Jacquie Phelan won US mountain-bike titles in 1983, 1984 and 1985. Her success was closely linked to Otto, the bicycle built by Charlie Cunningham. Both were inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1988.
Phelan also wanted more women to discover off-road riding. She began running skills camps in 1984 and founded the Women’s Mountain Bike & Tea Society, or WOMBATS, in 1987. She encouraged women to ride without needing racing ambitions.
Her story brings athletic achievement together with a willingness to share experience. Group rides and opportunities to learn can widen cycling’s appeal well beyond the race start line.