The BC Sports Hall of Fame revealed its 2025 Induction Class which included five athletes, three builder-coaches, one team, one pioneer, one media member and the winner of the prestigious W.A.C. Bennet Award.
After years of dedication and contribution to mountain biking, Cindy Devine, Canada’s first-ever UCI women’s downhill mountain bike world champion (1990), has been selected for induction into the BC Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Hailing from North Vancouver and Maple Ridge, now living in Rossland, Devine has left an unforgettable mark on the sport, well-deserving of this prestigious recognition.
A Trailblazer in Mountain Biking
Cindy Devine, one of Canada’s early mountain biking pioneers, began her journey to excellence in the sport during her formative years in North Vancouver. Even before starting her racing career, she would often bike 80 kilometres from her home to the beaches of Vancouver on the weekends.
In the year leading up to her victory at the first official UCI World Downhill Mountain Bike Championships (1990), she secured a gold medal in the downhill race and a bronze in the slalom at the unofficial downhill mountain bike championships in 1989. After her official world championship win in 1990, she earned a bronze medal in Italy in 1991, and again in Bromont, Quebec, in 1992. She also achieved Top 5 finishes in 1993 and 1994. Additionally, she won multiple Canadian National titles and was victorious at the Mammoth Kamikaze downhill race in Mammoth Lakes, California, between 1989 and 1991.
Throughout her career, Cindy Devine has achieved numerous accolades and has inspired a new generation of riders. Devine has mentored riders through her work with the West Coast School of Mountain Biking and the Shimano Dirt series focusing on getting more women and girls into mountain biking.
The announcement of Cindy Devine’s induction into the BC Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 highlights her outstanding contributions to the sport. In response to this honour, Cindy stated, “I’m still a bit stunned,” after the class of 2025 inductees were revealed. “It is truly humbling to be recognized alongside the other members of the BC Sports Hall of Fame.”
Watch Cindy Devine in action at the 1989 Canadian Tire Mountain Bike Championships:
‘Once a Loma, always a Loma’ – Meraloma Club Motto
Also being inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025, in the Pioneer category, are the founders of the Meraloma Club. Founded in the summer of 1923, the Meraloma Club began as a swimming club at Vancouver’s Kitsilano Beach. Over the past century, it has grown into one of British Columbia’s longest-standing and largest multi-sport clubs, which also includes the Meraloma Bike Club. Over the years, the club has fielded teams in many sports including rugby, cricket, soccer, field hockey, fastpitch softball, basketball, cycling, and football. Nearly a hundred Meraloma athletes have gone on to represent Canada internationally in their sports and another 50 have gone on to play professionally. The club currently has over 1,100 senior and junior athletes on nearly 40 teams. The club’s legacy in the community and around the world is immeasurable.
The 2025 Induction Class being welcomed into the Hall of Champions includes:
Athletes
- Christine Sinclair – Soccer
- Ray Ferraro – Hockey
- Cindy Devine – Mountain Biking
- Nathan Hirayama – Rugby
- Walter Wu – Para Swimming
Builders-Coaches
- Chandra Madhosing – Table Tennis
- Dr. Saul Miller – Sports Psychology
- Wes Woo – Weightlifting
Team
- 2000 BC Lions Men’s Football Team
Pioneer
- Meraloma Club Founders – Multi-Sport
Media
- Jim Hughson
W.A.C. Benett Award
- Robert Wright
The official induction and celebration of Cindy Devine and Meraloma, alongside fellow honorees, will be commemorated at the BC Sports Hall of Fame Induction Gala on June 4, 2025, at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel. Tickets are available now at bcsportshall.com/inductionweek