Bob Mionske facts for kids

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Bob Mionske

Bob Mionske, Interbike 2007
Personal information
Full name	Robert Mionske
Born	(1962-08-26) August 26, 1962 (age 63) Evanston, Illinois, U.S.
Team information

Robert ("Bob") Charles Mionske was born on August 26, 1962. He is a famous U.S. racing cyclist. Bob competed in the Olympic Games twice, in 1988 and 1992. He was also a U.S. National Champion in 1990.

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, he finished fourth in the Individual Road Race. Bob stopped professional cycling in 1993. Today, he is a lawyer in Portland, Oregon. His law practice focuses on bicycle law. He wrote a column called Legally Speaking about bicycle law from 2002 to 2009. He also wrote a book titled Bicycling & the Law: Your Rights as a Cyclist in 2007.

Bob's Early Life and School

Bob Mionske was born in Evanston, Illinois. When he was a child, his family moved to Wisconsin. At seventeen, Bob worked for his father during the summer. With the money he earned, he bought a new touring bike. He spent many hours riding his bike, exploring Wisconsin's forests and lakes.

After high school, Bob went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He used an old cruiser to get around campus. Bob started competitive sports in college with ski racing. One day, he noticed a classmate with shaved legs, which was common for bike racers.

Bob talked to his classmate, Colin O'Brien, about bike racing. Colin was an amateur racer and worked at a local bike shop. Colin gave Bob advice about bikes and racing. Colin later set a national record in 1981 and joined the national team.

Bob's Cycling Career

Bob Mionske started bicycle racing to get fitter for ski racing. But he soon found he was better at bike racing. From then on, he focused on cycling. He began racing for amateur teams in 1986. By 1987, Bob was racing for the Yellow Jersey team.

In 1988, he tried out for the U.S. Olympic cycling team. He finished third in the road racing trials, earning a spot on the team. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, Bob finished a very close fourth. He had the same time as the third-place winner but lost the bronze medal by a tire's length. His performance was the best by an American cyclist in a "full-participation" Olympics since 1912. The United States Cycling Federation named him the U.S. Amateur Cyclist of the Year.

After the 1988 Olympics, Bob continued as an amateur racer. In 1990, he became the National Road Race Champion. He won the U.S. National Championships in Albany, New York. After this win, Bob competed in Japan as part of the United States World Championship Team. In 1991, he competed in the Pan-American Games in Havana, Cuba. He finished sixth in the Men's Individual Road Race.

The next year, Bob again made the U.S. Olympic Cycling Team. He competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He and his teammate Timm Peddie helped their teammate Lance Armstrong finish 14th.

In 1993, Bob became a professional racer. His team, the Saturn Cycling Team, became a professional team. Bob won 8 races during the 1993 season. At the end of 1993, Bob stopped racing. He stayed with Team Saturn as the Team Director for 1994. After that, Bob left racing to study law at Willamette University College of Law.

Bob's Legal Career

In 1999, Bob Mionske started his own law practice called Bicycle Law. He focused only on helping cyclists. Bicycle law is now a recognized field, but Bob was a pioneer. He was one of the first lawyers in the world to specialize in bike law.

Because of his cycling background, Bob has helped many types of cyclists. These include amateur racers, bike commuters, messengers, and people who ride bikes for fun. He even created the term "bicycle law" to describe his work.

In 2001, Bob wrote a legal analysis section for a book about bicycle accidents. From 2002 to 2009, he wrote his Legally Speaking column for VeloNews. In 2007, he wrote his book Bicycling & the Law: Your Rights As A Cyclist. In 2009, Bob started writing Road Rights for Bicycling Magazine. This column covered bicycle law and related social issues. In 2015, Bob returned to writing his Legally Speaking column for VeloNews.

Bob is also a co-founder of the Bike Law Network. This is a group of lawyers across the country who help cyclists after accidents. Since 2021, Bob Mionske has been a partner at Coopers LLP.

Bicycling & the Law: Your Rights as a Cyclist

Bob Mionske's 2007 book, Bicycling & the Law, explains U.S. bicycle law for everyday cyclists. It was the first book on this topic for regular cyclists since 1895. The older book, The Road Rights and Liabilities of Wheelmen, told cyclists they had a right to use the road. This right was won through court cases and laws in the late 1800s.

Bob's book teaches cyclists about their legal rights that developed over the next century. In his book, Bob argued that cyclists have a legal right to travel. This means bicycling is protected under Freedom of Movement laws. This is different from driving, which is a privilege, not a right. Bob was the first to explore this idea, and it is now widely accepted by cyclists.

Bob's book also covers the legal rights and duties of cyclists. It explains how to handle traffic tickets and common bike accidents. It tells cyclists what to do if they are in an accident. The book also discusses how cyclists can get insurance. It covers legal responses to harassment, lemon laws, and warranties. Finally, it gives advice on how to protect against bicycle theft and common contractual issues.

Achievements

Quotes About Bob

• Lance Armstrong: "He'll do anything to get your attention off the race."
• Roy Knickman: "He was just a fighter on the bike. Very strong, very powerful. He could fight on the climbs and sprint with the best. Very few people have done that in American cycling."
• Robert Egger: "I loved racing criteriums and time trials; I was Wisconsin state time trial champion a couple times, and raced with another Wisconsinite, Bob Mionske, who competed at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics. He's now a lawyer in Portland. When I first met him he was riding a custom bike built by Mike Appel. He came from a skiing background - crazy, no fear. He didn't know jack about bikes, though. One time we were riding and he didn't realize the gooey stuff on his wheels was from the tubular glue. Another time he complained about his brakes making too much noise; I checked out his calipers and he had worn the pads down to the metal! He was crazy; physically not the strongest, but mentally, the toughest guy I've seen on a bike."
• John Loehner, M.D.: "I had the pleasure (and pain) of racing with and against some incredibly talented people. Armstrong (pre-cancer of course), Julich, Grewal, Steve Larson, Darren Baker, Bart Bowen, the McCormack Brothers, and some big name euro pros - all of which deserve respect in their own right and most for more than one reason. Choosing one is difficult and unfair to many. However, if I have to pin down one rider my vote would have to go to Bob Mionske. We were teammates for a year and we were roommates for a number of the trips as well. His racing career speaks for itself regarding his talent and ability to win in pressure situations. He used psychology as well as his legs to win races and riled up a lot of people doing that. However, his sense of self - knowing who he was, weaknesses and strengths, tenacity, willingness to fulfill any role to succeed, and no BS attitude was among the highest I have come across."