Ted Ernst at the 2013 Inaugural Tour de Pier
Ted Ernst is the grandfather of cycling in the South Bay. As a lifelong advocate for cycling, he followed in his father’s footsteps who had raced in the 1920’s and 30’s and started racing at age 14. One year later at age 15, in 1950, he became a Category 1 Pro. He went on to become one of the best track cyclists in the US, winning the US Track Championship in 1959, racing in two World Championships and over 1,000 professional races in the US, Germany and Denmark. In 1960, following his pro career he moved to Manhattan Beach, where he opened Ted’s Manhattan Cycles (still on Sepulveda), Founded the South Bay Wheelman Cycling Club and the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, one of the oldest and premier one day races on the Pro Calendar. For all is efforts in promoting cycling, Ted was inducted into the US Cycling Hall of Fame in 2004.