Track legend Michael Hübner dies at 65

Michael Hübner, a six-time world champion in track cycling, has passed away at 65, the German Cycling Federation confirmed on Tuesday.

Hübner secured his first world title in sprint in 1986 in Colorado Springs, representing East Germany (DDR). After the reunification, he turned professional and continued to dominate the sport, claiming two additional sprint titles and three golds in keirin. In 1995, he completed his impressive tally with a seventh world title in the team sprint in Bogotá, where he teamed up with Jens Fiedler and current German national coach Jan van Eijden. Hübner is still the German cyclist with the most world championship titles.

Reflecting on his success, Hübner once said: “You couldn’t just poke at your opponent’s weaknesses—you had to dive in with both feet and turn everything around.” His tenacity and bold approach to racing were key to his extraordinary achievements.

Though he never competed in the Olympic Games, Hübner was regarded as one of the sport’s leading figures in the 1990s. In his final year of competition in 1997, he won silver in the Team Sprint alongside close friend Jens Fiedler, as well as the German national title.

Following his retirement, Hübner remained involved in the sport, serving as sporting director for TheedProjekt-Cycling, a team that included Olympic champions like Kristina Vogel and medallists Maximilian Levy and Lea Sophie Friedrich. He held this role until 2022.

Hübner is survived by two sons. Olympic champion Kristina Vogel shared her shock, telling Bild: “This is a huge loss for us. He was a sprint legend. Along with Lutz Heßlich and Jens Fiedler, he was one of the riders who made sprinting so big in Germany.”