Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, such as air or coil-sprung shocks used as suspension, larger and wider wheels and tires, stronger frame materials, and mechanically or hydraulically actuated disc brakes. Mountain biking can generally be broken down into five distinct categories: cross country, trail riding, all mountain, downhill, and freeride.
Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling sports include artistic cycling, cycle polo, freestyle BMX and mountain bike trials. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is the world governing body for cycling and international competitive cycling events. The International Human Powered Vehicle Association is the governing body for human-powered vehicles that imposes far fewer restrictions on their design than does the UCI. The UltraMarathon Cycling Association is the governing body for many ultra-distance cycling races.
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.
Freeride is a discipline of mountain biking closely related to downhill biking, dirt jumping, freestyle motocross, and freestyle BMX. When riding a freerider one focuses on tricks, style, and technical trail features. Freeride is now recognized as one of the most popular disciplines within mountain biking.
Marla Streb is an American professional cyclist and was inducted in the mountain bike hall of fame in 2013. She has won a World Cup downhill in 2005 (Austria), twice won the Single Speed World Championship in 1999 and 2006 and also won the X-Games in 1999. Streb has written and published two books, appeared on the cover of Outside Magazine, and has been featured on network television and movies such as the IMAX movie Top Speed.
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.
Tracy Marie Moseley is a British professional racing cyclist who was born in Worcester, specialising in downhill mountain bike racing. Moseley's brother, Ed, was also a mountain biker, it was after he began riding cross country mountain bike races that a race was held on their farm in 1992; this was Tracy's first competition. Her first foray into downhilling came in 1994. Moseley's first international race was the World Championships in 1995 where she finished 8th. The following year she was funded by the Jason McRoy fund, to ride a French National event at Les Menuires. Moseley continued to race with increasing success, and despite sitting her exams late due to her racing schedule, graduated with a 2:1 degree in Biological Sciences in 2000.
Jared Graves is an Australian cyclist who has represented Australia in BMX, four-cross (4X), and downhill mountain biking. In 2006, he finished second in the mountain bike 4x world cup series. In 2008 he finished second in the BMX world cup series and was selected to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he finished sixth.
Atherton Racing, competing officially as Trek Factory Racing, formerly as GT Factory Racing, is a professional mountain bike racing team competing in the World Cup and World Champs, as well as national level events, in the downhill category. The team began as Animal Commençal.
Claire Buchar, also known as Claire Kovarik, is a professional racing cyclist specialising in downhill mountain biking. Buchar races on the UCI World Cup circuit and is a multiple Canadian national champion in her profession and is a multiple World Cup medalist.
Andreu Lacondeguy is a Freeride Mountain biker and Freestyle motocross athlete from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, born 12 January 1989. He is a 2013 Munich X-Games bronze medalist in the Mountain Bike Slopestyle event and a Red Bull Rampage Winner in 2014.
Nicholi Rogatkin is an American professional bike rider from Lincoln, Massachusetts, United States. Currently ranked #2 in the World. 2016 World Champion and 2018 Triple Crown Winner. The winningest FMB World Tour athlete with over 25 wins.
Tracey Hannah is a Professional Downhill bike rider. She raced her first national BMX title when she was 4 years old. Tracey chose to do MTB when she saw Mick Hannah was racing down a hill very fast on an MTB camp in 1997.
Brandon Semenuk is a Canadian freeride mountain biker and rally racer from Whistler, British Columbia. Semenuk is a three-time Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour Gold Medalist. He is a five-time Red Bull Joyride winner, X-Games Real MTB Gold Medalist (2021), and X-Games Silver medalist (2013) in the Mountain Bike Slopestyle event. He is the 2022 American Rally Association presented by Dirtfish National Champion. Red Bull Rampage winner; 2008, 2016, 2019 and 2021 - the 1st person to win Rampage four-times. He is known to be "always emulated, never imitated" and is known as one of the best slopestyle/freeride mountain bikers in history.
Brett Rheeder is a professional freeride mountain bike rider from Mount Albert, Ontario. Rheeder is an X-Games athlete and gold medalist winner of the 2013 Munich Slopestyle Mountain Bike event. He is often regarded as the greatest slopestyle rider in mountain biking. Rheeder is a 4x FMB World Tour Champion, the most in event history. He's also a x7 Crankworx event champion, which includes his 2016 Red Bull Joyride win.
Cameron "Cam" Zink is an American professional freeride mountain bike rider and X Games athlete.
Crankworx is a four-stop tour of mountain biking competitions and races, the premier event of which is held each summer at Whistler-Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia at Whistler Mountain Bike Park.
Sam Pilgrim is a professional freeride mountain biker. Known for his missing tooth and his unique style of tricks, he has gained international fame with his YouTube channel exposure under his name Sam Pilgrim in which he makes videos documenting his extreme stunts on various courses around the world. He was an FMB World Tour overall winner in 2013, becoming the first European athlete to win the competition since its establishment in 2010.
Valentina "Vali" Höll is an Austrian professional cyclist who competes in downhill mountain biking.
Jenna Hastings is a New Zealand mountain biker competing in downhill and enduro. She is the current junior women's downhill world champion.
