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Mountain and City Biking magazine in association with
Mountain Bike Specialists
Aussie Racing Apparel
Powerbar
Raleigh Cycle Company of America
And new and unique videos proudly present
Raleigh Cycle at Durango 1990 World Mountain Bike Championships
They came from the east, they came from the west
North and south to see who's the best at Durango
Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose
You never know who's gonna sing the blues at Durango
Get on your bike, fiddle and ride
You'll feel the relief and taste of mountain pride
That the mountain is on your side
This is the race, it's one of a kind
So look straight ahead, don't you look behind at Durango
The action and inspiration of the 1990 World Mountain Bike Championships at Durango, Colorado, USA
Endure in this race documentary
Capturing the struggles
The fierce competition
The camaraderie and the undaunted glory of six momentous days
As the world's top racers challenge themselves and each other to battle
In the hill climb
The World Championship downhill
The World Championship cross country
The dual slalom
And observed trials
Nearly a century ago, this narrow gauge railroad was built to haul silver from Silverton
50 miles south to Durango in the heart of the Wild West
The silver is gone now, but this is no ghost town
Welcome to the Rocky Mountains, about 9,000 feet above sea level
Today, the intrepid sport of mountain biking celebrates its first official World Championships
At the Purgatory Ski Resort
Here, hundreds of mountain bikers from around the world gather to compete for the title of World Champion
The opening ceremony at Fort Lewis College provides a spirited welcome
For world peace in this most beautiful of American settings
Music
And the games begin
Men's hill climb
The brutal 3.5 mile hill climb begins at the base of the Purgatory Ski Area
With an elevation gain of 1,470 feet
The riders come from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand
It's a very fast start as the pack moves out to meet the demands of the harsh mountain angle and thin air
Two Englishmen, Tim Gould and Paul Watson, take an early lead
In hot pursuit, the American favorite Ned Overeth
And American Tom Rogers
Followed by the aggressive elite climbers
Now, almost to the top of the mountain, Gould still maintaining the lead
Ned Overeth with a strong cadence, but not making time on the leader
In 24 minutes 57 seconds, the winner of the men's hill climb is Tim Gould of Great Britain
52 seconds later, Ned Overeth in second place
26 seconds later, Tom Rogers takes third place
Women's hill climb
An elite field of 20 women prepare themselves for the abrupt climb
They come from Canada, the United States, Austria, Great Britain and New Zealand
The women advance up the course
Susan Demetay takes the lead
Darcy Wright second after the leader
And the third place woman is Ruthie Mathis
With a time of 30 minutes, 18 seconds, first place goes to Susan Demetay, recent winner of the Norba National Point Series
24 seconds later, Darcy Wright in second place on the hill climb
And 44 seconds later in third place, Ruthie Mathis
Men's World Championship downhill
Emerging from a no guts, no glory kamikaze image, today's downhill event enjoys official World Championship status
Durango hometown favorite Greg Herbold braces himself for his time trial descent
With steep rocky single track and a 1500 foot vertical drop, the descent forces riders to fly on the extreme edge of control
Greg Herbold celebrates victory with a time of 6 minutes 37 seconds
American rider Paul Thomasburg off the starting block
Italian rider Paolo Rasola and a succession of others testing their skills on a very technical downhill
Here comes American John Tomac, one of the few riders using drop handlebars this week
American Michael Closer captures the silver medal in a time of 6 minutes 41 seconds
Winner of the bronze medal Paul Thomasburg with a time of 6 minutes 46 seconds
Fourth place in the men's downhill is John Tomac
Women's World Championship downhill
The rigorous downhill course lies in wait for a field of technically proficient women
Canadian Cindy Devine focuses on a fast and flawless run
Cindy Devine halfway down
Winner of the past unofficial World Downhill Championships Cindy Whitehead
The gold medalist in the downhill event Cindy Devine with a time of 7 minutes 34 seconds
Cindy Whitehead halfway down
Cindy Whitehead pushes for fourth place
Elodie Brown of Canada
A split second away from first place Elodie Brown captures the silver
Penny Davidson of California
Penny takes the bronze
