Morton and Holden to be inducted into US Bicycling Hall of Fame

G4 Productions founder Robin Morton and Twenty16-RideBiker director Mari Holden will be among those inducted into the US Bicycling Hall of Fame in November in Davis, California.

The honourees for 2016 inductees represent several disciplines within the sport of cycling. The inductees are Holden (Modern Road & Track Competitor), Steve Larsen (Off-Road Competitor), Leigh Barczewski (Veteran Road & Track Competitor), and Morton (Contributor to the Sport), according to the US Bicycle Hall of Fame website.

“The US Bicycling Hall of Fame is proud to honor these individuals,” said Bob Bowen, board president. “These individuals were selected by the voters because of their accomplishments in the sport of cycling and their induction into the Hall of Fame will serve as a perpetual reminder of their dedication and sacrifice to the sport.”

Morton is a founding partner at G4 Productions, which organizes events like the UCI 1.1 men’s and Women’s WorldTour Philadelphia Cycling Classic.

According to her biography on the G4 Productions website, Morton is an event specialist with over 25 years experience directing major sporting events and managing athletes.

"As Event Technical Director, she has been responsible for the overall management, technical organization and competition for over 100 international sporting events. She has also served as the Assistant Competition Manager for the cycling events for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic and Paralympic Games and as the Chairperson for Cycling for the National Senior Games."

She was also the "first female team director in the sport of cycling and she has organized and managed professional cycling teams that have competed throughout Europe and North America."

Cycling since 1993, Holden went on to earn the silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in the time trial in 2000. She also won the world title in the time trial that same year in Plouay, France.

Holden is currently directing the UCI women’s team Twenty16-RideBiker. It is her third season with the team. According to a team press release, she will continue to direct the team in 2017, when it will be renamed Twenty20 with an eye on 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

"I was so surprised to receive the news that I was elected into the US Cycling Hall of Fame. It was completely unexpected and out of the blue. I have not been this overcome with emotion since I won my first National Championship in 1995,” Holden said in a team press release.

“I am absolutely overwhelmed with the full circle of my cycling career. I feel blessed and humbled to have my name alongside my idols, the legends Rebecca Twigg, Inga Thompson, and Connie Carpenter. I also feel incredibly grateful to be listed in history with my friend of over 20 years Alison Dunlap. We were all pioneers not only in cycling but in Women's sport. My philosophy has always been to focus on the task at hand and do every task to the greatest of my ability. I have also always done my best to choose what is right over what is easy.

“Now as a director of Twenty16-Ridebiker cycling team my goal is to see our girls succeed in pursuing their dreams. I want to lead by example and let them understand that we aren't entitled to anything. We work and focus and win because we are willing to do the hard work that other people aren't willing to do.”