MOUNTAIN BIKING
A History Of
ABOUT 40-ODD YEARS ago, a bunch of young California
misfits changed the world with new technology. Oh, you’ve heard this
before? Well, it wasn’t a computer. It was bikes. Mountain bikes, to be
exact. Now, it’s true that people have been riding on rough roads and
dusty paths from the earliest days of cycling. But a perfect mix of
competition, rapid technology development, and marketing strategy
propelled what mountain bike pioneer Charlie Kelly calls a “goofy hobby”
into global phenomenon and a new Olympic sport. Those athletes will roll
up to the starting line in Rio astride the latest ultra-light carbon
fiber machines with precision shifting, powerful disc brakes, and
responsive suspension. And their bikes will look nothing like what the
world's first mountain bikers rode on Mount Tamalpais just north of San
Francisco in Marin County, California.