American Bicycle Association

The American Bicycle Association (ABA) is a United States-based Bicycle Motocross (BMX) sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona created by Merl Mennenga and Gene Roden in 1977. It is the largest sanctioning body in the United States concerning BMX. It has tracks in Canada and Mexico as well as in the USA. It was and is known for its efficiency in running events known as Nationals, where BMX racers from around the country race in competition for points and in the case of Professionals, money, to determine who will earn the right to run a National No."1" plate in the several divisions the following year. The other leading sanctioning body, the National Bicycle League (NBL) also holds Nationals as do several smaller regional governing bodies.

Notes: This organization should not be confused with the American Bicycle Association that was formed in January 1975 by Bob Bailey in Torrance, California but ended operations in December 1975 (with only 20 paid members) after going bankrupt.David Clinton was its one and only No.1 racer. This organization is also not to be confused with the American Bicycle Motocross Association (ABMXA) that operated briefly for approximately two years from late 1974 to early 1976 and headquartered in Reseda, California.

Mennenga's direct motivation for creating the ABA was his and his family's bad experience with the now defunct International Bicycle Motocross (IBMX) (not to be confused with the now also defunct but respected International Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)). He was an IBMX track operator who was long dissatisfied with the operation of the IBMX. The precipitating factor in his abandoning the IBMX was that he had signed his son up for a tour of IBMX race events. Many things were promised to Mennenga's and other BMX families but few of those promises realized. This consumer dissatisfaction and the lack of alternatives to the IBMX tracks near his home town of Phoenix, Arizona (they were once NBA tracks but the IBMX acquired them) was what compelled him to create the ABA. He wanted an organization made up of average people like himself were average people would be treated with honestly and with consideration not out of the motivation for quick profits. As George Trevino, the ABA's spokesman said at its founding in August 1977, it was formed for "... fostering competition and fair play in the sport of BMX racing."

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