Melanie Cline

Melanie Cline
Personal information
Full name Melanie R. Cline
Nickname "Swell Mel", "Mel", "Speed Queen",
Born (1975-06-29) June 29, 1975
Westland, Michigan, United States
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight 64 kg (141 lb)
Team information
Current team Moley Gosh
Discipline Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
Role Racer
Rider type Off Road
Amateur team(s)
1983 Reggie's Schwinn BMX
1984–1985 Kam Marketing/Champion
1986 Reggie's Schwinn BMX
1986–1987 Hardee's
1987–1990 Cyclecraft
1990–1991 DK
1991 Revcore
1995 Cannondale
1995–1996 Ross
Professional team(s)
1996 Ross
1997 Profile
Infobox last updated on
July 14, 2008

Melanie R. Cline (born June 29, 1975) is an American former amateur "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1982–2004 and 2009 to the present.

Born in Westland, Michigan, she was one of the first generation of female BMX racers to become well known after the 1980–1986 era dominated by Debbie Kalsow, Kathy Schachel, Gaby Bayhi and Cheri Elliott. Melanie Cline could more than hold her own against the boys, often racing in the "Open" class at nationals in which boys and girls raced in the same age bracket—9- and 10-year-olds and 11- and 12-year-olds for example—compete as opposed to the girls only division. She regularly made those Open mains and even won many of them. She won five such Opens at nationals in 1987 in the 11- and 12-year-old class.[1] Her nicknames "Swell Mel" or just "Mel" are obvious plays on her first name Melanie. She was also known as "Speed Queen". Melanie went on to win 4 World Championships as well as 16 National Championships during her racing career, the most of any one person at that time. She stopped competing in 2003 after conceiving her first son shortly after the NBL Grand Nationals.

In late 2009, Melanie returned to racing with her five-year-old son joining her. She and her son have quickly become two riders to watch out for during the 2010 NBL season.

Racing career milestones

Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.

Milestone Event Details
Started Racing: July 4, 1982 at the Salt Creek BMX track in Winchester, Indiana.[1] Age 7 years.
Sanctioning Body: American Bicycle Association (ABA)
Sanctioning body district(s): ABA Michigan District #1 (Mich-1) (1984)
First race bike:
First race result: First place at Salt Creek BMX
First win (local): See above.
First sponsor: Reggie's Schwinn BMX 1983.
First national win: She won the first seven nationals she entered.[1]
Turned Professional: 1996. This was the first year that the NBL reintroduced professional woman's races into BMX since it originally ended in 1987.
First Professional race result:
First Professional win:
First Junior Women* race result: N/A Junior Women was not a class during her career.
First Junior Women win: N/A Junior Women was not a class during her career.
First Elite Women** race result:
First Elite Women win:
Height and weight at height of her career : Ht: 5'4" Wt: 141 lbs (Size 4)
Retired:

*In the UCI Junior women are ages 15 to 16 years of age, regardless if they are professional or not in another organization. Senior Women are from 17 years old and above, again regardless if they are professional or not in another sanctioning body.

Career factory and major bike shop sponsors

Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous ever changing co-sponsors. Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are given.

Amateur/Junior Women

Professional/Elite Women

Career bicycle motocross titles

Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. Only sanctioning bodies that existed during the racer's career(s) are listed. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Series and one off Championships are also listed in block.

Amateur/Junior Women

National Bicycle League (NBL)

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)

*Beginning in the 1985 season the ABA made it possible to earn an amateur national no.1 plate in the age group of the racer, similar to NBL practice. However, the ABA still had an overall National No.1 Girl. Cheri Elliott was the overall National Girls No.1 for 1985.

International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*

Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*

*See note in professional section.

Professional/Elite Women

National Bicycle League (NBL)

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)

International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*

Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*

Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*

*Note: Beginning in 1991 the IBMXF and FIAC, the amateur cycling arm of the UCI, had been holding joint World Championship events as a transitional phase in merging which began in earnest in 1993. Beginning with the 1996 season the IBMXF and FIAC completed the merger and both ceased to exist as independent entities being integrated into the UCI. Beginning with the 1996 World Championships held in Brighton, England the UCI would officially hold and sanction BMX World Championships and with it inherited all precedents, records, streaks, etc. from both the IBMXF and FIAC.

Pro Series Championships and Invitationals

Notable accolades

Significant injuries

Miscellaneous

She has two sons, Ty Anthony Bialobrzeski, born on June 5, 2004,[6] and Gage Kele Bialobrzeski, born on July 26, 2006.

BMX press magazine interviews and articles

BMX magazine covers

Note: Only magazines that were in publication at the time of the racer's career(s) are listed unless specifically noted.

Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:

Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:

BMX Plus!:

Bicycles and Dirt:

Snap BMX Magazine & Transworld BMX:

Moto Mag:

Bicycles Today & BMX Today (The official NBL membership publication under two names):

ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer (The official ABA membership publication under three names):

USBA Racer (The official USBA membership publication):

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 BMX Plus! December 1988 Vol.11 No.12 pg.50
  2. ↑ Super BMX/Freestyle February 1986 Vol. 13 No. 2 pg.58
  3. ↑ 23mag.com history section.
  4. 1 2 BMX Plus! October 1990 Vol.13 No.10 pg.49
  5. ↑ Bicycles Today January 1985 Vol.7 No.1 pg.14
  6. ↑ BMXmania.com announcing the birth of Melaine Cline's son Ty Bialobrzeski.
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