The Beginnings
LGBRC and the Cat's Hill Criterium
Bob Tetzlaff, Los Gatos teacher and 1960 Olympian, and his wife, Lorine, were co-founders of the Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club and original organizers of the Cat's Hill Criterium. Bob and Lorine give the following account of the beginnings of our classic race.

The Los Gatos Bicycle Racing Club (originally
called the Los Gatos Bike Club) began in 1961
when Jack Hartman returned to his hometown of
Los Gatos following the Rome Olympics and three
years in the U.S. Army. He brought with him his
Army and Olympic cycling friend, Bob Tetzlaff.
They met with longtime resident and cyclist
of Los Gatos, Ed Steffani, to form the Los Gatos
Bike Club. At the time, there were not very many
active cycling clubs or riders.
The Club started off with a bang, with Jack
Hartman doing well in the Track Nationals. Bob
Tetzlaff won several championships as well, and
numerous other fine riders were gaining national
respect: Eric Schatmeir, Bucky De Mers, Eric
Hinge, Dan Butler, Fred Markham, Chris Huber
and Neal Stansbury. All were either State or
National champions and/or Olympic Team members.
Early in the Los Gatos Bike Club's efforts was
Los Gatos Criterium, held on University Avenue
near Old Town. That race lasted a few years and
then racing within the Town of Los Gatos fell
dormant. In 1974, Lorine and Bob Tetzlaff met
with Tom Moore of Moore Buick and the Cat's Hill
Bicycle Race was born. Bob designed the current
course, and Lorine named the event and did a
lot of the serious financial and organizing work.
Tom Moore provided the sponsorship money. Kidding
about the name of the race, Tom said, "It'll
never last." Well, as we know, it has become
a classic event with nearly three decades of
continuous competition.
Bob passed away in 2012. His obituary:
From
the San Jose Mercury News and
on USBHOF.org