| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | Variable |
| Region | Variable venue |
| Nickname(s) | SSWC |
| Discipline | Mountain Bike |
| Type | World Championship |
| Race director | Varialbe |
| History | |
| First edition | 1995 |
| Editions | 14 |
| Final edition | 2011 |
The Single Speed World Championship, or SSWC, is an annual event. It is only open to bicycles with a single gear ratio. Those bicycles can be either singlespeeds or fixed-gears. Most of the bicycles used in these races are mountain bikes however some people choose to take part in the event on cyclo-cross bicycles, racing bicycles and bicycles defying easy categorization.
Contents |
The first SSWC of any kind was held in 1995 and called "W.H.I.R.L.E.D.". The first official Single Speed World Championship was held in 1999, however, it was less of a race and more of a bike rally focused on fun and not competition. About 260 people showed up for the 1999 event.
World Champion bicycle races usually award the victor a title and the right to wear a special jersey denoting their win. The SSWC does award a titled but instead of a special jersey winners are forced to accept either a tattoo or branding. Most race promoters and organizers have always issued the warning to competitors, "Do not win, if you do not want the tattoo." As of yet no winner has attempted to fight off the tattoo or branding artist. Some other organizers have attempted to move the focus from racing to make it more of an event, but each year the event becomes more like any other race.
Unlike most World Championship bicycle races, the SSWC is not sanctioned by any governing body. This recurring event has little organization other than the individuals putting the race on each year. The right to host the event next year is usually decided with some sort of drinking contest.
| Year | Country | Location | Male Winner | Nation | Female Winner | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | South Africa | |||||
| 2011 | Ireland | Ballyhoura | Niall Davis | Ireland | Heather Holmes | USA |
| 2010 | New Zealand | Rotorua | Garth Weinberg | New Zealand | Heather Logie | Australia |
| 2009 | USA | Durango, CO | Ross Schnell | USA | Heather Irmiger | USA |
| 2008 | USA | Napa, CA | Carl Decker | USA | Rachel Lloyd | USA |
| 2007 | Scotland | Aviemore | Adam Craig | USA | Kelli Emmett | USA |
| 2006 | Sweden | Stockholm | Sveinung Bjørkøy | Norway | Tiffany Allmandinger | USA |
| 2005 | USA | State College, PA | Brian Keich | USA | Marla Steb | USA |
| 2004 | Germany | Berlin | Florian Eschenbach | German | Linda Eckhart | USA |
| 2003 | Australia | Castlemaine, Victoria | Clinton Jackson | New Zealand | Linda Eckhart | USA |
| 2002 | USA | Downieville, CA | Travis Brown | USA | Stella Carey | USA |
| 2001 | Wales | Afan Argoed | Jeff Wherlock | UK | Alison Rushton | UK |
| 2000 | USA | Minneapolis, MN | Jay Hollywood Henderson | USA | Stella Carey | USA |
| 1999 | USA | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Travis Brown | USA | Marla Streb | USA |
| 1995 | USA | Big Bear Lake, CA | Adam Briggs | USA | unknown |
Big Bear Lake, California, United States
The event was presented by Bob Seals and called the "W.H.I.R.L.E.D." (Wasted Hairy Insanely Retro League of Enlightened Degenerates) Championships. The first part of the race was not to run to your bike or start riding, but to finish a beer.
Not held
Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States
13 May - Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
2 June - Afan Argoed Country Park, Wales
The event was held in the Afan Argoed Country Park, near Port Talbot, in southern Wales. The park is within valley's forest, which has the distinction of being the largest urban forest in Europe. One of the most memorable prizes were awarded to the fattest and skinniest racer. These titles were determined by the crowd's cheering at the award event. Prizes were also awarded for best seen crash, most vomiting during the race (4), person most in need of a new frame (award a new Bianchi frame), best male legs (decided by the top ten women), pimp-est bike and most hungover.
Saturday October 12 Downieville, California, United States
The 2002 event was the first to awarding the winners branding instead of tattoos. Stella Carey said the branding hurt much less than the pain endured during the race. The brands were applied by professional brander, Michael Hare, of Exotic Body in Sacramento, California. Additionally, Stella and Travis were each awarded a pig trophy. The trophy's frames were made by welding expert and bike frame maker Rick Hunter. Steve Smith assembled dissected piglet embryos into cylinders of formaldehyde and/or urine, that were held within each trophy. Sixth place women took home a stock Independent Fabrications frame with custom paint and 66th place men took home a custom Independent Fabrications frame with stock paint. Bay Area favorites Three Years Down were supposed to play the after party, but broke up on the Friday before the race. Sticker Guy Pete (who also owns 702 Records, Three Years Down's label) drove from Reno and spin records in their absence.
9 November - Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia
21 August - State College, Pennsylvania, United States
The 2005 SSWC course was a single lap of approximately 25 miles (40 km) with three major climbs and four descents and a total elevation gain of approximately 3500 feet (1070 meters). The race started with a 1 mile (1.6 km) trail run to separate the field of 400 plus riders.
