Jake Watson (December 5, 1973 – March 12, 1999) was an American cyclist. He assisted in the development of the sport of

downhill mountain biking Downhill mountain biking (DH) is a style of mountain biking practiced on steep, rough terrain that often features jumps, drops, rock gardens and other obstacles. Jumps can be up to and including , and drops can be greater than . The rider c ...

, making contributions to industry marketing, bike design and riding techniques. Known for his massive frame, Watson was given the nickname "Earthquake" early into his cycling, carrying the name to the top on podiums throughout the United States, Canada and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Watson lost his life during downhill practice for

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

's Keysville Classic as a result of injuries sustained in a crash. As a tribute to Watson's contributions,

Marin Bikes Marin is a bicycle manufacturer in Marin County, California, established in 1986. It specializes in mountain bikes but also has other types. Many of its 68 bicycles are named after locations in and around Marin County. Bicycle range Marin ...

released a frame series in 1999, entitled "Quake."

Sources

*Scientific American Building the Elite Athlete; Scientific American; Lyons Press 978-1-59921-116-9 pp. 129 *Mountain Biking Injuries, An Update: Authors: Kronisch R.L.1; Pfeiffer R.P.2; Sports Medicine, Volume 32, Number 8, 1 August 2002, pp. 523–537 15) Publisher: Adis International *The Complete Idiots Guide to Cycling: Publisher: Complete Idiots Guide, .
Google books
*The Quotable Cyclist: Great Moments of Bicycling Wisdom, Inspiration and Humor; Bill Strickland; Break Away Books; , pp. 75, 188 *The Bicycling Training Journal: A Daily Dose of Motivation, Training Tips; 1-57954-935-7 Mountain bike innovators Downhill mountain bikers American male cyclists 1973 births 1999 deaths American mountain bikers Sports deaths in California {{US-cycling-bio-stub