A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which often makes them heavier, more complex and less efficient on smooth surfaces. These typically include a suspension fork, large knobby tires, more durable wheels, more powerful brakes, straight, wide handlebars to improve balance and comfort over rough terrain, and wide-ratio gearing optimized for topography, application and a frame with a suspension mechanism for the rear wheel. Rear suspension is ubiquitous in heavier-duty bikes and now common even in lighter bikes. Dropper seat posts can be installed to allow the rider to quickly adjust the seat height.
Downhill mountain biking (DH) is a style of mountain biking practiced on steep, rough terrain that often features jumps, drops, rock gardens and other obstacles. Jumps can be up to and including 12 meters, and drops can be greater than 3 meters.
The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships are the world championship events for mountain bike racing in the disciplines of cross country, downhill, and four-cross. They are organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body of world cycling.
John Tomac is an American former professional cyclist who competed from 1985 to 2005. He was a versatile rider who competed in multiple disciplines including; BMX racing, cross-country, road racing, trials riding and downhill racing. Tomac became a mountain bike racing icon in the late 1980s as the sport began to develop beyond its formative years. At the time of his retirement in 2005, he had won more mountain bike races than anyone in the sport. In 1991 he was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and, in 2004 he was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame.
Mountain bike racing is the competitive cycle sport discipline of mountain biking held on off-road terrain. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) recognised the discipline relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Durango, Colorado. The first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup series took place in 1988. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North America—and was sponsored by Grundig. Cross-country racing was the only World Cup sport at this time. In 1993, a six-event downhill World Cup was introduced. In 1996, cross-country mountain biking events were added to the Olympic Games. In 2006, cross-country mountain biking events became part of the World Deaf Cycling Championships for the first time in San Francisco, USA.
Leigh Donovan is an American former professional downhill mountain bike and BMX racer and current cycling ambassador and mountain bike skills instructor and based out of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Aaron Holmes Gwin is an American professional downhill mountain biker from Morongo Valley, California. He is a five-time World Cup overall champion.
Danny Hart is a British downhill mountain biker who currently rides for Continental GT. He won the 2011 and 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
Mountain biking in Australia is a mix of dedicated mountain bike parks, ski resorts with mountain bike facilities, and other parks that have become popular with mountain bikers despite lacking dedicated facilities. The peak body for the sport is Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA).
Hugo Donais is a Canadian retired cyclist who specialized in downhill mountain biking, four-cross and BMX.
The 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships was the 28th edition of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. As in 2016, the championships in the various disciplines were held at separate events. The world championships in four-cross were held at Val di Sole, Italy, on 24 and 25 August 2017, alongside UCI World Cup events in cross-country and downhill. The world championships in cross-country and downhill were held in Cairns, Australia, from 5 to 10 September 2017.
Camille Balanche is a Swiss cyclist. In 2020, she won the women's downhill race at the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships held in Leogang, Austria. She is the first Swiss rider to win a Downhill world title.
The 2021 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships were held from 25 to 29 August 2021 in Val di Sole, Italy.
The 2021 European Mountain Bike Championships was the 32nd edition of the European Mountain Bike Championships, an annual mountain biking competition organized by the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC). The championships comprised six disciplines: downhill, cross-country cycling (XC), cross-country marathon (XCM), cross-country ultra-marathon, cross-country eliminator (XCE), and beach race.
Benoît Coulanges is a French downhill mountain biker. In 2021, he finished second in the UCI Downhill World Championships in Val di Sole, Italy.
Jenna Hastings is a New Zealand mountain biker competing in downhill and enduro. She is the current junior women's downhill world champion.
The 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships were held in the French commune Les Gets from 24 to 28 August 2022.
The 2022 European Mountain Bike Championships was the 33rd edition of the European Mountain Bike Championships, an annual mountain biking competition organized by the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC). Championships in 5 disciplines were held in 2022 for elite: downhill, cross-country cycling (XC), cross-country marathon (XCM), cross-country eliminator (XCE) and cross-country short circuit (XCC).
The 2024 UCI Mountain Bike season is the 19th season of the UCI Mountain Bike season. The 2024 season began on 13 January with the Israel Cup 1 Mishmar Haemek in Israel and ends in December 2024.
The 2024 European Mountain Bike Championships was the 35th edition of the European Mountain Bike Championships, an annual mountain biking competition organized by the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC). The championships comprised five disciplines: downhill, cross-country cycling (XC), cross-country short circuit (XCC), cross-country team relay (XCR), and cross-country marathon (XCM).
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