Michael Allen King (born June 30, 1969) is an "Old School/Mid School" former professional Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer whose prime competitive years were from 1984 to 1998 and is also a former Mountain Bike (MTB) racer who prime competitive years in that discipline were 1993 to 2004.
Biography
Mike King is the younger sibling of one of the most respected brother combinations of BMX racing: Eddy & Mike King. Of the two King Brothers, Mike had a more dominating career in terms of national titles he won as an amateur and professional. As with most brother combinations the younger brother often live in the shadow of the elder and Eddy King was a well-respected rider with a long career. Mike came out of his brother's shadow when he won his first national title when he became the American Bicycle Association's national number one amateur for 1984 and again in 1987. Mike turned to the pro class in 1988 and earned the Rookie of Year honor and the National number one pro title. Still without a nickname at the time, although he was also known as "Mikey" by many, he became known as "The Snake" by his competitors for his relentless ability to pass riders during a race. In 1993, Mike took to mountain bike racing and instantly found success in his rookie year by winning the National Off-Road Bicycle Association’s Dual Slalom National Championships and the coveted Union Cycliste Internationale Downhill Mountain Bike World Championship title in Métabief, France. After multiple international and domestic victories, world cup wins, and national championships, Mike retired from professional cycling in 2005.
In 2006, Mike was hired by USA Cycling as the BMX program director and lead Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China and 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. During that time, Team USA brought home three Olympic medals to BMX.
Mike was inducted into the National BMX Hall of Fame in 1999 and the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame in 2013. Currently, Mike works for the City of Rock Hill, SC as the BMX Supervisor of the Novant Health BMX Supercross facility as well consulting and brand ambassador roles in the bicycle industry with companies Vee Tire Co, Felt Bicycles, Turbine, and XRCEL.
Racing career milestones
Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.
Started racing: June 29, 1975, one day shy of his sixth birthday and approximately six and a half months after his elder brother Eddy started racing on January 15, 1975 at the Silver Wing BMX track in San Diego, California. Went on a one and a half year hiatus from National racing for most of the 1981 season (he raced at least in one national event, the National Bicycle Motocross Association (NBmxA) 1981 Rancho National near El Cajon, California on August 16BMX Plus! December 1981 Vol.4 No.12 pg.61) and into the first half of 1982 sticking to only racing on the local level.BMX Plus! June 1989 Vol.12 No.6 pg.75 He returned to National level racing during the 1982 season.BMX Plus! March 1985 Vol.8 No.3 pg.50 Dropped out briefly again for six months in 1983 but returned permanently for the November 1983 ABA Fall Nationals.BMX Plus! April 1988 Vol.11 No.4 pg.32 After his hiatus from racing BMX nationals he came back with renewed commitment stating:"When I was 13 I decided I wanted to make BMX my career!"American BMXer July 1985 Vol.7 No.5 pg.18--Mike King, American BMXer July 1985
Milestone Event DetailsSanctioning body: Independent trackHome sanctioning body district(s):National Bicycle Association (NBA) District "S" (San Diego, California) 1975-1981; American Bicycle Association (ABA) California 21 (CA-21) 1985First race bike: First race result: First win (local): First sponsor: Wheels 'n' ThingsFirst national win: Turned professional: December 1987 at 18 years old. His last amateur race was The ABA Grand National in November 1987. He won the 17 & Over Expert Class.Super BMX & Freestyle March 1988 Vol.15 No.3 pg.22 (results)First professional race result: Second in "B" Pro at the National Bicycle League (NBL) Christmas National in Columbus, Ohio on December 27, 1987. He won USD$325.BMX Plus! April 1988 Vol.11 No.4 pg.62 or USD 611.09 equivalent in 2008.Cost of Living Calculator First professional win: At the American Bicycle Association (ABA) Ozark National in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on January 27, 1988 in "A" pro. He won USD 435,BMX Plus! May 1988 Vol.11 No.5 pg.57 the equivalent to USD 817.92 in 2008.First Junior Men/pro* race result: See "First professional race result"First Junior Men/pro win: See "First professional win"First Senior pro** race result: First in "AA" Pro at the ABA Great Northwest Nationals in Vancouver, Washington on March 27, 1988. He won all three runnings of the "AA" Pro main, the first racer to do so on his first outing as a "AA" pro. He won USD 870 (USD 1,570.85 in 2008). He won Pro Open that day as well, doubling. He won USD 315 (USD 568.76 in 2008). Indeed, he also scored a rare double-double that weekended winning "A" pro and Pro Open on Saturday and then after transferring to the senior "AA" pro class won it and Pro Open againBMX Plus! July 1988 Vol.11 No.7 pg.48First Senior pro win: See above.Height and weight at height of his career (1984–1989): Ht:5'9"-11" Wt:~182 lbs.Retired: 2002 from BMX racing. 2006 from almost all MTB competition.
