In case you missed it over the holidays, Lance Armstrong backed out of the Leadville 100 mountain bike race due to a “scheduling conflict.” Too bad, mountain biking really needs more superstar personalities to generate new interest in the sport. In related news, it is also uncertain whether Floyd Landis will be racing in the Leadville 100 as previously reported since the race is NORBA certified and Landis may be sanctioned for his actions in last year’s Tour.
Despite anecdotal evidence of growing popularity in the sport of mountain biking, sports participation numbers show the number of mountain bikers in the US has been steadily decreasing since the 1990s. The exception was in 2005 when high gas prices influenced many to purchase mountain bikes just to get around. That’s pretty lame if you ask me, what will it take to make mountain biking cool again?
