According to the official Olympic website, before the 1970s riding a bike off the road was no new invention. Later, in the 70s mountain biking, born in California,  emerged as an official sport. The manufacturing of “mountain bikes” with bigger tires, and higher speed shift gears were being produced. This allowed riders to have more freedom in where they chose to cycle. Over the years this sport has evolved and grown in popularity as well. This physically demanding sport has showcased several notable athletes over the years, however, we are going to be looking at some of the greatest mountain bikers throughout history.

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Ned Overend

Ned Overend is an American cyclist most noted for the earlier days of the sport. He is easily considered a legend because of his pioneering of the Olympic sport. Being one of the first cyclists to make a living from racing, Overend has achieved many astonishing accomplishments during his cycling career. Overend, now retired, is a 6-time winner of NORBA cross-country national championship, and mountain bike hall of famer. This former mechanic has been an ambassador for Specialized since the 80s and assisted in bike development for them as well.

Joe Murray

Another head of the sport that is more than worth mentioning is American cyclist, Joe Murray. Taking part in his local mountain bike race at just 15 years old, Murray had the benefit of growing up in the middle of the cycling community. Murray is the holder of 2 NORBA National Championship titles and achieved 12 straight wins in the year 1985, notably unmatched by any male mountain bike racer today, according to the Marin Museum of Bicycling.

John Tomac “The Tomes”

Hall of famer, John Tomac, nicknamed “The Tomes” is considered by many the best mountain biker in history. Taking the biking world by storm at just 17, with his win of the National BMX Cruiser Class Championship in 1984. What makes Tomac such a standout athlete is that “He has won more mountain bike racers than anyone in the sport, and done so at every level and in all aspects: cross-country, uphill, downhill, even trials” as noted by the Marin Museum of Bicycling. His accomplishments go on to include; 2 World Mountain Bike Championships overall titles, many NORBA and national titles including the Grundig World Cup #2 in France, the Italian National Championship Series #1, the NORBA National Championship #1 in Durango, and the Rage in the Sage Circuit Race in Gunnison, Colo. It is bewildering to see a cyclist so well versed in several different areas of the sport.

Juli Furtado

The rider to challenge Tomac’s reputation as the best all-around biker was female American racer, Juli Furtado. The New Yorker was considered the best female biker in history at the time of her cycling career due to her collection of titles spanning from; 3x Cross Country world Cup Champion, 5x Cross Country National Champion, America’s Cross Country World Champion, Downhill World Champion, NORBA National Champion, and National Road Champion. Furtado during the span of her career proved that she was definitely a force to be reckoned with her versatility as well, something that was not seen in many female bikers until her.

Gunn-Rita Dahle (Flesja)

Norway’s “grande dame” of mountain biking has quite the reputation and her long list of accomplishments speak for themselves. Firstly, Flesja has an extensive career spanning over 20 years, only retiring back in 2018. During that time she has 10 World and 9 European Championships under her belt, leading the all-time world cup wins list. Neither battling illness nor giving birth to her son was enough to stop her from having a successful cycling career, ending with a total of 30 wins overall.

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Nino Schurter

Some call him the “king of cross country”, and for good reason too. Although his career is currently ongoing, the Swiss biker has many titles under his belt already and his success is on the constant rise. Schurter has 32 world cup victories, 7 Swiss Champion victories, 8 cross country victories, as well as a gold, silver, and bronze Olympic medal, and that’s not even a dent into his accomplishments. Schurter is definitely a name to constantly look out for.

Anne-Caroline Chausson

When it comes to the downhill category, Chausson is who you need to pay attention to. The French native and Olympic gold medalist is best known for her 15 Union Cycliste Internationale senior world championship rainbow jerseys, 14 continental championships, and 7 Mountain Bike World Cup championships. She was also a nominee for the 2003 Laureus World Sports Awards Alternative Sportsperson of the Year, as a result of her accomplishments.

 Nicolas Vouilloz

Dual talented Vouilloz is known as both a mountain biker and rally driver. However, when it comes to the elite men’s downhill category, Vouilloz takes the cake. With an astonishing record of winning the Downhill Mountain Bike Championship 10 times and 16 World Cup Downhill races, he is clearly a notable athlete in this respected field.

Julien Absalon

Although his career was cut short due to worsening allergies caused by pollen, Absalon still left an amazing win record behind. He won thirty-three UCI World Cup races in the Elite Men’s category and holds the most titles along with Nino Schurter with 7 apiece.

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Rachel Atherton

Despite the challenges of injuries along the way throughout her career, they did not come without triumphs as well. Atherton, a UK mountain biker, has been the most transparent when it comes to her journey to the top. Her 12 shoulder injuries weren’t enough to combat her drive and perseverance. Atherton is the most-awarded British mountain biker in history with 6 World Cup Championships and Downhill World Cup Series, 39 World Cup wins, and 10 national titles. She has also been awarded “Sunday Times Young Sportswoman of the Year, BBC Midlands Sportswoman of the Year, twice BTSport Action Woman of the Year, and Laureus Action Sportsperson” of the year according to Marin Museum of Bicycling. To catch up with her today she shares her daily life and what she’s doing in the biking world along with being a mom in the midst of her career. Rachel Atherton is by far one of the more transparent and relatable athletes on this list.

Mountain biking as a sport has evolved and come a long way since the pioneers of this sport shook the Olympic scene by storm. And we just scratched the surface — this was just a glimpse of the best of the best of all time. As this sport continues to evolve, records will be broken and new heights will be achieved in this amazing sport.

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