Aksel Gresvig

Aksel Gresvig OBE (16 August 1876 – 16 December 1958) was a Norwegian track cyclist, sports administrator, and businessman. He started a bicycle shop in Oslo in 1901, which later developed into the largest chain of sports shops in Scandinavia.

Early and personal life Aksel Johan Andersen was born in Græsvig in Onsø, a peninsula and then a municipality in Østfold, as the son of village shopkeeper Ole Andersen (1849–1883) and Randine Andersen (1849–1900). His father died when he was six years old, and the family moved to Fredrikstad, an important port for timber export. In 1887 the family moved to Kristiania. He adopted the name Gresvig when he was a candidate for confirmation. He married Ragnhild Helseth in 1914. As a cyclist he represented Kristiania Velocipedklub. He was co-founder of Norsk Riksforbund for Idrett in 1910.

Honours Gresvig was honorary member of Nordisk Sykkelforbund, Norges Sportshandleres Forbund and Syklistenens Landsforening. and received the King's Medal of Merit, both for his negotiation of delivery of bicycle tyres and tubes from the United Kingdom to Norway during the First World War.