SOMERVILLE, NJ - The Board of Directors of the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame have announced the inductees for the Class of 2004. Selections are made based on review of nominations accepted from the national cycling community and the general public. The Selection Committee is comprised of cycling experts in various areas of competitive and recreational cycling and all living Hall of Famers.

Recipients will be formally inducted at the Annual Dinner & Induction Ceremony at the Redwood Inn in Bridgewater, New Jersey on Sunday, May 30, 2004, beginning at 6:00 P.M. The Induction Ceremony coincides with the weekend series of international road and criterium events run in Somerset County, culminating with the running of the Tour of Somerville on Memorial Day. Tickets are available by calling the Hall of Fame at 908-722-3620.

View photos from the 2004 Induction Ceremony and Dinner

The class of 2004 includes:

Veteran: Pre-1945
REGGIE MCNAMARA (born 1887, Grenfell, New South Wales, Australia)
Reggie McNamara began racing professionally in 1906 in local fairs around Sydney, winning his first Sydney 6-day race in 1913. He came to the U.S. and became an American citizen when he married Elizabeth McDonough 1913.  At the Newark Velodrome he set five unpaced World records from 1 Mile to 25 Miles between 1915 and 1917.  He achieved his fame in the New York Madison Square Garden 6-day races, winning seven between 1918 and 1932, competing against the best international riders. In Chicago, he won five 6-day races at the Chicago Coliseum and won 6-day races in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and England. He was called the “Iron Man of Cycling”. With 55 victories in 125 starts, Reggie further proved his durability by taking the 1932 Madison Square Garden 6-day at the age of 45. He died in 1970 at age 83.

Modern: 1945-1975
JOHN VANDE VELDE (born 1949, Chicago, Illinois)
A swimmer turned cyclist, John Vande Velde was a member of the 1968 (Mexico City) and 1972 (Munich) Olympic teams. A three time National Champion in the Individual Pursuit, John also rode on the Pan American team, winning a bronze medal.  After the 1972 Olympics, John turned professional and entered the lucrative pro six-day race circuit.  In 1994, he built the Vandedrome, a portable track used for the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York City. John served as Vice President of USA Cycling, Vice President of the United States Cycling Federation, and as a member of the UCI track commission.  John's son, Christian, is a National Champion and currently rides as a professional for the US Postal Service team. His daughter, Marisa, was one of America's hopes for the 2000 Summer Olympic Games. John's youngest son, Ian, is a champion golfer.

Modern: Post 1975
ALEXI GREWAL (Born 1961)
One of America’s most colorful and emotional road racers, Alexi is most noted for his hill climbing and stage racing abilities. Although he won many of the toughest events on US soil, he is best remembered for the season he had in 1984, specifically the Los Angeles Olympics at which he won America's first Olympic gold medal in road racing, and the first official men's gold medal in cycling since 1912.  With an estimated crowd of 300,000 lining the 190.2-kilometer route, Grewal edged Canadian Steve Bauer to claim the gold medal in the men's road race, breaking away from the field with 20 kilometers remaining and opening up a 24-second lead after 11 of 12 laps and then being caught by Bauer with 10 kilometers left, setting up a dramatic final-lap showdown. This scene, replayed many times since, is one of the most emotional Olympic victories of the Modern Games.  It has been an inspiration to millions of people worldwide and is seen as a turning point for American road cycling.  Alexi went on to turn pro following the Olympics, and competed in the Tour de France.

Modern: Post 1975
RON KIEFEL (Born 1960)
Ron is one of America’s most recognizable racers with a 20-year career of Elite cycling, 11-years as a pro.  Ron was a veteran of such teams as 7-Eleven, Motorola, Coors Light and Saturn, where he amassed victories in several important European races including Trofeo Laigueglia (1985) and the Tour of Tuscany (1987). Ron was a stage winner in the 1986 Giro d’Italia, competed in seven Tours De France, and was a Bronze Medallist in the 1984 Olympic Games. In 1983 Ron was a triple U.S. National Champion with victories in the Road Race, Individual Time Trial, and the Team Time Trial, repeating as National Road Champion in 1988.  Following his retirement from professional competition in 1996, he has  provided TV and Radio broadcast commentary and live reporting for many of the European Classics and Major Tours. Ron has remained active in the cycling community in Wheat Ridge, Colorado where he provides coaching and guidance for aspiring cyclists, manages a large bicycle shop, and promotes races and rides for area cyclists.

