We've just uncovered this gem of a YouTube channel that has been posting footage from UCI races as old as 1991 for more than a decade. It's a bit of a treasure trove and there are hundreds of videos of old tech and racing with hardly any views. Some of our favourite stuff was of race footage of the legendary John Tomac, which we have compiled below.
Tomac was a force of nature across mountain biking and on the road. He won the XC World Cup overall in 1991 and came second in '92 and '93. He also came second overall in the inaugural World Cup downhill series in 1993 behind Jurgen Beneke. He ended his career with five World Cup XC wins and three XC wins, making him comfortably the best crossover athlete between the two disciplines ever. His greatest success probably came in 1991 when he became World Champion in XC and won the silver in the downhill on the same weekend. He also raced road cycling for the Motorola team and raced at the Tour of Flanders, the Giro d'Italia and Paris–Roubaix.Kaprun, Grundig Downhill 1993Kaprun was a notoriously long and pedally track and it was the season closer for the 1993 Grundig season. Tomac had taken his first win at the third round that year in Mont-Sainte-Anne, but hadn't been on the podium for the rest of the season. This run saw him finish third behind Jurgen Sprich. It was a charging Beneke who took the win and the overall series from a teenage Nico Vouilloz at the last gasp.
Metabief, World Championships Downhill 1993Metabief in France hosted the World Championships in 1993 and although it wouldn't result in a medal for Tomac, it would be the USA's best ever as Mike King took the win and Myles Rockwell came third for the men and Kim Sonier and Missy Giove took silver and bronze respectively for the women. Here, Tomac is on a prototype Raleigh bike that uses carbon tubes and lugs. Sound familiar?
Winning the 1991 XC overall in BerlinTomac was battling with the UK's Tim Gould for the entire 1991 season. Gould had enjoyed the upper hand since round one but it was in Berlin that Tomac finally overtook him and took the title in the process. It was his second win of the year having picked up a victory in Manosque earlier in the year:
Here is Tomac, taking that win in Manosque, drop bars and all!
An early 90s shredditThere may not have been much of an internet to put this on but the sub-3 minute shreddit of hucks and drifts was as cool in the early 90s as today.
John Tomac todayBell visited Tomac in 2017 to get his reflections on his career in racing and explore his new life working on a ranch and managing his son's motocross career.
There will NEVER be another like JT. Imagine a pro xc rider converting (and actually being competitive) in DH today? Nope ain’t gonna happen.
I was lucky enough to meet the man himself while in the Uk for a media trip when Tomac bikes were a thing. My heart was racing on the first climb on our ride in Wales, I knew he was about 3-4 riders behind me .. and sure enough on the most technical part of the climb, I ATE HIS DUST AND LOVED IT
Legend.
To be fair. DH was not what DH is today. It was more like a XC time trial that happened to be ran without any climb.
Juli Furtado is the only person to have won worlds XC AND DH, but on different bikes on different years
P"
The 90's influence from roadies was the worst time in mountain biking, 130mm stem, flat bars (680mm), shit geometry and toe straps.
Early 90's bar width never went beyond 540mm. Albert Iten won the 91 DH worlds on a 500mm or less handlebar.
at the 91 worlds Tomac slowed down in DH qualifying so he could start the actual race run in last place, thereby knowing everyone elses times to beat. unfortunately that tactic didnt work out as it rained for Tomacs run, which cost him the win to Iten
Tomac also had 2nd placed world champs in 97. pretty certain he came out of retirement to win the mammoth kamikaze in 2004 & 2005 as well.
sorry i'm a biased Tomac fan. i'll stop now
Cantilever brakes: Used to brake with 3 or 4 fingers and could never really slow down once you were flying..
Tioga Psycho tyres 1.96 with absolutely no grip
22 in handlebars
Frames and rims that just cracked....
We had fun, but sure dont miss the old bikes.
You don't have to worry about your brakes doing much more than squeal, that your tires would grip (then they weren't going flat) and you had control with suspension that works.
And don't forget looooooong stems and top tubes; very steep head angles; and, of course, nothing but 26.
I've still got a 93 Cannondale Delta V that I use on a trainer. The thing is so long, I feel like I'm laying on the top tube. Adds to the trainer suffer-factor.
It got too scary riding around on that bike with those angles and the long stem. scariest for me was that the handlebars where a foot and a half below the seat. even climbing it felt like I am going to go over the bars any moment.... lol way scarier than riding the trails on my cross bike, honestly...
Gave up on it when I broke the linkage.
By 2000, I had turned pro at 18 and ended up beating him in DH at a few NORBA races — and I don’t think he had any clue that he had played such a major role in making me the rider that I was. He was always super nice to talk with and ALWAYS put on an excellent show =)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Tomac
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypjcqTm-YbA
ET is on fire this year. Seems to have the consistency and starts both fixed... I don’t see Kenny coming back into the fight, we may have to rely on Webb. Has been a great season so far.
Okay, so yeah, bicycles. Oops.
mmbhof.org/cindy-whitehead-buccowich
Then about ten years later, my carbon post snapped remounting after I had to dismount because some people cannot hop over logs...
Shoved it into my camelbak and raced...for about 20 mins more.
All I could think about the whole time was how the hell did she pull that off???
It’s just like watching a 60s video of mororcycle racer Malcolm Smith, you’re just in awe but can’t help clenching your jaw.....
I was so nervous I didn't know what to say, other than thank you...
on a 21' CRT TV,no internet, Especially the 1991 with all the Legends! Overend, Tinker etc..and DJERNIS! THREE gold medals 92 93 and 94,so underrated, will still smoke most people on his rigid ritchey steel bike.. miss the 90s,love to hate the neon lycra,moustaches and lousy bikes..but natural trails not parks,ahhh :-) mtb was freaky and underground ish..but hey it's all about riding!
But comparing that period with our currect times, is a bit weird no?
XC & DH have evolved so much and to win them you need so much specialization, much more than what was needed then.
I mean; Nino & MVdP can probably do easily what Tomac did (no disrespect). But winning a DH race on a DH track as we know it today? Don't think so, not even close.
At the time I kept thinking why my mountain bike fork was not as good as the one on my 1970's Norco MX1200 bmxmuseum.com/bikes/norco/89886 >, when you were carrying speed over roots or rocks.
2020: “Gravel Bikes Exist Because Mountain Biking Is Now Boring”