A rider on singletrack littered with rocks(Image credit: Dave McElwaine/trailwatch.net)
Gary Sjoquist (Minnesota), Vance McMurry (Texas), Matt Fritzinger (NICA), Lisa Miller (Washington).(Image credit: Paul Skilbeck)
The US Mountain Bike Hall of Fame (MBHOF) announced five inductees for 2012 on its website. They include Dave House, Ruthie Matthes, Gary Sjoquist, Monte Ward and Bob Woodward. The 2012 induction ceremony will be held on Wednesday, September 19 at Interbike in Las Vegas, Nevada at 6:00 pm.
Each year, the MBHOF inducts between three and seven individuals or groups, except for the first year (1988) when there were 10 members inducted. Past inductees, selected press and current paid members of the MBHOF vote for nominees to determine who will be each year's new inductees.
Ruthie Matthes raced to become mountain bike world champion and World Cup champion in the early days of the sport. She was also an Olympian during her 19 years of racing. Her career began on the road in 1983. She raced her first mountain bike Worlds in 1990 and officially switched to the discipline in 1991, when she became world champion.
Dave House has been in mountain bike journalism for 27 years, starting several magazines. He also founded the Whistler Symposium, is the current publisher of Decline and Road Magazines and is a cycling advocate.
Gary Sjoquist has done 20 years of bike advocacy work. Based in Minnesota, his efforts have had local and nation-wide benefits. In 1998, he became the first full-time bike advocate hired by Quality Bicycle Products. His work has benefited IMBA, Trips for Kids, Bikes Belong, National Bike Summit and Minnesota High School Cycling, among other organizations.
Bob Woodward has been a dedicated mountain bike journalist, working as a writer and photographer. He has also been a trail builder, access advocate, competitor and promoter. He wrote about mountain biking as a new sport in its earliest days, with work appearing in magazines like UltraSports, Backpacker, Cyclist and Adventure Travel. He also wrote "Mountain Biking", a book for Sports Illustrated which details the sport's history.
Monte Ward ran a bike shop in California and began off-road exploration in the 1970s. Part of the original Marin gang, he won the first Central Coast Clunker Classic and other early organized events and has been part of mountain biking for over 30 years.
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