Brian Lopes

Last updated

Brian Lopes
BrianLopes2007WorldChampionshipsFortWilliam.jpg
Lopes at the World Championships in Fort William
Personal information
Full nameBrian Thomas Lopes
NicknameFlyin' Brian
Born (1971-09-06) September 6, 1971 (age 53)
Mission Viejo, California, United States of America
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight160 lb (73 kg)
Team information
Current teamIntense/Maxxis/Pearl Izumi/Lazer/X Fusion
DisciplineMTBFour-cross, Dual Slalom, Enduro, Downhill
Professional team
1989–2012
Major wins
Flag of the United States.svg Norba National Championship (1 Wins)
UCI World Cup (1 Wins)
UCI World Championship (1 wins)

Brian Thomas Lopes (born September 6, 1971, in Mission Viejo, California) is a professional mountain bike racer who specializes in four-cross. Lopes started riding BMX in his childhood and turned professional at seventeen years old. [1]

He started mountain biking in 1993 and has since won a total of 18 titles – 9 NORBA National Championships, 6 UCI World Cup wins and 4 UCI World Championship titles. [2] Lopes has also held world records in bunny hopping, in terms of both distance and height. [1]

He was nominated in 2001 for an ESPY "Action sport Athlete of the Year" [3] and won two NEA (World Extreme Sports Award) for "Mountain Biker of the Year" in 2000 & 2001. [4] Lopes has also co-written a book, Mastering Mountain Bike Skills with Lee McCormack. Lopes has also been featured in a videogame; Downhill Domination on the Sony PlayStation 2.

Lopes is currently sponsored by Ibis Bicycles, Oakley, Lazer, X-Fusion, SRAM, Kenda, Novatec Wheels, WTB, ODI, Magura, Pearl Izumi, Go Pro, HT, KS, Chris King & MRP. [4]

On April 13, 2012, Lopes won the first race of the new cross-country eliminator World Cup series in Houffalize, Belgium.

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References

  1. 1 2 Lopes/McCormack, "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills", page 195, ISBN   0-7360-5624-6
  2. Brian Lopes Archived August 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Lopes/McCormack, "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills", page 196, ISBN   0-7360-5624-6
  4. 1 2 Brian Lopes Archived August 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine