Atkinson was born in
Vancouver, British Columbia in 1921. He soon earned the nickname "Ace" after winning a race and a newspaper printing a story with the headline of "City ace triumphs in Province Cup". which he ran for more than 60 years. On the road, Atkinson rode in both the
individual road race and the
team road race, but did not finish in either event. On the track, he was eliminated in the first round of the
team pursuit event, and finished in 15th place in the
track time trial. Following the Olympics, Atkinson competed at the
1950 British Empire Games in
Auckland, and the
1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in his hometown. becoming the president of the Vancouver Bicycle Club in 1962. Five years later, he coached the Canadian team at the
1967 Pan American Games in
Winnipeg. and won the British Columbia Community Achievement Award in 2006. ==References==