It’s nomination time for the Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame and JMC and Dafydd Davis have made the shortlist. Alongside other legends.

>>> Who is the greatest mountain biker of all time?

Every year the Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame announces several new people who are going into the hallowed MTB Hall of Fame (shall we call it MBHOF for the rest of this story?)

MTB Hall Of Fame nominees for 2019

• Jason McRoy
• Dafydd Davis
• Myles Rockwell
• Rebecca Rusch
• Stan Koziatek
• Tim Neenan
• Tym Manley
• Derek Westerlund

Jason McRoy described by MBHOF: “Jason McRoy is universally regarded as the first true Superstar of British Mountain Biking, paving the way for his peers and those that would follow him. He was one of the first Brits to take the risk, financially and competitively, to race abroad.  At the Eliminator at Mammoth Mountain, he came second against some of the best names in the world.  While they were backed by well-financed professional teams, he was a privateer who just about raised enough money from his winnings to go to the next race.”

Dafydd Davis described by MBHOF: “Dafydd (Dah-fvid) Davis is a Welsh climber, fell runner and avid mountain biker whose impact in the design and creation of UK mountain bike trail systems cannot be overstated. Over the last twenty years he has utilized his well rounded background as an outdoorsman to not just establish trails, but to create the worlds first national development strategy for mountain bike trails and tourism.”

Who decides who gets in the MTB Hall Of Fame?

The general public basically. The MBHOF open ask for nominations sometime around March.

Anyone can be nominated but there is a list of pre-qualified ‘roll-forwards’; people who have made previous years’ shortlists but haven’t gone on to claim a final spot.

There were six people on 2018’s ‘roll-forward’ list. In our opinion the most glaring name on this list is Stan Koziatek.

The first two names you almost certainly know. Freeride legend Bender has been on the nearly-MBHOF list since 2015. Peaty has only been waiting since last year.

But who is this Stan Koziatek fella? You may know him better as simply Stan. Yep, of Stan’s NoTubes tubeless fame.

We think Stan was more than worthy of getting inducted into the MBHOF. He more than anyone else is responsible for getting tubeless out there.

It’s Stan who has made more mountain bikers’ lives better in a real world riding sense. It’s all too easy to forget what it was like riding bikes before tubeless became the norm. We had to choose between pressures that were too high or tyres that were too burly or simply putting up with repairing pinch flats every few miles.

Many folk would have quite after the numerous teething troubles of ‘going tubeless’ not to mention the outright sneering abuse tubeless proponents got from the ‘just stick an inner tube in it mate’ brigade.

Well done Stan for sticking at it (pun intended). Here’s hoping for next year!

What is MBHOF?

MBHOF: “A global entity representing the entire world of mountain biking. Their charter is to recognize those who have shaped the sport and who have had widespread influence. These individuals may have been working out of their garage, through a brand, an organization or in competition. Whether building bikes, building trails or racing, a worthy candidate will have contributed something more than a great track record. A strong candidate will have shifted the paradigm and changed the way we look at things going forward. Their contribution will have as much significance 10 or 20 years from now as it does today.”

Steve Peat finally made into the Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame last year

The great news in 2018 year was that Steve Peat was inducted. Some folk wait ages on the MBHOF waiting list (see below) but Peaty has only been on the waiting list since 2017.

MBHOF: “Steve Peat has had an illustrious career racing downhill mountain bikes that has spanned nearly 25 years starting in the early 1990’s. He had early success in the sport and has been a favorite with fans around the world. Hailing from Sheffield, England, “Sheffield Steel”, or “Peaty”, has always contributed and given back to the sport that has given him so much.”

Another bit of pleasing news is that freeride legend Josh Bender has also been inducted this year.

MBHOF: “Josh Bender had the vision to see the possibilities, that a mountain bike could conquer much more demanding terrain. He encouraged the sport to look at terrain in a whole different way, show that a mountain bike could conquer it. He didn’t mimic or repurpose BMX. He helped define the true capabilities of the ultimate off-road vehicle, the modern mountain bike, with a pioneering spirit akin to athletic innovators Evel Knievel (motorcycle), Mat Hoffman (BMX) and Tony Hawk (skateboard).”

