From musicians to TV personalities, there are mountain bikers wherever you go
Mountain biking may only be a small sport, but there’s a scattering of celebrity mountain bikers who love to hit the trails if you know where to look.
We often think of celebrities chilling out in fancy London bars, attending film premieres or trying to avoid the paparazzi. Thankfully, some of them are a bit more down to earth and have no problems getting down and dirty on the trails.
Keep an eye out for these celebrity mountain bikers that you may* just bump into next time you head out for a spin.
Watch: Exposure Lights | Editor’s Choice | Mountain Bike Rider
*highly unlikely
#HarrisonFord rides an #mtb 'the circle is now complete' #starwars #mountainbike #StarWarsTheForceAwakens pic.twitter.com/V8fpXHch4e
— Steve Rolls (@RollsyMTB) December 24, 2015
1. Harrison Ford
Hans Solo rides an Ibis. Well, once he’s driven to the trails anyway.
>>> The best (and worst) Star Wars merchandise for cyclists
2. The Foo Fighters
Foo’s drummer Taylor Hawkins is big into his biking. And Dave Grohl is partial to a bit of knobbly tyre action too as various mag interviews in the past have mentioned.
3. Rage Against The Machine
More rocking rockers. RATM bassist Tim Commerford is infamous as a mountain bike obsessive. He rides all the time and takes part in all manners of extreme endurance and XC stylee races.
Pic: Geoff Waugh
4. Grayson Perry
Back in 2004 we even interviewed the Turner Prize winning artist about his love of mountain biking. And due to power of archivists, you can read it here: Grayson Perry talks art and mountain biking
5. John Squire from The Stone Roses
He used to be seen riding around on a battered Yeti FRO with Bullseye cranks and everything. And let’s not forget the time they were due to headline Glastonbury and Squire broke his collarbone mountain biking and they had to pull out of the gig, enabling Jarvis Cocker’s Pulp to step up and become stars. It went downhill from there for the Roses (geddit?)
6. Ben Stiller
Watch the hilarious interview above where Ben Stiller regales a chatshow host with the time he went night riding for the first time. Altogether now: “Don’t fight the mountain”.
7. George W Bush
George W Bush is a mountain biker. It may not be news that you want to hear – or spread around – but good ol’ Dubya likes to shred dirt. George Bush celebrates his 70th birthday mountain biking, in fact.
8. Barack Obama
In the interest of political balance, here’s a Democrat president shredding dirt. Well, pootling around Martha’s Vineyard with his family at least.
9. Orlando Bloom
Okay, so this video isn’t really indicative (it is magnificently odd though) but take it from us, Orlando Bloom does ride mountain bikes. He rides them quite a lot in fact. He uses clipless pedals and everything,
10. Shaquille O’Neal
29ers? Pah! Check out the 7’1″ basketball legend on his DirtySixer – a thirty six inch wheel mountain bike. Fair play really. Have you seen the size of him?
11. Lance Armstrong
Sorry but it’s true. Everyone’s favourite road villain has always dabbled in dirt biking. Earlier this year in fact Lance Armstrong reformed U.S. Postal gang to race in 24hr MTB race.
12. Guy Martin
Guy Martin seems to have stumbled into celebrity life but he’s fast becoming a household name with shows on prime-time TV. The Isle of Man TT legend is also a keen mountain biker, so much so that he actually picked up a sponsorship from Hope.
>>> Read our full Guy Martin interview
If you’re after an autograph, you’ll probably have to search far and wide for Martin though, he’s the kind of guy who likes to ride deep in the Moors – he probably won’t be too happy you asked either.
13. Mark Webber
Being a Formula 1 racing driver has to be one of the most fun jobs in the world right? Then it’s cool to think that, despite having spent his life surrounded by high-tech racing machines, Mark Webber still finds enjoyment from simple mountain biking.
The Aussie drove for the Red Bull Racing team as well so there could be potential for a Rampage wild card entry for him yet*…
14. That guy off Dragon’s Den AKA Piers Linney
Suited businessman during the week and downhill ripper at the weekends, Piers Linney from Dragon’s Den is certainly a man with a split personality.
Linney is a self-made millionaire and he’s certainly put some of that towards his ride, a tricked out Evil Undead that’s no stranger to Bike Park Wales. His favourite trail has to be Enter the Dragon, right?
No, they haven’t shrunk the bike, he’s just very big (Mojo)
15. George North
If one thing is certain, it’s that Welsh international rugby player George North will not be the kind of celebrity to be put off by bad weather and mud.
He once picked himself up a Nicolai GeoMotron from the guys at Mojo, clearly he’s been listening to one of Chris Porter’s geometry rants. We’re assuming Mojo will be recommending very high pressures for the 6ft 4in steamroller.
16. Gorija’s Jean-Michel Labadie
“I wanna rock and roll all night, and cycle everyday” seems to be the mantra of Gojira’s Jean-Michel Labadie. Not that we’re experts, but Gojira are a pretty big deal in the death metal music scene and their bassist is a trail slayer.
These guys hail from the south-west of France so it should be pretty easy for him to run to the hills and grab some great riding in the Pyrenees.
You’d struggle to miss Simon Gallup coming past on this (Orange Bikes)
17. The Cure’s Simon Gallup
The Cure’s on again, off again bassist, Simon Gallup, has long held a passion form mountain bikes. He was brought up near the Surrey Hills so shares a stomping ground with the likes of Brendan Fairclough and Olly Wilkins. He’s even had a custom neon-pink Orange Five made up for him, which is a bit of departure from his gothic music roots.
>>> Watch how to service your Orange Five here
18. Curtis Stigers
We chatted to Stigers about his love for mountain bikes back in 2009 when carbon 29ers were considered cutting edge, how times have changed! Mountain biking has actually become part of Stigers’ musical process, he uses the rhythm of his pedals to help him think of musical hooks.
Other celebrity mountain bikers
But by all accounts these folk mountain bike too…
- Gerard Butler AKA him from that ‘300’ Spartaaaaaaaaaaa! fillum
- Jon Bon Jovi
- Duff McKagan from Guns & Roses