And more of the world's fastest downhill women speeding towards the finish
Women's World Championship cross country
Women from 20 nations prepare themselves for perhaps the most memorable race of their lives
The first ever Women's Cross Country World Championship
The Women's World Championship Committee has designed a rigorous cross country course
An assortment of challenging climbs and tricky technical descents that will showcase the skills necessary to crown a deserving world champion
The Cross Country Course starts at 8,800 feet winding up a painfully steep climb of 1,000 feet in less than 2 miles
In places the grade is steeper than 25 percent
The downhill is not as fast as it is technical
The senior women are now on hand at the starting line
The riders begin the race
The women on lap one of three 8-mile laps under a cloudy sky with a slight threat of rain
Strung out in single file on the hill climb, the leader is Coloradoan Julie Furtado
Behind her is Elodie Brown and the favorite Sarah Ballantyne
In the lead, Julie Furtado still pushing the pace followed by Elodie Brown, Sarah Ballantyne, Susan DeMatte
The riders now climbing on single track
Furtado maintaining the lead and taking second spot is Ruthie Mathis, silver medalist in this year's World Road Championships
If you're wondering where Sarah Ballantyne is, look no further than third place
The hardest thing is just staying relaxed and calm for this hectic week when all the media and all the press is here
It tends to put a little bit more pressure on you, but I should do well
Catherine Tobin at the top of the climb now, 15th place, more than a minute 20 back
Here's Maria Miranda from Brazil
Furtado laboring on the last piece of uphill before downhill single track
Susie Buchweiser of West Germany and Julie Ingersoll of Colorado
Sylvia Furst is chased by Elodie Brown
Susan Tobias of Colorado
On the rocky downhill, Furtado soars down to the bottom of the first lap
Ruthie Mathis in second place
And Sarah Ballantyne in third place
We put a camera on a bike so you can experience this difficult descent for yourself
Furtado has already gone by, that's Ruthie Mathis heading down a switchback turn
And Sarah Ballantyne maintaining third place
Susan Demetre now a minute 20 behind in fourth place
In first place, Juliana Furtado, two to go Julie
Ladies and gentlemen, Sarah Ballantyne, second place with two to go Sarah
The veteran women's race began 15 minutes after the start of the pro women's race
Here's race leader Lisa Muick of Durango, Colorado pumping uphill
The second place vet woman is Charlotte Waller of Colorado
In third place, Jackie Phelan of Repack downhill fame, considered by many to be the first lady of mountain biking
Lisa Muick finishes first for her second gold medal this week
Julie Furtado alone on the descent
Susan Demetre is now two minutes 56 seconds behind the leader
Cindy Whitehead winding her way down the single track
The leader Furtado beginning the steepest portion of the final lap, a 25% grade
She's off her bike pushing it up the hill
Looking at the relationship between Furtado and Ballantyne, it doesn't seem like they're far apart
But the pace translates into more than a minute between them
Here's Ruthie Mathis carrying her bike cycle cross style
Top of the hill for Julie Furtado, along with the goal of victory
Sarah Ballantyne climbing strong after the leader
Ruthie Mathis doing well in one of her first mountain bike competitions
Four miles to the finish line and Julie Furtado in firm control of this race
Sarah Ballantyne 144 behind, she's lost time on this third lap to Julie Furtado
Susie Buchweiser of Germany in fourth
Susan Demetre in fifth place, American rider Susan Tobias heads into the aspen
Near the bottom of the course now for Julie Furtado
Arlinda Kiefel crashes as Penny Davidson goes by
Ruthie Mathis on her final descent
Best European Susie Buchweiser fourth here today
The World Champion cross-bender, Julie Furtado
Sarah Ballantyne second for the silver medal
The World Champion cross-bender, Julie Furtado
Arlinda Kiefel in fifth place, American rider Susan Tobias
The World Champion cross-bender, Julie Furtado
Arlinda Kiefel in fifth place, American rider Susan Tobias
Men's World Championship cross-country
We're at the starting line here at the Purgatory Ski Area for the Men's World Mountain Bike Championship
The Americans are the favorites in this race
Tim Gould of Great Britain is expected to do well after his win on the hill climb
and American Rishi Drewal
John Tomac, winner of many mountain bike races, now rides the roads as well
How has it affected his mountain bike?
