BMX Racing - Yesterday and Today

BMX Racing - Yesterday and Today
Bicycle Motocross History

Whether you are just getting started in BMX, or you have been around a while, it's important to know the history of bmx racing if you want to progress in the sport.

BMX was born in the 1970's in Southern California. Since then it has grown in leaps and bounds, this year landing in the Summer Olympics in Bejing. BMX racers from all over the world competed in this first ever event: http://www.atbmx.com/actionsports-blog.html

Scott Breithaup is credited with forming some of the first ever bmx races. Sanctioning organizations like the NBA, NBL and ABA formed during the late 70's and started to expand. In the early days there were no specialized bmx bikes made by major manufacturers. Early manufacturers included SE, FMF, Mongoose, Redline, MCS, GT, Torker and Shimano. Some of those names are still around, but most all have gone through owner or management changes.

Early standouts included pros Dave Clinton, Bobby Encinas, Stu Thomsen, Greg Hill and Greg Esser. Today's AA and Elite Pros include the likes of Mike Day, Donny Robinson, Kyle Bennett and Cristian Becerine. If they are still racing, many of the older top pros have moved on to what is now called Masters, except for a few like Randy Stumphauser.

Renny Roker held the Jag BMX World Championships in the early 80's and brought international racers together for the first time to race bmx. Through the mid 1980's bmx racing gained popularity and tracks were built all over the United States and the world. But BMX racing enjoyed some lean years in the late 80's and early 90's and eventually experienced a slowdown as many of the early pioneers turned into adults and moved on. By then other forms of biking were growing like freestyle and mountain biking.

Bikes improved with the advent of stronger parts and better materials, but the 20" wheel remains the choice of bmx racing. Cruisers though first 26" wheel bikes now sport 24" wheels and primarily are used by older racers. Today's bikes are built from similar materials as the ones in the 70's, but technology and experience have improved them tremendously.

In order to compete in today's Elite Pro Class you must be physically fit. No longer can you be a slacker and just race on the weekends. Today's pros lift weights, eat balanced diets and often have professional trainers and agents.

Today's bmx racers compete on tracks with massive jumps and doubles. Many of the pro tracks are called Super X and are downhill resembling early California bmx tracks. The difference is these tracks have doubles that are 40' across.

The best way to get started in bmx is to visit your local track and watch a few races. If you like what you see, invest in a good bike from your local bike shop. They should be able to point you in the right direction. To find the closest bmx track in your area visit http://www.nbl.org or http://ababmx.com

You'll probably also want to watch some of the latest videos like Transit or Props. These videos will keep you excited about racing and help you learn. You can also download instructional videos at www.bmx-tips.com

BMX is a great sport and it looks like it will be around a long time. Get involved and have fun!

Barry Page has been involved with bmx since its' beginnings, and has raced in hundreds of races all over the United States winning numerous local, state, national and international number plates. He has worked in the industry by working at and owning bike shops, owning skateparks, producing videos and currently publishes www.atbmx.com and www.bmx-tips.com

Mountain Biking in the Bejing Olympics

Where Have All of the American's Gone?
Julien Abalson Defends his Gold in MTB at the Bejing Olympics

Wow! That's all I have to say about Julien Abalson, this guy can fly on a mountain bike. But, Where have all the American’s gone? As I watch this race, I’m in amazement.

First, by the fact that my view is as good as being there in Bejing. And, I’m sitting at my desk watching it on my laptop. The quality of the video is excellent and the multiple cameras follow the entire race. Never before have we had this opportunity to watch an entire race with such quality online. Even when races have been covered on TV, we only catch highlights. And, XC has traditionally been hard to watch because the racers are in the woods.

Second, we are watching a sport that was born in the USA on a USA network (NBC), but there is not one American that even finished the race! American’s Todd Wells and Adam Craig competed in the finals, but did not finish.

Third, the course looks challenging, but certainly not too challenging for us not to have someone in the top 10. Where have all the American mountain bikers gone? Back in the day we had John Tomac, Ned Overand and Tinker Juarez, today there is no one.


You have to give it to France’s Julien Absalon though, once he decided to break, he was gone and they couldn’t catch him. Otherwise, the Swede's looked good and Italy's Marco Fontana.


If you haven't seen the race, you owe it to yourself to watch it. You may have to download the video player and fill out some crap, but it's well worth the effort. Here's the link:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=cy1h-bj-sd35-082308-145502



Julien Absalon completely dominated the race after about the 2nd lap and won his second consecutive Gold medal. His teammate, Jean Christophe Peraud, finished second earning the Silver, but he was over a minute behind. Christoph Sauser won Bronze finishing 2:28 behind Absalon.


It was too bad that they didn't have Downhill or 4x at the Olympics, but what can you say. Mountain bikers, Jared Graves, ACC and Jill Kintner all made the mains in bmx. It's great to see these athletes crossing over and remaining competitive in both sports.