Mountain Biking
JOHN TOMAC (Born 1967)
John Tomac won his first race at age 17, when in 1984 he won the National BMX Cruiser Class Championship. Since then has crossed over into both road racing and mountain bike racing, excelling at both. He has won more mountain bike races than anyone in the sport, and done so at every level and in all aspects: cross-country, uphill, downhill, even trials. In 1988 and 1990 he won the World Mountain Bike Championships overall title and has claimed many NORBA and national titles. In 1991, won the Grundig World Cup #2 in France, the Italian National Championship Series #1, the NORBA National Championship #1 in Durango, and the Rage in the Sage Circuit Race in Gunnison, Colo. He was voted the top all-around rider in the world in 1988 by Velo-News, and was the Mountain Bike Action Magazine Truck Series Champion in 1987 and 1988. As a roadie, he earned the title of “Best Young Rider” in the 1988 Coors Classic Prologue.

BMX
PERRY KRAMER
Born 1959 in Santa Monica, CA.,  Perry was the 1979 Pro World Champion, winning the Pro Class at the 1979 JAG International World Championship.  Other international championships include first place for an International Race in Japan, 1980; the Avro Invitational Fietscross race in Eidnhoven, Netherlands in 1980; and the New Zealand Summer Nationals in 1983. In 1976, he placed second for the NBL Nationals, and placed fourth as NBL Pro in 1979 and 1980.  In 1978, Kramer assisted Scot Breithaupt to establish SE Racing, a BMX company that today is owned by Fuji Bicycles. In 1979, he created and promoted a BMX bike named the "PK Ripper", using his initials. The bike is still being produced and sold today. In 1978,  Perry began BMX schools and turned that into what was promoted in 1980 as "Perry Kramer's Pro School of BMX". That year's tour was sponsored by BMX Plus magazine.

Contributor
BILL WOODUL (1942-1999)
Bill Woodul was a pioneer who created the concept of professional racing support in North America.  Bill was the first person to see the need for a professional race mechanic and built the neutral support service industry in the process.  Following a stint as an apprentice mechanic in Amsterdam, he returned to the U.S. and started the Campagnolo Neutral Support Program.  Bill and his silver-blue van with the bubble top was a staple at all of the major cycling events in the U.S. during the 1970’s and ‘80’s.   Hired by the USCF to serve as the Manager of National Team Support, Bill developed a program for the training and licensing of professional mechanics.  A veteran of four Olympics and countless national and international events, it’s been said that every elite cyclist in the U.S. during his lifetime, benefited from his technical expertise. 
His involvement in cycling took him to 42 different countries in support of racers.  Bill’s lasting legacy is the Bill Woodul Licensing Center at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.  Aspiring trade team and neutral support mechanics learn the proper methods of race support and professionalism as they embark on a career in professional cycling.  In February, 1999, Bill received the USA Cycling Lifetime Achievement Award, for his contributions to cycling.

BACKGROUNDER
The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame was established to provide a single location where the history of cycling on its competitive and recreational levels can be made available for everyone to appreciate. The Hall is designed to honor the sport of cycling, chronicle the history of cycling in America and provide a center for information and education of the sport and pastime. The past, present is preserved by recognizing the efforts of those who have contributed to the sport. The future is protected and advanced by making this history available and by providing the education necessary to appreciated the importance of bicycling to the American people. The Hall also provides a forum for education on the value of bicycling from social, recreational and environmental points of view.

PRESS CONTACT: Rich Reitman 908-526-1390 or 908-400-6061