Laughlin Nevada cyclist named inductee into the US Bicycling Hall of Fame

BMX Bikes News. Twenty seven years ago, a pre-teen girl named Cheri Elliott got talked into signing up for an amateur BMX race at Prairie City, south of Folsom. After much prodding from her parents and older brother, she duct taped her pant legs tight, donned an oversized white motorcycle helmet and climbed onto her clunky Huffy bicycle with her racing number scribbled across a paper plate taped to her handlebars to race against experienced armor-clad youths riding custom racing machines.
Nobody expected her to place. But unfortunately for the other racers who had their hearts set on coming home with that first-place trophy, Elliott dominated the track to win the first of many victories of a 20-year cycling career that would eventually lead to 14 national and world championships in both BMX and mountain bike racing.
Laughlin's Elliott was recently announced as an inductee into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame this November 2 for her contributions to the sport of BMX racing. The news coincides with the sport making it's debut among both men and women in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
In 1980's, Elliott's name was a staple among BMXers. Having won virtually every women's title during her first two years, she decided to break the gender barrier to compete against men. “Nobody understood why I wanted to race the guys,” she said. “I just wasn't being challenged enough and I felt like I had to move up to the next level.” Elliott defied opinions by winning several national events and trophy dashes. She could jump higher and soar farther than almost any other racer on the track, becoming the iconic “Rosie the Riveter” of the sport.
Elliott retired from BMX racing in 1985 at the age of 15 after paving the way for many other women to become serious competitors in the sport. Elliott intended to focus on a more traditional, professional career. She graduated high school and attended college at CSU Sacramento with no intent of returning to the sport. But during her senior year in 1993, she read an article about a former BMX rival, Lee Donnovan, who had gone on to dual-slalom mountain bike racing. “I thought ‘what the heck is this? If she can do it, I can do it, too!' So I called up a friend of mine who got me a bike and a sponsorship and took me up to Vale for my first race.”
“I didn't do well...actually it scared me half to death. Riding down a ski slope was very fast and scary...nothing like BMX.”
Undeterred by her early harrowing experience, Elliott decided to take another stab at racing, joining the KHS factory team and committing herself to training full-time. By the end of the 1994 racing season, she had been named the NORBA national dual-slalom champion.
Early mountain bikes bore very little resemblance to the full-suspension monster machines of today, Elliott said, making the ride a lot more challenging. “There was no rear suspension, and front suspension was brand new,” she said. “You only had about an inch of cushion. They were basically cross-country bikes that we were riding on some treacherous terrain...it wasn't until ‘95 that I saw Missy Jovi show up with this mac-daddied out, full-suspension Cannondale that had about five inches of travel. Now the BMX bikes get like nine or 10.”
Elliott's racing career sunsetted in 2001 with a spine-wretching crash that nearly paralyzed her early in the season. “I hit this great big jump, covering about 30 feet,” she said. “I clipped the edge of the landing and went flying into the next berm. I hyperextended by back and watched my feet fly over my head. I heard a ‘crunch' and knew something was wrong.” An MRI following her accident showed significant damage to several vertebrae, which created pressure on her spinal cord that led to temporary partial paralysis of her right leg. She took the injury as a sign to move on from racing and has since pursued a career as a real estate broker. “I felt like I had dodged the bullet with that one,” she said. “Others haven't been so lucky.”
At 38, Elliott still looks the part of a hardcore racer with powerful shoulders, muscular legs and a pixie smile that doesn't detract from her image. She still rides for recreation, she says, dropping off flyers at various properties for sale around the community. “And I'll still go ride on a BMX track just for fun,” she says.
Although no longer a competitive cyclist, Elliott remains a champion of BMX racing, calling it a sport that's more accessible than most people realize. In 2007, she and her brother Kent Elliott founded the national team Next Generation. She also sponsors several athletic teams through her broker business at ERA.
Regarding her upcoming hall of fame induction, Elliott said she wishes she could give the award to the sport itself. “It changed my life,” she said. “I am who I am today because of the sport. For me to get the award myself seems almost selfish. I've decided it to all of the women about to make their debut in BMX in the Olympics this August.”