Photograph by Abstract-Thinking

A friend of mine, James Bigler, turned me on to this article right before I left for Maui. With all of the racing news I have been posting the past 24 hours, I thought this was a perfect opportunity to pass the information along.

This article titled “Call to Action” by Jeremiah Bishop.

America invented the sport of mountain biking, and yet poor management and a lack of marketing have driven our national racing scene off the map. Remember when crowds of photographers, reporters, and television crews flanked the finish lines of the national events, and the top professionals from around the world came to compete in the most successful racing series on earth right here in the United States?

The idea is to have a United States Mountain Bike Cup. In this article that Bishop links to, Scott Tedro outlines exactly what needs to take place.

Establish a US Mountain Bike Race Series for 2009 and beyond that elevates the sport to the level it deserves, while awarding unprecedented equal Pro Male/Female prize money, UCI XC points at all seven events, and a very rewarding amateur racing experience.

We will provide exceptional and significant marketing for each event and its riders, creating a unified Bicycle Industry showcase that will encourage the growth and advancement of US-based riders on a global scale.

You can go through the article and find the entire breakdown of his ideas.

The Bottom Line

Racing is great for the sport. It creates excitement and professionalism to a recreational activity. This drives for better products and more competition which in the end is better for consumers and enthusiasts. These articles address racing in the United States, but the theories and principles can be applied to any country throughout the world. The more the sport grows and diversifies, the better it becomes.

I remember a time when the mountain biking capital of the world was the North Georgia mountains. Times have changed a lot since then and so has the niche of competitive mountain biking.

The United States needs to be put back on the map in competitive mountain biking and I completely support everything that Tedro is trying to accomplish. Making things better in the states will also help mountain bike racing on a global level. Hopefully, with his ideas and the support of the mountain biking community in the states, we can make this happen. The result will be a stronger community for all involved.