01
IN
THE 1970S, TOUGH NEW BIKES THAT RELISHED ROUGH TERRAIN WERE DEVELOPED AND
MOUNTAIN BIKING WAS BORN. THE SPORT STARTED IN CALIFORNIA BUT ITS POPULARITY
SOON SPREAD.
02
A
SPORT IS BORN
In the 1970s, mountain biking developed
as a fringe sport in California. Taking a bike off-road was nothing new but the
development of a new bike that relished such terrain was; these bikes had
fatter tyres, rapid-shift gears, drum brakes and ground-breaking suspension.
These bikes gave thrill seeking cyclists a much more freedom and the sport of
mountain biking was born.
03
REPACK
DOWNHILL RACE
The members of the Velo Club Mount
Tamalpais in California generally receive the credit for establishing mountain
biking as a sport. They invented the Repack Downhill race, held regularly
between 1976 and 1979 just across the famous Golden Gate Bridge from San
Francisco. The races attracted riders from near and far, and the media soon
started taking an interest.
04
OLYMPIC
HISTORY
The first national mountain bike
championships were held in 1983 in the USA. But the sport quickly grew in
popularity in Europe and Australia. The first mountain bike World
Championships, recognised by the International Cycling Union (UCI), were
organised in 1990. Olympic recognition followed and mountain biking made its
debut as an Olympic discipline at the Atlanta Games in 1996, with a
cross-country event for men and women. The programme has remained unchanged
ever since.
05
Among the big names in this discipline is France’s Julien Absalon, a two-time gold-medal winner - in 2004 in Athens and in 2008 in Beijing.
Among the big names in this discipline is France’s Julien Absalon, a two-time gold-medal winner - in 2004 in Athens and in 2008 in Beijing.
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