Who Are Mountain Biking's Unsung Heroes?
The Story of Mountain Biking's Most Interesting Man: Richard Cunningham - A Pinkbike Podcast Special went up yesterday, but that doesn't mean we get to skip the usual banter and shit-talking. From trail builders to youth coaches and even some racers, mountain biking isn't short of shining examples of human beings who've done good things for our sport. Episode 68 is all about the unsung heroes of our sport, from the pioneers in the early days, under the radar ultra-distance racers, talented photographers, underappreciated event organizers, and even a brilliant freerider-turned-rocket scientist who wheelie dropped the Large Hadron Collider while interning at CERN. I'd argue that half of the equation is the need to have made an outsized contribution to mountain biking in some way, whether that's Uli Stanciu's pioneering Transalp routes and founding the German Bike magazine, Jefe Branham pedaling his bike farther in a single ride than some of us do in an entire year, or the rider who's out there every day on their decade-old bike without a care for the latest and so-called greatest gear. And while they didn't do it for the kudos, they also certainly deserve more than they've received so far. Our picks are below, but who's on your unsung hero shortlist? Riders who don't get caught up in the trends and know they don't need the latest gear to enjoy riding Even organizers, and especially the volunteers who make things happen (shoutout to long-time PB contributor, Si Paton) Whoever invented tire plugs Ryder Kasprick - An early freerider from Vancouver Island who tailwhipped the 25-foot finishing drop at Crankworx back in 2006 Ian Moult - Appearances in early freeride films as an 11-year-old, a number of world's first tricks landed, and an actual rocket scientist Pippen Osborne - Early innovator, designer, founder of Syncros, Banshee Uli Stanciu - A pioneer of Transalp riding and racing, magazine founder, and pillar of the European mountain bike scene Jefe Branham - An under the radar endurance badass that not many riders know about Ben Walker - A gifted product developer and living his best life Gary Perkin - One of the sport's legendary photographers Roberto Vernassa - He built the San Romolo downhill track, trained young racers, and helped shape enduro racing Franco Monchiero - A European enduro innovator George Edwards - Mountain bike innovator, organized the first downhill race in France, founded the Megavalanche and other eventsFeaturing a rotating cast of the editorial team and other guests, the Pinkbike podcast is a weekly update on all the latest stories from around the world of mountain biking, as well as some frank discussion about tech, racing, and everything in between.Episode 67 - XXXXXXX XXX