The envelope please...

While the rest of the world is focused on the U.S. presidential election, the results of another, albeit lower profile one, have been tallied.

Of course we’re talking about the 2016 inductees into the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame. Founded in Crested Butte in 1988, the MBHOF was relocated last year to its sister facility, the Marin Museum of Bicycling in Fairfax, Calif.

Ten mountain biking pioneers were inducted in that first year, and since then, three to seven mountain bike legends have been selected annually. For 2016, five inductees were chosen to grace the hallowed walls in the Oct. 1 ceremony in Fairfax – including one former piranha-wearing downhiller near and dear to Durango’s heart. (And to all those who didn’t make it – again – keep on riding.)

- Hank Barlow created and launched the first issue of Mountain Bike Magazine in 1985, the first full-color publication to cover the rapidly evolving world of bikes, races and places to ride, including a place hardly anyone had heard of: Moab.

- Matt Fritzinger founder of the NorCal High School Cycling League in 2001 and the National Interscholastic Cycling Association in 2009, Fritzinger is credited with a resurgence in the sport, with nearly 10,000 student-athletes and 3,500 coaches participating in interscholastic mountain bike racing in 2016.

- Missy Giove one of mountain biking’s first female superstars and a cultural icon, Missy is the all-time leader in NORBA downhill wins with 14, and is fourth on the list of World Cup medals with 11. Additional accomplishments include three overall NORBA downhill crowns, two World Cup overalls, and the 1994 world championship title. Missy won an X Games Gold in Dual Slalom in 2000.

- Roman Urbina in 1992, Urbina founded the race that established the multi-day genre – La Ruta de los Conquistadores, often referred to as the  “The World’s Toughest Mountain Bike Race.” Today, we can thank him for inspiring dozens of similar multi-day mountain bike stage races around the world, from the TransAlp Challenge in Europe to the Breck Epic.

- Jeff Archer in 2005, Archer founded the Museum of Mountain Bike Art & Technology (MOMBAT), in Statesville, N.C. The MOMBAT collection includes more than 400 vintage bikes and thousands of parts, accessories and literature accumulated over three decades, making it the most comprehensive bike collection in the world. And it’s free.

Archer died July 19 after being hit by a drunken driver while crossing the street in Statesville.

To find out more, go to: mmbhof.org