Nat Ross (born October 8, 1971) is an American professional cross-country mountain bike racer.[1] Ross became the first American to win a professional race on a twenty-nine inch mountain bike.[2] Ross was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2008.[2] Ross is a two-time World Champion with multiple National Championship titles. Ross is a pioneer in mountain bike innovation with regards to racing.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 8, 1971 Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Education | Western State Colorado University |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Spouse | Aimee Ross |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Mountain Bicycling, Road Cycling, Triathlon. Categories: Enduro, Cross-Country Racing, STXC, Marathon, Ultra-Distance, and 24-Hour Racing Solo, Mountain Biking |
| Event(s) | X Games, Leadville Trail 100, Cyclocross, 12 Hours of Snowmass, Race Across America, 24 Hours of Old Pueblo, 100-Mile NORBA National Championships, Kamikaze Downhill, Dirty Kanza, UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, and E-MTB |
Early life
editBorn in Colorado Springs, Ross grew up in Colorado.[3] A lifelong fan of outdoor pursuits, he first became interested in cycling as a student while attending high school and later in college at Western State Colorado University in Gunnison, Colorado, where he was pursuing his education.[4] He completed his degree studies and graduated in 1994 and holds a BS in biochemistry.[5]
Career
editWhile he was also a talented skier,[2] the rising popularity of the sport at the time piqued his interest in mountain biking.[2] Almost immediately after taking up the sport, Ross met with success with in Ultra-Distance and 24 Hour Solo events.[2] Ross was the longest standing member of the Subaru/Gary Fisher UCI Professional Cycling Team (now known as Team Subaru-Trek) for over a decade and was among the premier cross country mountain bikers in the world.[5] Gary Fisher considered one of the innovators of the modern mountain bike.[5]
Ross competed in the first X-Games[6] Winter competition in 1994 in Winter Bike X and continued to compete and win multiple National Championship titles in the Marathon,[2] 100- Miler,[5] and 24 Hour disciplines[5] as well as a two Global 24 Hour Championship titles.[citation needed]
Additional competitions include top 20 finishes in multiple XTerra Off-Road Triathlons professional level,[2] the ITU (International Triathlon Union) Winter races where he competed in Elite Men in 2007,[7] and the UCI World Championships in Italy where he represented the United States in 2007.[2] As a member of Team Vail in 2006 and 2007, he and his team won the Race Across America.[2]
Although no longer active as a full-time professional mountain bike racer, Ross has continued to challenge himself through Enduro's, Ultra-distance events, gravel racing, cross-country events and E-MTB.
Ross also worked with Keith Bontrager on the first set of 29 inch wheels for a mountain bike, building the set by hand in Bontrager's garage in Santa Cruz, CA.[3]
Ross was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 2008 with close friends Brian Lopes and Steve Blick.[8] Ross is the Event Director for the Big Sugar Gravel Race and promated[check spelling] by lifetime[9] in Bentonville, Arkansas.[10]
Personal life
editNat Ross is married to Aimee Ross who is a cycling industry professional and currently the Director of Bike Bentonville in Bentonville, Arkansas.[11] They met in 2009 and were married in 2012.[5]
He is the founder and CEO of Tough Guy Productions,[12] a national event promotion company based in Golden, Colorado that specializes in cycling events, ski promotions, extreme competitions, and backcountry ski movies like Bliss and Incognito and started a women's cycling team Tough Girl Cycling.[13] Ross currently is the co-founder of Bike School Bentonville, AR.
In addition to his business activities, Ross also acts as a consultant for outdoor industry manufacturers and coaches[14] and trains younger athletes in a variety of disciplines through The academy in Bentonville, Arkansas .[3]
Career Achievements/Awards
edit- International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) Honorary Board of Directors
- National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) Advisory Board of Directors
- 2000 24 Hour NORBA Nationals, Winter Park, CO -1st *Course Record, National Champion[15]
- 2001 24 Hour NORBA Nationals at Winter Park- 2nd[16]
- 2003 24 Hour Global Solo Championships, Birmingham UK,- 1 st *Course Record
- 2004 24 Hour Global Solo Championships, Birmingham UK- 1st[1]
- 2004 24 Hours of Moab-1st[17]
- 2005 100-Mile NORBA National Championships, Brian Head, UT-1st National Champion[4]
- 2007 2007 Winter Park PATCO Winter Triathlon Pan American Championship[7]
- 2007 24 HR NORBA National Championships, Wausau, WI—2nd[18]
- 2007 Race Across America (RAAM) 4-Man Team Champions[19]
- 2012 24 Hours of Old Pueblo—Duo Pro Category w/ Rebecca Rusch—1st[20]
- 2013 24 Hours of Old Pueblo—Duo Pro Category w/ Rebecca Rusch —1st[21]
- 2019 UCI World Mountain Bike Championships (E-MTB) Mont Sainte-Anne, Canada –31st[22]
- 2020 UCI World Mountain Bike Championships (E-MTB) Leogang, Austria –33rd[23]
- 2021UCI World Mountain Bike Championships (E-MTB) Val di Sole, Italy –31st[24]
The King and Queen of Pain, Nat Ross and Rebecca Rusch, after winning the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo[20]
Ross used his education in Biochemistry to win a gold medal in the American Wheat category in the Great American Beer Festival[25] in 1997 while he was the Brewmaster for Breckenridge Brewery.
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c CHITTICK, RICHARD (July 19, 2004). "Total Telemark's Nat Ross rides to new heights". Summit Daily. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Vendetti, Marc (March 26, 2014). "Nat Ross". Marin Museum of Bicycling and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Tuesday Toolbox: Nat Ross". GNCC Racing. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ a b "The world centre of cycling". autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Second Act". Bike Arkansas. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "The Freeheel Life Podcast: #56 - Nat Ross | Tough Guy Productions & Telemark Freeski Pioneer". freeheellife.libsyn.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "World Triathlon". World Triathlon. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Vendetti, Marcos (March 26, 2014). "Nat Ross". Marin Museum of Bicycling and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "Life Time Grand Prix". Life Time Grand Prix. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ Yeager, Selene (October 28, 2019). "Life Time Launches Big Sugar Gravel Race in Arkansas". Bicycling. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "bike-bentonville". visitbentonville.com. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "The Freeheel Life Podcast - #56 - Nat Ross | Tough Guy Productions & Telemark Freeski Pioneer on Stitcher". Stitcher. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "Aimee Ross – TOUGH GIRL CYCLING". Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ Strode, Dale (October 10, 2013). "Aspen prep mountain bikers race at Elbert". Aspen Times. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ "The world centre of cycling". autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "News Briefs". VeloNews.com. June 4, 2001. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "24 Hours of Moab Race Report from Nat Ross". Mountain Bike Reviews Forum. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. 24 HOUR NATIONAL CHAMP'S". Mountain Bike Action Magazine. July 31, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "Colorado team takes 4-man division title in Race Across America". The Denver Post. June 18, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ a b News, Cycling (February 19, 2012). "24 Hours of Old Pueblo 2012: Results". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ News, Cycling (February 18, 2013). "24 Hours of Old Pueblo 2013: Results". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Men E-MTB Cross-country- | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ "UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Men E-MTB Cross-country- | Tissot Timing". www.tissottiming.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ "2021 Mountain Bike World Championship" (PDF).
- ^ "Great American Beer Festival", Wikipedia, April 21, 2021, retrieved May 13, 2021