- Martyn Ashton
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Martyn Ashton 
Animal Bike Tour, Aberystwyth, June 2007Personal information Full name Martyn Ashton Born 12 February 1974
United KingdomTeam information Discipline MTB Role Rider Rider type Trials Professional team(s) 1997
2005
2008–Volvo - Cannondale
Animal MBUK
Team Ashton DiamondbackInfobox last updated on
12 June 2008Martyn Ashton (born 2 December 1974)[1] is a mountain bike trials rider and team manager. He has been riding professional trials since 1993[2] and is often described as a mountain biking legend.[3][4] He has been credited with turning it from a niche form of riding into the sport it is today.[5]
Biography
Ashton started out as a motorcycle trials rider, and began riding mountain bike trials later on.[5] He has been the front man for The Bike Tour since 2002, and has been the British Biketrial Champion four times and has been the World Expert Biketrial Champion. Ashton is the High Jump World Record Holder. In 2008, Ashton entered the Mountain Biking UK 'Hall of Fame'.[2]
Ashton not only rides trials, he has also designed the exhibition stages[6] and has been designing products for his own Ashton Bikes range since 2002.[3] He has appeared in TV shows, magazine covers and MTB videos, and also has his own column Hop Idol in the MBUK magazine.[3] Ashton lives in Port Talbot, Wales.
Ashton broke his back in 2003 when he compressed a vertebra and fractured it during a fall, having misjudged a landing, but he soon returned to riding.[7]
Ashton established Team Ashton Diamondback in order to provide support for young riders. Although they are top level riders nationally and capable of achieving results internationally, Ashton does not believe competition results are the be all and end all, and the team concentrate just as much on gaining positive attention in the media as well as competition. A range of Team Ashton bikes were developed during 2008, and released in October 2008 as part of the 2009 Diamondback range."About Team Ashton". Ashton Bikes. http://www.ashtonbikes.com/team-ashton-diamondback/.</ref>
References
- ^ "Martyn Ashton". Cycling Website. http://www.cyclingwebsite.net/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=45792.
- ^ a b "Martyn Ashton". Ashton Bikes. http://www.ashtonbikes.com/team/martyn-ashton/.
- ^ a b c "Team Ashton Diamondback Is Launched". Diamondback. http://www.diamondback.co.uk/teamdiamondback.aspx.
- ^ "Martyn Ashton : Mountain bike legend". ADS Projects. http://www.adsprojects.com/photo_1083537.html.
- ^ a b "Martyn Ashton". Mud in the Blood. http://www.mudintheblood.co.uk/BBloodAshton.htm.
- ^ "ANIMAL MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONS, MARTYN ASHTON AND GRANT ‘CHOPPER’ FIELDER, AT THE SPORTSBOAT AND RIB SHOW". Southampton Sports Boat and RIB Show. 4 May 2005. http://www.saltwaterpr.com/asp/story/story.asp?id=2407&lang=ENG.
- ^ "UK Trials ace Ashton recovering from broken back". February 2003. http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news/?id=2003/feb03/feb05news2.
External links
Categories:- 1974 births
- Living people
- Welsh cyclists
- Mountain bike trials riders
- People from Port Talbot
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