Olympedia – Héctor Monsalve (original) (raw)

Héctor Monsalve raced team pursuit for Colombia at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He emigrated to the United States in 1957, settling in Reading, Pennsylvania. In 1958 he moved to Southern California and opened Hector’s Cycle Shop in Sherman Oaks, running the bike shop for over 40 years. He became an American citizen in 1964 and made the US team pursuit squad for the Tokyo Olympics, but the IOC ruled him ineligible for having competed for another country at the Olympics.

Monsalve continued racing, and featured in many masters road races in the United States through the 1990s. He also coached two daughters and a son to California road and track titles in the 1970s.