Rudi Altig was born in Mannheim, Baden, Germany, an area which had produced good track riders.

[1] The British promoter, Jim Wallace, booked Altig to ride with Hans Jaroszewicz[3] at a meeting on Herne Hill velodrome in Good Friday in 1956.

Then Karly Ziegler, a coach, took over his preparation when he joined the Endspurt Mannheim club and Altig became a pursuiter.

[4] Altig was allowed by the Union Cycliste Internationale to turn professional in 1960[2] within a year of his world championship.

Settling down at once, tearing strips off established stars, he soon started to fill indoor tracks which had long forgotten the welcome sight of a 'house full' sign.

He brought back the biggest winter racing boom to Germany for many years, reminiscent of the balmy pre-war days.

[2]Altig, who was 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) tall and weighed 80 kg (180 lb), sprinted on the track on 52 or 53 × 16 and rode pursuits on 52 × 15.

[5] Altig started his professional career as a track rider; it was Raphaël Géminiani who persuaded him his future was on the road.

He led the general classification for five days in his first Tour de France that same season, winning three stages and the points competition, and finishing 31st.

[7] In 1965 he finished second to Englishman Tom Simpson in the professional road championship in San Sebastián, Spain.

The concern was quickly overshadowed by the refusal of the first three riders to give urine samples for a drugs check.

"[10] The three were disqualified and suspended but ten days later the Union Cycliste Internationale allowed the result to stand.

In 1969 he finished 9th in the Giro, and won the prologue individual time trial of the Tour de France.

[2] Anquetil criticised him because his team would have to ride at the front and chase every attack to protect a rider too heavy[13] to keep his lead through the mountains.

The writer René de Latour wrote: Generally in a race of the Barrachi type, the changes are very rapid, with stints of no more than 300 yards.

Suddenly, on a flat road, Anquetil lost contact and a gap of three lengths appeared between the two partners.

"[2] Altig became directeur sportif of the Puch-Wolber team when he stopped racing and worked for five years as national coach.