FISE World Series underway. Pro Park Open qualifier kicked off the BMX side of things in Chengdu.
Friday afternoon in Chengdu, China the Open Qualifiers in the Pro BMX Park comp started the second stop of the 2015 FISE World Series. The non-pre qualified riders rode for a spot in the semi final. 20 spots were on the line and the riding was on a high level already. When every rider got the chance to ride the park all by themselves, it didn't take long before big moves were busted. Winning today wasn't a priority but it showed that you were on par with the best of them. Alex Coleborn (UK) grabbed his bag of tricks and pulled some out in random order.
The secon stop of the 2015 FISE World Series is taking place in Chengdu, China this weekend. Today the riders had their first taste of the course in the smoggy city. Hot and humid as expected but we take that over cold and wet any day. The ramps were dry and open for abuse to make sure everything is dialled for tomorrow's open qualifier which is on the schedule for 16:15hr local time. Twenty riders in the pro class will make it to the semi finals on Saturday but from the looks of it, not many more than that are around in China. But the level is extremely high as we saw Drew Bezanson (CAN), last year's World Series winner Daniel Dhers (VEN), England's Alex Coleborn and many others on the course. We hear some are on their way even so this will certainly go off on Friday and the rest of the weekend.
The ramp set-up is compact but fun with multiple lines that should provide a good show. Next to the pro class, there will also be an amateur contest, junior comp and girls class competing in Chengdu. At the opening ceremony a lot of people showed up which is promising for the days to come.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.