Seven European cycling legends to be inducted into Mountain Bike Hall of Fame

IMBA Trail News
Volume 12, Number 4
September 1999

Inaugural international induction ceremony to be held October 2 in Italy

The first group of Europeans selected for induction into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame includes four famous racers, a renowned trials specialist, a pioneering Dutch trail advocacy group, and a French club that was riding off-road 20 years before modern mountain biking took shape in northern California.

Selected by a vote of past Hall of Fame inductees, the cycling press and current Hall of Fame members, these seven will be welcomed into the Hall on October 2, 1999, at a special ceremony in Finale Ligure, Italy. The '99 inductees, representing six European nations, are:

• Thomas Frischknecht, Switzerland, cross-country racer.

• Tim Gould, Great Britain, cross-country racer.

• Mountain Bike Club Discovery, The Netherlands, advocacy club.

• Paola Pezzo, Italy, cross-country racer.

• Hans Rey, Switzerland, trials specialist.

• Regina Stiefl, Germany, downhill and cross-country racer.

• Velo Cross Club Parisienne, France, pioneering mountain bike club.

The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame & Museum was founded in 1988 in Crested Butte, Colorado. Ten mountain biking pioneers were inducted the first year; three to seven mountain bike
legends have been selected annually since them. The '99 selections bring the number of Hall of Fame inductees to 67 individuals plus three groups. The history of the sport of mountain biking, many of the early fat-tire bikes, and the stories of Hall of Fame inductees are presented at the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Museum, which is located in Crested Butte.

"Mountain biking has developed a tremendous following in Europe," said Hall of Fame director Kay Peterson Cook. "We are grateful for the opportunity to finally recognize the contributions of some of the pioneers who helped make it happen. This first group of European inductees is diverse, talented, and a wonderful reflection on our sport."

The European induction ceremony will be held in conjunction with the debut of a traveling exhibition of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame Museum in Finale Ligure, Italy, which is located on the Italian Riviera near the French border. The Museum exhibition will remain in Italy through January 15, 2000.

For more information about the Hall of Fame and Museum, call (970) 349-6817. For information about the Hall of Fame European ceremony and exhibit, visit the web at:www.raceware.com/mbhof.