The 2005 event highlight was not awarding the title of World Champion to the winner of the bicycle race, but to the winner of a Go-kart race after the primary event. Finishing well in the bicycle race (top 20 men and top 10 women) only qualified you for the Go-Kart race.
Only first and second place were recorded and released for the bicycle stage. First two men were Jesse LeLonde and Travis Brown, first two women were Abby Hippley and Tiffany Mann. Jesse and Abby both failed to win the championship, despite their starting Go-kart pole position. For their first place finishes they were awarded bottles of 15 year old scotch. Other prizes were awarded for the person requiring the most stitches, drinking the most the night before, riding another person's bike to the end, having to ride somebody else bike since took yours by mistake, and doing the most damage to your bike during the race.
Surly Bikes won the derby, allowing them to choose the venue for the 2006 championship race.
19-20 August - Stockholm, Sweden
The right to decide the location for SSWC06 was determined via bike derby, at SSWC05. Applications were submitted and evaluated, with the winning entry (an application and video submitted by Tobias Jönsson and Joakim Simonsson of Stockholm) announced on the Jan 6, 2006 Surly Blog. One of the primary motivating factors for the choice was the proximity of world-class trails, within easy riding distance from the city center, making it a car-free event.
The event was organized primarily by Tobias Jönsson, Phil McNaughton (a.k.a. Dr. Spoke) and Dane Thomas. Pre and post-race activities were based at a local art, music and design market called Street.
Pre-race rides were organized via the SSWC06 website and HappyMTB forums, so that local riders would have the chance to show guests the wide variety of trails available.
Race day saw a gathering of approximately 300 riders moving from Race Central to the start and finish area, at the base of Hammarby Ski Hill. Just over 200 participants from 15 different countries were issued race passes. The race course covered two 12 km loops, consisting primarily of root covered rocky technical single-track, through an area called Hellasgården.
Female: 1. Tiffany Allmandinger (United States) 2. Alison Rushton (United Kingdom) - Winner of SSWC01 3. Johanna 'JoJo' Reeder (Sweden)
Male: 1. Sveinung Bjørkøy (Norway) 2. Brian Keich (United States) - Winner of SSWC05 3. Luca Mara (Sweden)
The race winners were tattooed directly following the event by Theo Jak and were also awarded certificates for custom Retrotec steel singlespeed frames to be built by Curtis Inglis, the primary sponsor of the event who also attended and raced in Stockholm. Second place riders won their choice of hub-sets from Phil Wood, while third place riders won WORD rear hubs by Paul Component Engineering. All other prizes were awarded based upon factors, other than finishing position. Some examples being a bottle of Scotch to the older gentleman who managed to negotiate one full lap of the course on his ancient Swedish military bicycle; tires from WTB to those who flatted on the course or pre-race rides; a freewheel from White Industries for a competitor who destroyed his freewheel during the race; cogs from Phil Wood for all competitors who completed the race on fixed-gear bicycles; wool Brooks riding jerseys provided by Cykloteket for those competitors coming from the farthest south and north.
The selection process for the location of SSWC07 was held on Sunday, 20 August. Contestants were told that it was to be a boat race and that those nations wishing to be in contention should present four person teams. The "boat race" turned out to be a beer drinking relay race which was handily won by the team from Scotland, winning them the right to host SSWC07.
2 September - Aviemore, Scotland
Athletes competed from Germany, United States, Hungary, Italy, Canada, Switzerland, Australia and many others. Drinking Cairngorm Brewery beer, the course was specifically modified by local trail builders Andy, David and Nash, resulting in an array of prizes from a range of generous sponsors.
Kelli Emmet and Adam Craig took home top honors, acquiring Custom Inc. Tattoo Studio tattoos. Kelli won the Sycip custom singlespeed frame, with Adam winning the Black Sheep custom titanium frame.
Females: 1.Kelli Emmett (United States) 2.Jenn Hopkins (United Kingdom) 3.Sinead Fitzgibbon (United States) 4.Tiffany Allmandinger (United States) 5.Rebecca Tomaszewski (United States)
Males: 1.Adam Craig (United States) 2.Carl Decker (United States) 3.Travis Brown (United States) 4.Gareth Montgomery (Scotland) 5.Sveinung Bjørekøy (Norway)
24 August - Napa, California, United States
19-20 September - Durango, Colorado, United States.
23 October - Rotorua, New Zealand The event was held within the Whakarewarewa Forest and hosted by the Rotorua Singlespeed Society. Whakarewarewa boasts a trail network of over 80 kilometres that is built and maintained by volunteers. When entries closed at midnight on September 30 (NZST) nearly 1000 had registered from 30 countries. Rider numbers are around the same as the previous high in Durango, 2009. However country numbers were well up on the previous best of 17 at SSWC04 in Berlin.
Ireland
Riders faced two laps of a 12 mile course in South West Ireland at the Ballyhoura trail centre. 580 riders signed up. Last years champion Garth Weinburg finished a close second to Davis the male winner.
29 September - Spioenkop/Winterton Kwa-Zulu Natal province, South Africa