Who else got in in 2018? Ken Chlouber (founder of Leadville 100 race) and New Zealand brothers Simon, Paul and Jonathan Kennett (event organising, trail building, guidebook writing collective).

Who is in the Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame?

The first thing to note is that there are a lot of MBHOFers. But let’s not let that detract from the kudos. Every single person on this list has contributed above and beyond to mountain biking.

If you don’t know a name on this list, it’s well worth Wikipedia-ing them to read about their achievements.

Steve Peat
Josh Bender
Ken Chlouber
Simon Kennett
Paul Kennett
Jonathan Kennett
Dave Garoutte
Mike Sinyard
Tom Ritchey
Jacquie Phelan
Joe Murray
Murdoch (The Infamous)
Charlie Kelly
Gary Fisher
Charlie Cunningham
Steve Cook
Joe Breeze
Victor Vincente
Steve Potts
Jeff Lindsay
Erik Koski
Wende Cragg
Don Cook
Cindy Whitehead-Buccowich
Ned Overend
Glenn Odell
Scot Nicol
Tom Hillard
Chris Chance
John Tomac
Ross Shafer
Mike Rust
Chuck “Bodfish” Elliot
Dr. Al Farrell
Craig and Gary Cook
Carole Bauer
Gary Klein
Ed Zink
Fred Wolf
Mark Slate
Tom Mayer
Don Douglass
Sara Ballantyne
Gary Helfrich
Otis Guy
Charlie Litsky
Jimmy Deaton
Juliana Furtado
Alan Armstrong
Ignaz & Frank Schwinn
Bill Cockroft
Douglas Bradbury
Keith Bontrager
Steve Ready
Kay Peterson-Cook
Zapata Espinoza
Richard Cunningham
The Cupertino Riders
Marilyn Price
Greg Herbold
Kent Eriksen
Mert Lawwill
Susan DeMattei
John Parker
Jim Hasenauer
Max Jones
Dean Crandall
Regina Stiefl
Paola Pezzo
Mtn. Bike Club Discovery
Hans Rey
Tim Gould
Thomas Frischknecht
Velo Cross Club Parisien (VCCP)
Dave Wiens
Steve Tilford
John Stamstad
Keizo Shimano
Linda DuPriest
Richard Long
Tinker Juarez
Denise Caramagno
Steve Boehmke
Tim Blumenthal
Elaine & Maurice Tierney
Brian Skinner
Laird Knight
Mike Kloser
Michael Kelley
Jacob Heilbron
Ashley Korenblat
Dan Koeppel
Cindy Devine
Gary Crandall
Paul Thomasberg
Pat Follett and Tom Spiegel
Kurt Loheit
Matt Hebberd
The British Columbians
Gary Sprung
Tom Moran
Chris King
Robert Gregorio
Travis Brown
Frank Wadelton
Alison Sydor
Sal Ruibal
Hill Abell
Nat Ross
Brian Lopes
Philip Keyes
Bob Girvin
John Finley Scott
Steve Blick
Larkspur Canyon Gang
Marc Vendetti
Dave Garoutte
Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Trail Association -COPMOBA
Anne-Caroline Chausson
Jim Wannamaker
John Ker
Alan Bonds
‘Fro Riders’
Pete Webber
The Laguna Rads
Patrice Drouin & Chantal Lachance
Bob Allen
Bob Woodward
Monte Ward
Gary Sjoquist
Ruthie Matthes
Dave House
Nicolas Vouilloz
Marla Streb
Robin & Bill Groff
David Epperson
Concerned Off Road Bicyclists Association-CORBA
Jimmy “Mac” McIlvain
The Koski Family’s Cove Bike Shop
Leigh Donovan
Jenn Dice
Uli Stanciu
North Shore Trail Builders
Horst Leitner
Glen Jacobs
Román Urbina
Missy Giove
Matt Fritzinger
Hank Barlow
Jeff Archer
Wolfgang Renner
Mark Norstad
Brent Foes
Giovanna Bonazzi

Who’s missing?

Who did you you expect top be in the list but isn’t there? What is the biggest glaring oversight of the MBHOF so far? It seems amazing that none of the founders of Hope Technology are there for a start hey?