The drawbacks as far as my mountain bike racing goes is it attacks my body quite a bit
I started racing in February and now it's the middle of September
and that's a whole lot of racing between then and now
and my legs aren't as fresh as they were in April
And then over and is Tomac's chief rival, perhaps feeling the pressure here in Durango
All the fanfare that goes along with having a race in your hometown makes it a little hard to concentrate on racing
I would prefer to race in other towns, you know, I've always done well in Mammoth and stuff
You can just concentrate on the race and the course and not so much on the media
and all the people that are so familiar with you
There are others with impressive resumes who could surprise
but they will be battling the thin rocky mountain air in unfamiliar surroundings
and a pride of top American racers determined to win this historical race
Ned Overend barely averts disaster, but some riders do not
The senior men advance up to a narrow climb with 32 miles to go
Up front, Italian Claudio Vandelli setting an early pace
Behind him are Englishmen Tim Gould and John Tomac
Coming up strong are Ned Overend and Thomas Frischnack of Switzerland
And here are the leaders now as Tim Gould and John Tomac have passed the Italian Vandelli for the lead at the top of the climb
Now Overend in third place
I don't want to be an oxygen debt or bordering oxygen debt on the entire first climb
I think that makes it harder to recover from it, very hard to get into a rhythm
at the same time you don't want to let the leaders ride away from you
A line of riders from all parts of the world linking wheels on the single track climb
is the Michael Closer of Alaskan Iditibide fame
Taking over the lead on the descent is John Tomac who has passed Tim Gould
Here comes Thomas Frischnack in second and Ned Overend in third
The wheel has moved back to fourth followed by other riders at the top
Now in second place Thomas Frischnack flying on the descent
The course for this men's cross country championship is the same as for the women
Starting at 8,800 feet, climbing 1,000 feet, the men will ride four laps
Earlier in the week we videotaped Ned Overend on a cross country practice run
Here's what he had to say
Right here it's extremely loose
They've got some fencing set up so no one takes too big a dive
Like I say this will deteriorate more and more as more racers go on it
John Tomac on tricky downhill single track trying to make time behind some riders from the women's race
Behind him Thomas Frischnack, Ned Overend and Tim Gould
End of lap number one and a significant development, there's a new race leader, Ned Overend
John Tomac has lost the lead because of a flat tire
On the two mile climb over and leads Frischnack on lap two, the cycle crosser carries his bike on his shoulder
John Tomac has worked his way up to sixth place followed by Paul Thomasburg
A lonely climb for third place Tim Gould hammering up the two mile grade
Here is Rishi Grewal
Paul Thomasburg now leading Tomac
John Tomac pushing hard to make up time on the hill climb
It's not a bad course for me, it's not the best student for me, I think it's a good course for a smaller rider or a good climber
At 9,900 feet on the uphill single track, Ned Overend pulls away from his competition
American riders Martin Stinger and Darrell Price
Frischnack is shot forward into first place
With Overend seconds behind
And Tim Gould in third
The fluid style of John Tomac
Tricky
Just Stacy's
Earlier in the day, the veteran men participated in their World Championship cross-country race.
The vet gold medalist is Patrice Tevinar of France.
Albert Zweifel of Switzerland takes the silver.
Walter Brandley of Switzerland takes the bronze.
The junior men's cross-country race followed.
Jimmy Killen of Colorado wins the gold medal.
