Andreas Kappes

Andreas Kappes was the son of Berlin-based cycling legend Werner Kappes, and he burst onto the scene in 1983 by winning the Youth World Championships points race. The following year Andreas participated in the road race at the Los Angeles Olympics, but did not finish. He then won two Youth German Championships in 1993, in the Madison and points race. Although his strength was track racing, Kapes also participated in road races. In addition to 115 six-day races, he participated in 94 road races, among them the Tour de Suisse, Paris – Nice, Giro d’Italia and the Tour of Germany. In 1989 and 1994 he won three stages of the Tour de Suisse. He also won one stage in the Giro d’Italia (1988), and two stages of the Paris-Nice race (1988 and 1991).

At the track World Championships, Kappes won three bronze medals in the Madison in 1996, 1998-99. He also won a silver medal in the points race in 1998. In 1997 he won the German national title in the Madison and in 1999 and 2000 was the national points race champion.

After a positive drugs test, Kappes was disqualified in 1997 from the German championship title in the points race, and banned for six months but kept his Madison title. Kappes again had a further test during the German track championships in July 2000, and analysis showed an increased amount of nandrolone. In December that year, however, the sports court of the German Cycling Federation acquitted him of the allegations. The nandrolone content in the blood was attributed to admissible nutritional supplements.

In 2008, Kappes retired and became sports manager of the Tour de Neuss. Kappes died in July 2018 at the age of 52 years of heart failure, due to an allergic reaction after an insect bite the day before the start of the 15th Tour de Neuss.