Olympic Size Dilemma

IMBA Trail News
Volume 13, Number 4
Fall 2000

An English reporter called IMBA the other day to ask how the 1996 Olympic mountain bike race affected our sport. Good question-timely, too, since the Olympics return this month-but there's no easy answer.

For mountain biking's image, one of the best things about the Atlanta Olympics was the way bronze medalist Susan DeMattei represented us. Mountain biking is about much more than going fast, she said, and it was a great message for land managers and the public to hear.

Another plus for mountain biking was the unprecedented international exposure. For millions of people around the globe, the '96 TV coverage was their first look at off-road riding. That mountain biking earned full medal status just 20 years after its inception confirmed its worldwide popularity and acceptance.

It's hard to measure how the Atlanta Games affected trail access. Ironically, mountain biking on the Olympic cross-country course at the Georgia International Horse Park has been tenuous since '96, and could soon be wiped out by development.

The last Olympics benefited IMBA in a way you might never guess. Jan and Mike Riter were local Conyers, Georgia, residents who did lots of work on the Olympic mountain bike course before the Games and maintained it afterwards. When we saw that accomplishment on their resume, we offered them jobs as the first Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew. They delivered three outstanding years of work for us in the field.

While the Olympics will always be a motivating factor for young athletes, few American lads could have been inspired by the U.S. mountain biking men in '96. Neither Tinker Juarez nor Don Myrah were on top form that day, and NBC pretty much finished its coverage by time they both finished 17 minutes behind the winner. DeMattei became an instant role model, but four years later, junior women racing fields remain thin, coast to coast. Mountain biking participation has leveled since '96 and mountain bike sales have dipped. The first Olympic mountain bike race couldn't reverse these trends.

Now the question is, what can we expect of the Olympic mountain bike races this time around?

You can bet that the camera coverage of the Australian course at Fairfield City Farm will be extensive and beautiful. The circuit, designed by creative trailbuilder (and IMBA friend) Glen Jacobs, is scenic, technical and part of an 865-acre farm.

If they get the chance, every one of the U.S. riders will speak glowingly about the many wonders of mountain biking. Chances seem good that at least one IMBA member (following DeMattei in '96) will again grace the podium, since all five of this year's U.S. mountain biking Olympians are card-carrying IMBA supporters.

If only the Olympic mountain bike races could do more for our sport. When a reporter calls to ask about the legacy of the 2000 Games, we'd like to provide a more positive, compelling answer.

Does anyone have any good ideas? Quick?