Rolf Nitzsche

The German cycling team pursuit team consisting of Rolf Nitzsche, Manfred Gieseler, Siegfried Köhler and Werner Malitz lost its first round match against Great Britain by a wide margin at the Melbourne Olympic Games in 1956. The lap scorer miscounted the laps and sounded the bell a lap too late, so no finishing sprint times could be measured. The team consisted of three East German riders, including Nitzsche, and Manfred Gieseler from West Germany. Four years later he helped the East German team to qualify for the mixed German Olympic team but in Roma he was a substitute only.

Nitzsche won twelve East German track championships between 1951 and 1959. After his active career he became a cycling coach and discovered Guido Fulst among others.