Melanie Cline
Encyclopedia
Melanie R. Cline is an American former amateur "Old/Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
racer whose prime competitive years were from 1982-2004.
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 particularly Cheri Elliott
. Like Cheri Elliott, Melanie Cline could more than hold her own against the boys, often racing in the "Open" class in which boys and girls raced in the same age bracket-9 & 10 year olds and 11 & 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 & 12 year old class. 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 retired in 2003 after conceiving her first son shortly after the NBL Grand Nationals.
In late 2009 Melanie returned to racing with her 6 year old son joining her. She and her son have quickly become two riders to watch out for during the 2010 NBL season.
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)*
(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)*
Pro Series Championships and Invitationals
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):
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
racer whose prime competitive years were from 1982-2004.
She was one of the first generation of female BMX racers to become well known after the 1980-1986 era dominated by Debbie Kalsow
Debbie Kalsow
Debra Lynn Kalsow was an American amateur "Old School" Bicycle Motocross racer whose prime competitive years were from 1981-1985.-Racing career milestones:----Started racing: At age 11 in 1979...
, Kathy Schachel, Gaby Bayhi and particularly Cheri Elliott
Cheri Elliott
Cheri Elliott was an American champion female bicycle motocross racer in the 1980s, and a champion Downhill and Slalom mountain bike racer in the 1990s and early 2000s. During her BMX career, she spent most of her racing career on the national circuit with the Skyway Recreation factory team...
. Like Cheri Elliott, Melanie Cline could more than hold her own against the boys, often racing in the "Open" class in which boys and girls raced in the same age bracket-9 & 10 year olds and 11 & 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 & 12 year old class. 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 retired in 2003 after conceiving her first son shortly after the NBL Grand Nationals.
In late 2009 Melanie returned to racing with her 6 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
----| Milestone | Event Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Started Racing: | July 4, 1982 at the Salt Creek BMX track in Winchester, Indiana Winchester, Indiana Winchester is a city in White River Township, Randolph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Randolph County... . Age 7 years. |
|
| Sanctioning Body: | American Bicycle Association American Bicycle Association The American Bicycle Association is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona created by Merl Mennenga and Gene Roden in 1977. It is the largest sanctioning body in the United States concerning BMX. It has tracks in Canada and Mexico as well as in the USA... (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. | |
| 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: | ||
| First Junior Women win: | ||
| 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 September 2003 after conceiving her first child. | |
Amateur/Junior Women
- Reggie's Schwinn BMX: January 1983-November 1983.
- Kam Marketing/Champion Racing Poducts: November 1983-December 1985.
- Reggie's Schwinn BMX: January 1986-Late 1986
- Hardee's: Late October 1986-December 1987.
- Cyclecraft: December 1987-1990
- DK (Dad and Kids) Bicycle Company: 1990-1991
- Revcore: 1991-through November 1992
- Canondale: 1995
- Ross: 1995-1996. She would turn pro with this sponsor. The NBL reintroduced the girl's pro class in 1995.
Amateur/Junior Women
National Bicycle League (NBL)- 1984 8-9 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1984 8-9 Girls National No.1
- 1985 10 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1985 10 Girls National No.1
- 1986 11 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1986 11 Girls National No.1
- 1987 12 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1987 12 Girls National No.1
- 1988 13 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1988 13 Girls National No.1
- 1989 14 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1989 14 Girls National No.1
- 1990 15 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1990 15 Girls National No.1
- 1991 16 & Over Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1991 16 & Over Girls National No.1
- 1991 16 & Over Girls Cruiser Grandnational Champion.
- 2009 30-34 Women's Cruiser Grandnational Champion
- 2010 35-39 Women's Cruiser Grandnational Champion
- 2010 35-39 Women's Cruiser National No.1
American Bicycle Association (ABA)
- 1983 7-8 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1984 Michigan District #1 (Mich-1) No.1 Girl
- 1985 10 Girls "Race of Champions" Champion
- 1985 10 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1985 10 Girls National No.1*
- 1986 District Mich-1 No.1 Girl
- 1986 11 Girls "Race of Champions" Champion
- 1986 11 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1988 13 Girls Grandnational Champion
- 1989 14 Girls Grandnational Champion
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
The United States Bicycle Association was a short lived Bicycle Motocross national sanctioning body based in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in March 1984 by five former members of the American Bicycle Association : Rich Mann, Dave Cook, Geoff Sims, Steve Schaefer and Rod Keeling, who became the...
(USBA)
- 1984 National No.3 Girl
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
- 1983 7 & Under Girls Murray World Cup II Champion
- 1985 9 Girls Murray World Cup IV Champion
- 1987 12 Girls World Champion
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
- 1988 13 Girls World Champion
- 1989 14 Girls World Champion
- 1990 15 Girls World Champion
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
- None
Professional/Elite Women
National Bicycle LeagueNational Bicycle League
The National Bicycle League is a United States based Bicycle Motocross sports sanctioning body originally based in Deerfield Beach, Florida but after several moves it was based in Hilliard, Ohio...
(NBL)
- None
American Bicycle Association
American Bicycle Association
The American Bicycle Association is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona created by Merl Mennenga and Gene Roden in 1977. It is the largest sanctioning body in the United States concerning BMX. It has tracks in Canada and Mexico as well as in the USA...
(ABA)
- None
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
United States Bicycle Motocross Association
The United States Bicycle Association was a short lived Bicycle Motocross national sanctioning body based in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in March 1984 by five former members of the American Bicycle Association : Rich Mann, Dave Cook, Geoff Sims, Steve Schaefer and Rod Keeling, who became the...
(USBA)
- None (Defunct)
International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
- None (Defunct)
Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
- None
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
- 1995 Elite Women Bronze Medal World Cup Champion
Pro Series Championships and Invitationals
Notable accolades
- She was instrumental in persuading the NBL to provide the girls a Cruiser class separate from the boys. Not that she wanted not to race the boys, but she wanted to retain female involvement in BMX racing. This is in keeping with her penchant to be pro active. She was on the drama club, active in all sports activities in school and carried a 3.8 Grade Point Average (GPA).
Significant injuries
- Broke finger in early 1984 just before the NBL national season at eight years old. she raced anyway despite having to wear a cast that reached up to her elbow for four weeks.
Miscellaneous
She has two sons, Ty Anthony Bialobrzeski born on June 5, 2004 And Gage Kele Bialobrzeski born on July 26, 2006.BMX press magazine interviews and articles
- "Mini Kids" Bicycles and Dirt September 1984 Vol.2 No.10 pg.29. Very brief profile of her and 11 other 10 years old and under racers.
- "NBL National Number 1's" Bicycles Today January 1985 Vol.7 No.1 pg.14 Short biographical blurb in sanctioning body newspaper for becoming NBL National No.1 8-9 Girls class in 1984.
- "5 World Champs: Who are these people, anyway?" BMX Plus! December 1988 Vol.11 No.12 pg.50 Small profile article along with four other 1988 FIAC World Champions.
- "Melanie Cline: Sponsored by Cycle Craft" BMX Plus! October 1990 Vol.13 No.10 pg.49 Mini interview.
BMX magazine covers
----Minicycle/BMX Action & Super BMX:
- None
Bicycle Motocross Action & Go:
- None
BMX Plus!:
- None
Bicycles and Dirt:
- None
Snap BMX Magazine' & Transworld BMX:
- None
Moto Mag:
- None
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):