Career factory and major bicycle shop sponsors
Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous 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
Wheels 'n' Things: 1979-December 1979 Torker Inc. (Johnson Engineering): January 1980-December 1981
Bicycle Parts Pacific/Dirt Slinger: November 1983-March 1984 Redline Engineering: March 3 to March 10, 1984. Very briefly with Redline and only on the support team at this time.Super BMX May 1984 Vol.11 No.5 pg.5 "Comings/Goings" chart. He never got a chance to wear the Redline uniform however before accepting a better offer from Huffy Corporation.Super BMX July 1984 Vol.11 No.7 pg.16 Huffy Corporation: March 11, 1984-April 1986 Haro Designs/Bicycles: April 1986-November 30, 1990. Mike King would turn pro with this sponsor.
Professional Haro Designs/Bicycles: April 1986-November 30, 1990. Left under very bad circumstances. It even got personal with Bob Haro himself beginning in May 1990. He even contemplated quitting BMX after the 1990 ABA Grand National.BMX Plus! June 1991 Vol.14 No.6 pg.70 However, by 2000 he would mend fences with Bob Haro and would be sponsored by them again by then. Redline Engineering: January 1, 1991-December 1992 Balance Cycles: January 1993-December 1993 GT (Gary Turner) Bicycles: 1994-1999 Haro Designs/Lee Pipes: 1999-2001
Career bicycle motocross titles
Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial, Regional, National, and International titles in italics. "Defunct" refers to the fact of that sanctioning body in question no longer existing at the start of the racer's career or at that stage of his/her career. 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
National Bicycle Association (NBA)
Bicycle Motocross Association of San Diego (BMXAOSD) 1976 No.2 1984 14 Expert Tijuana BMX Cup Champion
*The Tijuana BMX Cup was a one time event held in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, and sponsored by the International Cycling Organization, Coca-Cola, Carta Blanca, and the State Secretary of Tourism of Baja California. The BMX Association of San Diego after the major BMX governing bodies, the NBL and ABA, declined to sanction the event, ran it. As a result, while heavily promoted it had sparse participation with only 200 racers comprising about 22 motos (including 13 professionals from the United States) out of the hoped for 6000 tourist. A promoter of the race Phil Bartel had anticipated making enough money to build three or four tracks in Tijuana. He instead lost US$5,000. The reason for the low turn out are attributed to the lack of ABA and NBL points for racers touring those circuits, negating an important motivation to attend. A further disincentive was the high entrance fees of $20 and the mere fact that it was in Mexico, a nation with foreign (to Americans) standards of culture and law, even though it was held only a half mile from the border inside Mexico.BMX Plus! September 1984 Vol.7 No.9 pg.59 In May 1984 the BMXA of San Diego merged with the ABA.ABA Action June 1984 Vol.7 No.6 pg.26
National Bicycle League (NBL) 1984 15 Expert National No.1 1985 16 Expert Grandnational Champion 1985 16 Expert National No.1 1986 17 Expert Grandnational Champion 1986 17 Expert National No.1 1987 18 & Over Expert and 16 & Over Open Grandnational Champion 1987 18 & Over Expert National No.1. American Bicycle Association (ABA) 1984 15 Expert Grandnational Champion 1984 National No.1 1985 15 Expert Winter Season California District 21 (CA-21) District Age Group (DAG) No.1 1985 16 Expert National No.1* 1987 17 & Over Expert U.S. Gold Cup West Champion. 1987 15 & Over Boys Honda East Vs. West Shootout "Future Pro" Champion. 1987 17 & Over Grandnational Champion 1987 National 17 & Over Expert No. 1 & Overall National No.1 Amateur. He won a Gaston speed boat as a prize.
*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 amateur, which in 1985 was Brent Romero.
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF) 1981 11 Expert International Champion 1985 15 Expert Murray World Cup IV Champion. 1986 16 Expert Murray World Cup V Champion. 1987 17 Expert Vision Street Wear World Cup* Champion 1987 Supercross World Champion**
*The Vision Street Wear World Cup was the direct descendant of the Murry World Cup. Murray stopped sponsoring the World Cup after the fifth 1986 edition due to the failure of Murray of Ohio bicycle company and the NBL to come to an agreement about the sponsorship fee Murray would have had to pay the NBL. If Murray continued its sponsor ship, the 1987 addition would have been the sixth (VI) in the series. **In Europe, Supercross is a pro/am class in which amateurs could win a limited amount of money but still retain their amateur status. Eddy King's amateur status in the NBL and ABA was unaffected in part because no prize money was awarded. However, this class is different from the Pro World Championship which was held by Gary Ellis in 1987.
Independent Events and Series 1983 14 Expert Third Place Jag BMX World Superbowl Championship Champion
Professional
National Bicycle Association (NBA) None National Bicycle League (NBL) 1989 "A" Pro Grandnational Champion
American Bicycle Association (ABA) 1988 National No.1 Pro 1988 Pro Gold Cup West Champion 1994 Pro Cruiser Grandnational Champion 1995 Pro Cruiser Grandnational Champion United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA) None International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF) None Pro Series Championships and Invitationals
1988 Bicross International de Paris Bercy Champion (King of Bercy).