Jimmy Killen of Colorado is the junior gold medalist.
On the single track switchbacks, John Tomac and Italian Mario Norris.
Half the race down, half to go.
It's Frischneck and Overend side by side.
Ned Overend breaking away right now in lap three.
Overend is part owner of a bike shop in downtown Durango called Mountain Bike Specialists.
Thomas Frischneck in pursuit.
I think it's really a perfect course for the World Mountain Bike Championship.
It's a hard course, so the best guy will win here.
Ned Overend on the third lap ascent has the lead on a long train of riders.
Tim Gould chugs along in third spot.
Ned Overend on the descent, he's power-charged, feeling the crowd through his legs, gaining ground at the end of lap three.
Now heading for the bottom of lap three, Ned Overend with a sizable lead.
Overend now climbing into the fourth lap, Frischneck in second.
Tim Gould chugs along in third.
Tim Gould just behind the two leaders.
To a certain extent we're at a disadvantage on a course like this because it is so dusty and loose.
We're used to finding circuits that are muddy.
Meanwhile, John Tomac in seventh place, nearly five minutes behind Overend.
Tim Gould chugs along in fourth.
Tim Gould chugs along in fifth.
Here's a shootout between John Tomac and Max Jones coming towards the end of the lap and the end of the race.
Ned Overend has grabbed the gold.
This is his moment. There will never be another first official World Mountain Bike Championship.
Thomas Frischneck of Switzerland is in second for the silver medal.
I didn't have to attack. I just went steady and Thomas dropped off so I could take the lead without really attacking and working too hard for it.
Without burying myself I managed to work the transitions and put some more time on it without having to work the climbs too hard.
So I figured as long as I was out there I might as well work it.
Tim Gould of Great Britain bronze medalist.
Here's Paul Thomasburg now coming down the switchbacks in fourth place.
Are you satisfied?
Yeah, I'm really happy with my second place. Ned was really a lot better than me. I couldn't follow him in the third lap and he's the right World Champion but I'm very happy about my second place.
How difficult was it to hang on for second place on the last lap? How were you feeling?
I feel really bad. It was so hard the last lap for me but I knew that the other guys they have to fight to suffer also and so I was just looking for my second place to hold my second place in the last lap.
Dual Slalom.
This mountain bike hybrid event is dominated by Californians and Coloradans blaring down the mountain face on their two-wheeled machines.
The energetic dual slalomers engage each other in head-to-head combat, slicing round turns, zigzagging through a series of flag poles, and leaping a formidable double jump.
In the women's category, Katherine Fitzsimmons of Gunnison, Colorado places first, with Susan Tobias of Winter Park, Colorado in second.
A field of 32 riders in the men's category whittles down to overall winner Dave Cullinan of Torrance, California.
Observed Trials.
A neon highlight during the spectacular week of mountain biking is the Observed Trials event. The top riders here are European.
The winner, a transplanted Swiss who lives in California, Hans Rea.
Holger Wirtwein of West Germany is Hans Rea's toughest competitor.
Dave Wonderly shines on his stock bike.
Here, one of Hans Rea's only two dabs. In the same section, Holger dabs also.
Lots of space applications.
Great course.
Compared to European courses, we're talking world championship level, it's easy, very easy.
If we're talking normal events, really good course, I like it a lot.
Nice sections, everything in there like this, water, downhills, uphills, rocks.
It was cool for the spectators.
It was great.
As the battlefield is deserted, the first unified world championships are now forever mountain bike history.
The celebration of a sport uniquely American in origin is now enriched by the competition of riders from all around the world.
We look forward to riding on your home soil.
Happy trails from Durango, Colorado.
Battle at Durango, the first ever world mountain bike championship has been brought to you by new and unique videos.
Raleigh Cycle Company of America.
Power Bar.
Aussie Racing Apparel.
Mountain Bike Specialists.
And Mountain and City Biking Magazine.
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