Mountain biking usually refers to the sport of riding bicycles possessing particular design characteristics (mountain bikes) off-road, although sometimes the term simply refers to riding a mountain bike, which can be done almost anywhere - bike trials and street riding are examples of mountain biking typically based in more urban locations. The sport requires endurance, bike handling skills and self-reliance. It is an individual sport which can be performed almost anywhere. There are aspects of mountain biking that are more similar to trail running than regular bicycling. Because riders are often far from civilization, there is a strong ethic of self-reliance in the sport. Riders must learn to repair their broken bikes or flat tires to avoid being stranded miles from help. This reliance on survival skills accounts for the group dynamics of the sport. Club rides and other forms of group rides are common, especially on longer treks.

Mountain biking is roughly broken down into three categories: cross country, downhill, and trials/street riding. However, most mountain bikes have a similar look: knobby tires, large round frame tubing, and some sort of suspension or shock absorbers are the usual pieces of equipment. Mountain biking can be done anywhere from a back yard to a gravel road, the majority of mountain bikers prefer to ride trails they call singletrack. These are narrow trails that wind through forests or fields. Mountain bikers describe a sense of euphoria that results from singletrack or downhill riding.

History of mountain biking

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Bicycles have been ridden off-road since their invention. However, the modern sport of mountain biking primarily originated in the United States, in the 1970s. There were several groups of riders in different areas of the country who can make valid claims to playing a part in the birth of the sport. Riders in Crested Butte, Colorado and Cupertino, California tinkered with bikes and adapted them to the rigors of off-road riding. Other riders around the country were probably copying their friends with motorcycles and riding their bikes on trails and fire roads. However, a group in Marin County, California is recognized by the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame to have played a central role in the birth of the sport as we know it today. They began racing down Mount Tamalpais (Mt Tam) on old 1930s and '40s Schwinn bicycles retrofitted with better brakes and fat tires. This group included Joe Breeze, Otis Guy, Gary Fisher and Keith Bontrager, among others. It was Joe Breeze who built the first new, purpose-made mountain bike in 1977. Tom Ritchey built the first regularly available mountain bike frame, which was accessorized by Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly and sold by their company called MountainBikes (later changed to Gary Fisher Bicycle Company). The first two mass produced mountain bikes were sold in 1982: the Specialized Stumpjumper and Univega Alpina Pro.

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USA Cycling Mountain News

Fort Lewis, Brevard clinch omniums at Collegiate MTB Nationals
kkahn@usacycling.org Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:51:13 -0000
Fort Lewis College and Brevard College clinched the Divisions I and II team omniums as the 2009 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships came to a close on Sunday. Both teams had commanding leads going into the final day of racing - leads which were strengthened even more with some very solid efforts in the downhill finales.
Fort Lewis, Brevard in the lead at Collegiate MTB Nationals
kkahn@usacycling.org Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:15:54 -0000
It was a full day of racing at the 2009 USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championship on Saturday with both short track and four-cross competitions on the agenda for day two. Fort Lewis College and Brevard College scored strong results and gained comforable leads in the Divisions I and II team omnium competitions. They'll try to hold onto these leads as the riders head into the final day of competition.
Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals open with cross country races
kkahn@usacycling.org Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:06:52 -0000
The USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships kicked off on Friday as nearly 300 student athletes converged on the Northstar at Tahoe to compete for a total of 22 national titles over three days. The first day of racing saw the coeds battle it out for individual titles in the cross country contests with the women lining up for three laps of the 7.5-mile course and the men lining up for four.
Swanguen accepts sanction for doping violation
asmith@usacycling.org Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:02:05 -0000
USADA announced today that J.D. Swanguen of San Diego, CA, an athlete in the sport of cycling, has tested positive for a prohibited substance and accepted a suspension for his doping offense.
Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals set for this weekend
kkahn@usacycling.org Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:34:03 -0000
Collegiate riders from around the nation are getting ready to converge on the Northstar at Tahoe resort near Truckee, Calif. to race for national titles at the USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships, the second national championship event of the 2009/2010 collegiate cycling season. The event, slated for October 16-18, is being hosted by the University of Nevada at Reno and will award a total of twenty-two national titles, including the overall team omniums in Divisions I and II.
Tostado and Horanyi overtake 24-Hour Mountain Bike national titles
asmith@usacycling.org Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:57:30 -0000
Eleven national champions were crowned at the USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships on Sunday after the nationandrsquo;s best ultra-endurance mountain bikers wrapped up 24 grueling hours racing in beautiful Moab, Utah. Riders set out on Saturday for as many laps as they could complete on the 15-mile course. After the 24 hours had expired, Josh Tostado and Eszter Horanyi recorded more laps than any other solo riders in the male and female division to earn the prestigious solo national titles

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