I've gotten this height question a few times, so I did a little research. Of the top twenty riders in the world (click "read more" for the list), only one is over six feet, eight are 5'9" or under, eleven are in the 5'10-11" range. However, if you break it down differently, of the top ten riders in the world, six are 5'9 or under. Of the next ten, only two are under 5'10".
And looking back at history, seven out of the past ten world titles have been won by men who are 5'8" or under. (Two-time winners Chris Shivers 2001, 2006, Justin McBride 2005, 2007, and Adriano Moraes 2001, 2006 accounted for six of the ten wins. Shivers is 5'5, McBride is 5'8", and Moraes is 5'10".)
I'm no statistician, but I'm betting on the shorter guys.
Here are the breakdowns:
Top twenty, June 2010:
Renato Nunes 5'7"
Austin Meier 5'11"
Travis Briscoe 5'7"
Guilherme Marchi 5'10"
Robson Palermo 5'6"
Ryan McConnel 5'11"
J.B. Mauney 5'10"
Valderon de Oliveira 5'9"
Mike Lee 5'8"
McKennon Wimberly 5'9"
Skeeter Kingsolver 5'10"
Shane Proctor 5'8"
Josh Koschel 5'8"
Jody Newberry 6'2"
Aaron Roy 5'11"
Sean Willingham 5'10"
Dustin Elliot 5'10"
L.J. Jenkins 5'10"
Jordan Hupp 5'10"
Wiley Peterson 5'11"
World Title Winners 2000-2009:
Chris Shivers (2000, 2003) - 5'5"
Adriano Moraes (2001, 2006) - 5'10"
Ednei Caminhas (2002 ) - 5'8"
Mike Lee (2004) - 5'8"
Justin McBride (2005, 2007) - 5'8"
Guilherme Marchi (2008) - 5'10"
Kody Lostroh (2009) - 5'6"
Note: Moraes won three world titles in his career, but only two in the ten years considered here.
