Ned Overend - 2005 XTERRA Hall of Fame

10/22/2005

As XTERRA celebrates its tenth year on Maui, many athletes deserve recognition for their contributions. But perhaps none more than this man.

As a pro mountain biker, Ned Overend has achieved legendary status.  He won six USA national titles and became mountain biking's first world champion in 1990; the same year he was inducted into the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame.

After retiring from mountain biking in 1996 at the age of 40, Overend competed in the first Aquaterra race finishing third that day.  In 1997, he finished second. In '98 and '99 Ned won consecutive XTERRA World Championships.  That's right, he was 42 and 43 when he won his two XTERRA world titles. 

Just as impressive, he was the Nissan Xterra USA Champion in 2001 and 2002.  As an XTERRA pro, Ned regularly beat the spandex off guys 10 and 15 years his junior.  He was so devastating on the mountain bike that he earned the nicknames of "The Lung" and "Deadly Nedly."  At the end of his XTERRA career, race commentators respectfully called him "the old man of the mountain."

Everyone who's competed against Ned agrees on one thing:  He can't possibly be from this planet.  One of Ned's former competitors once said, "When Ned finally retires from racing, he should give his body to science so they can see what a genetic freak of nature he really is."

In the early days, Ned was an outspoken promoter of XTERRA racing.  Already a legend in mountain biking, he parlayed that into INK for XTERRA.  Ned, who is the son of a former US diplomat, was truly XTERRA's first ambassador … always willing to give back to the sport by hosting XTERRA University mountain bike clinics and being an advocate for mountain biking trails.

Today Ned Overend continues to work in promotion and research & development for Specialized Bicycles.  And yes, he's still out there training and racing. 

When asked about his secret of success, Ned maintains "the key to longevity is having discipline not to be too disciplined."

Oh, and did we mention that in 2005, at age 50, Ned finished fifth overall in the NORBA USA mountain bike championships!  The oldest man in front of him was 30.

So as XTERRA celebrates its tenth year, we salute Ned Overend …a legend in the world of XTERRA.