U.S Bicycling Hall of Fame: Cycling doesn't forget its pioneers

October 30, 7:13 PMCycling ExaminerJames Raia

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Many of the nicer things about cycling occur off the bike. Its history and philanthropic components, for example, are cool. And the sport doesn’t forget its pioneers and innovators.

Which is why the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame, the Somerville, N.J.-based organization, deserves props — particularly during its annual gathering to induct new honorees.

The year’s sold out occasion will be Sunday night at Freeborn Hall on the campus of UC Davis in Davis, California.

This year’s Hall of Fame honorees: Cheri Elliott of El Dorado Hills, Calif., Off-Road Competitor; Mike Plant of Atlanta as Contributor; Jeanne Golay of Glenwood Springs, Colo., Modern Competitor; and the late Jimmy Walthour, Veteran Competitor in Six-day races.

Levi Leipheimer of Santa Rosa, Calif., two-time winner of the Tour of California, third-place finisher in 2007 Tour de France and 2007 USPro road titlist, will be the keynote speaker.

Here’s a capsuled biography of each of the inductees as posted on the Hall of Fame’s web site:

* Cheri Elliott raced in BMX and mountain biking events in the 1980’s and 1990’s.  She won four BMX world championships and won national BMX titles against male competitors. She is considered a legendary BMX pioneer among women BMX racers and with superior bike handling and jumping skills.

 * Mike Plant contributed to the sport of cycling through his leadership as president of USA Cycling, the national governing body of cycling and as president and founder of Medalist Sports, a sports marketing company that produces national and international cycling competitions. He has served on the executive committee of the International Cycling Federation (UCI), the United States Olympic Committee board of directors, and has held numerous other leadership positions in support of cycling.

 * Jeanne Golay is a five-time World Championships medalist and nine-time National Champion. She raced successfully as a road, time trial and track competitor during the 1980s and 1990s. Golay is the last American woman to win three National Road titles at one event, a feat she completed in 1992 in Altoona, PA when she won the road race, time trial and team trial events. She is the first American woman to contest three events in one Olympics, riding in the road race, time trial and points race in the 1996 Atlanta Games."

* Jimmy Walthour, now deceased, was selected to the Hall of Fame in recognition of his amazing track racing career in the 1920’s and 1930’s.  Mr. Walthour raced in the United States, Canada, and Europe.  As a track racer, he competed in 89 six-day races earning 14 first-place and 15 second-place finishes. Near the start of his career as a 17-year old racer in 1927, Mr. Walthour won the amateur cycling championship in both the track and road categories.