You can see some pics and read some more about the olympics at http://www.atbmx.com/


Go USA!
Barry Page
http://www.atbmx.com/

BMX in the Olympics

USA Wins Silver and 2 Bronze in BMX in Bejing Olympics

It's been a long time coming, but BMX (bicycle motocross) finally made it into the Olympic Games. Amazingly though, it barely made it on TV, you had to stay up late to catch it. However, you can watch it all online nowadays, which is way cool.

Watch the BMX main events at the Bejing Olympics
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0821_HD_CBB_EN167

If you are from the United States and you've been involved with BMX for a while like I have, then you were probably a little disappointed that USA did not win the Gold. We did capture Silver and Bronze, but somehow that just doesn't seem right. I mean BMX was born here and kids have bee racing here for 30 years now, just waiting for the day.

It was good to see Donny Robinson win a medal, even if it was Bronze. Watching this kid grow up and fight all his life to win, you have to respect him. You see, he's always been much smaller than his competition, and even after pumping iron to beef up and get where he is today, he still stood almost a foot smaller than the other medal winners on the podium.

Mike Day looked super smooth in the prelims, and looked like he might win, but had to settle for the Silver. Mike has come on strong in recent years and had been practicing hard to prepare for this race.

Now the Gold medal. Who is this guy Maris Strombergs from Latvia? I mean maybe I've been sleeping under a rock, but I had never heard of the guy before the Olympics. Okay, I haven't raced in a couple of years, but seriously, Latvia? A quick search on the 2008 NBL pro points list shows him at number 30 in the NBL, just behind Mike Day. He didn't make the list from 2007. And I couldn't find him on the 2008 ABA list. His bio from the Olympics says he's the World Champion, but that's about all. Anyway, he was flyin' in Bejing and now he owns the first ever BMX Gold medal.

Some of my other favorites to watch were Jared Graves and Anne-Caroline Chausson. These guys are mountain bikers and oddly enough they were showing the most bmx style. Jared looked good all the way through the qualifiers, but wound up 6th in the main. ACC took the Gold in the chrased filled women's main.

Jill Kinter, USA's favorite girl took the bronze. A few years ago, Jill couldn't be beat on a bmx bike, and lately she's been unbeatable on the mountain bike. But, her time away must have taken away some of her twenty inch skills. Either that or it was ACC, who is also unstoppable on the big wheels.

Unfortunately, Kyle Bennett and Cristian Becerine did not make the mains. They both looked good in the qualifiers, but some spills took their toll on them. Hopefully, Kyle's shoulder will heel up before the NBL Grands where his number 3 and Cristian is leading in points.

That's it from the 2008 Bejing Olympics (at my desk). Be sure to watch the BMX races online at http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0821_HD_CBB_EN167 You may have to install the player and fill out some information, but it's worth it. The quality is primo considering it is the internet.

Ride on,
Barry Page
www.atbmx.com

Last Ride of the Year

Mountain Biking at Oak Mountain

With rain coming down in buckets on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I escaped to Birmingham for my last mountain bike ride of the year, and it was a good one. Checking the weather often, the forecasters were calling for sunny and dry on New Years Eve at Oak Mountain. And, while the ground was saturated at home from ongoing rain, Birmingham has been experiencing drought conditions.

It was a no-brainer, grab the bike and head to one of the best trails in the Southeast, Oak Mountain State Park. Though I couldn’t locate any more hard core riders who were willing to drive 9 hours (4.5 each way) just to ride, I knew I would find some friends there. And, that I did, fortunately.

Once I arrived in the parking lot by the marina I noticed a few ladies unloading there bikes. They were on the trail before I could get ready, but more riders began to roll in. By 1pm I had met Richard from Batesville, MS and Brian from North of Birmingham, and we headed into the woods for a classic ride.

The weather turned out to be beautiful and the trail was in great shape. There were lots of leaves and a few wet spots because of recent rains, but for the most part it was tacky and fast. The time spent on this trail was exciting, exhausting and rewarding.

Nice singletrack curves through the woods with bermed turns and lots of switchbacks. Midway on the trip takes you to the top of the mountain with long climbs on ridges with nice views. While climbing isn’t my strong point any more, I still enjoy the burn. And, I know what goes up, comes down, so the downhills provide me with the most excitement. Bloodrock as it is appropriately called, provided plenty of technicality as well while we blazed down the mountain.

On one of the up and downs I noticed a leak in my tire. With tubeless tires I was not that excited about patching a tire or adding a tube. Fortunately, Brian had some CO2 cartridges and my Stan’s seemed to fill the puncture, at least long enough to finish the ride.

It’s a new year now, 2008, and I plan on many more rides like this one. In my opinion, nothing else compares to pushing your body to the limits while enjoying a long ride in the woods. My last ride of 2007 was a good one!

Ride On,
Barry
www.atbmx.com