 June 1904, Dangla crashed at a speed of nearly while racing in Magdeburg,[4] [7] shortly after winning the "Goldenen Rad von Magdeburg" (Golden Wheel of Magdeburg).[4] He died two weeks later.[7]
In Agen, a school was named after Dangla, "Collège Paul Dangla". the school still bore this name.[8] For many years, the bicycle Dangla was riding when he had his fatal accident stood on his grave in the cemetery of Dolmayrac; on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death, it was to be placed in a glass display case. After this was announced in the press, the bike was stolen.[2] [9]