This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(November 2020) |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Robert de Wilde |
Nickname | "Afro Bob", "The Flying Dutchman" |
Born | Kampen, the Netherlands | April 30, 1977
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
Team information | |
Current team | Redline Bicycles |
Discipline | Bicycle Motocross (BMX) |
Role | Racer |
Rider type | Off Road |
Amateur team | |
1994–1999 | GT Bicycles (Europe) |
Professional teams | |
1999–2001 | GT Bicycles (Europe) |
2001–? | Giant Bicycles |
2004–2006 | Staats Bicycles |
2006 | Troy Lee Designs |
2006–Present | Redline Bicycles/Troy Lee Designs |
Robert de Wilde (born April 30, 1977, in Kampen) is a Dutch professional "Mid/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1990 to 2003. His nicknames are "The Flying Dutchman" [1] in reference to his speed and his nationality and "Afro-Bob" because of his long wild, uncombed hair. [2] He was chosen for the Dutch BMX Olympic team to participate in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China where he reached the quarter-finals.
Started Racing: 1982 at the age of five years. A friend got him into it. [3]
Turned Professional: January 1999 at the age of 21. During 1999 and prior de Wilde was one of only three total pros Europe ever had (Dylan Clayton and Wilco Groenendaal were the other two) [4] due to the nature of racing rules with the European sanctioning bodies at the time, which did not permit a full pro class in which an unlimited amount of money can be earned by the racer at a race.
Height & weight at height of his career (1999–2006): Ht:6'2" Wt:215 lbs.
*In the NBL it is "B"/Superclass/"A" pro (beginning with 2000 season), in Europe Superclass; in the ABA it is "A" pro.
**In the NBL it is "A" pro/All Pro/"AA" Pro/Elite men (all depending on the era); in Europe Elite Men; in the ABA it is "AA" pro.
Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous co-sponsors. Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are given.
Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. "Defunct" refers to the fact of that sanctioning body in question no longer existing at the start of the racer's career or at that stage of his/her career. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Series and one off Championships are also listed in block.
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
*See note in Professional section.
American Bicycle Association (ABA)[ citation needed ]
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*[ citation needed ]
International Olympic Committee (IOC)
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(November 2020) |
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (June 2010) |
BMX World:
BMX racing is a type of off-road bicycle racing. The format of BMX was derived from motocross racing. BMX bicycle races are sprint races on purpose-built off-road single-lap race tracks. The track usually consists of a starting gate for up to eight racers, a groomed, serpentine, dirt race course made of various jumps and rollers and a finish line. The course is usually about 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and has large banked corners, which are angled inward, that help the riders maintain speed. The sport of BMX racing is facilitated by a number of regional and international sanctioning bodies. They provide rules for sanctioning the conduct of the flying, specify age group and skill-level classifications among the racers, and maintain some kind of points-accumulation system over the racing season. The sport is very family oriented and largely participant-driven, with riders ranging in age from 2 to 70, and over. Professional ranks exist for both men and women, where the age ranges from 17 to over 40 years old.
John Eric Purse is a former American professional "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer. His prime competitive years were from 1990 to 2000.
Melanie R. Cline is an American former amateur "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1982–2004 and 2009 to the present.
Thomas Allier is a French professional "Mid/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1993 to 2006. Allier was a member of the French Olympic BMX Team participating in the debut of BMX racing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Allier did not make it past the quarter finals.
Warwick Brian Stevenson Jr. is an Australian professional "Mid/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years are from 1995 to current. Nicknamed the "Warlock" as a play on his given name Warwick.
Donald Robinson is an American professional "New/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years are from 1999 to the present. His moniker is "dR", his initials. The use of the lowercase "d" for his given name is perhaps related to his relatively diminutive physical size. A past nickname, "Scrawny", was definitely linked to his small stature, since even when very young he was the smallest child in his age group. It was given to him by Bruce Minton. Like BMX predecessors Mike Miranda and Eric Rupe, Robinson is a devout Christian. He admitted in late 2013 to suffering at least 25 concussions over the course of his career. In the same interview, he advocated for better concussion protocol at the lower levels of BMX racing. Robinson joined the board of directors of concussion-education collaborative The Knockout Project in January 2013.
Daniel Lee Nelson was an American professional "Mid & Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years are from 1993 to 2003. His nickname is "Thunder".
Kelvin Batey is a British born professional "Mid/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer who competed for Great Britain from the start of his career until 2008 and then for Ireland.
Matthew Merle Hadan is an American professional "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1985 to 1995. Hadan was nicknamed early in his career as "The Master" and later "The Diesel".
Andrew Patterson is an American former professional "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1977 to 1985. His moniker was "Mr. Bigfoot" for his size 13 feet. Patterson was one of the first American racers to compete on the European BMX circuit during its formative years on a regular basis. He developed a large European following.
Gary Wayne DeBacker was an American professional "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose competitive years were from 1980-1999. His greatest achievements occurred during his amateur days, highlighted by four international world championships.
Corine Stam-Dorland was a Dutch amateur "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981-1996. From 1996 to 2006 she was also an accomplished Mountain Bike (MTB) Cyclo-cross and Road Bike racer. Her nickname during her BMX career was "The Queen of BMX", largely for her nearly unbroken streak of a total of ten World Champions, several European Championships and an almost equal number of National championships from when she was eight years old until she was 21. She was to Holland and European BMX as a whole as Cheri Elliott was to American BMX. Indeed, her career was much longer than Elliott's garnering far more titles on the local, national and international level than her near contemporary American counterpart. Dorland would go on to a respected MTB cross country (XC) racing career. In that sub-discipline Dorland would capture three national titles in MTB and earn a spot on Holland's 2000 Sydney, Australia Olympic team. She also went on to fulfill a prediction that many had made for her in another area. Because of her stunning physical beauty, she was also a model in her adult years concurrent with her MTB career. She appeared in many racing related advertisements. As with Elliott in the United States, many a male BMXer was sad to see her retire from the world of BMX.
Dale Holmes is a Retired British professional "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1983 to 2009. He now lives in San Diego, California.
Bas de Bever is a Dutch former professional "Mid/Current School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were 1985–1993.
Darwin L. Griffin was a professional American mid-school Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were 1982–1989.
Frankie Lee Medlin was a professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from (1977–1982) His nickname was "Peddlin'", an obvious play on his surname and the motive power of a bicycle.
Jamie Nicole Lilly was a professional American "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1987 to 2004. Nicknamed "Kiddo #1" at the age of 8 years, she became one of the first female professionals of the American Bicycle Association (ABA) when they for the first time created a female professional division in the sanctioning body's history in 1998 and became one the ABA's first number one Girl Pros.
Jeffrey Kosmala is a retired professional American "Old School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were (1978–1981).
Alan David Foster was a professional American "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer and Dirt Jumper whose prime competitive years were from (1992–1999) his nickname was simply "AF", the initials of his given and surname.
Māris Štrombergs is a Latvian former professional BMX racer. In the 2008 Summer Olympics he became the first Olympic champion in BMX cycling. Earlier that year he won the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships. In 2012 he prolonged his Olympic title by winning the gold medal in the London Olympics.