It feels good to have some time in a foreign country to explore, meet new people and see new things. After a few days "off" it was time to head back to the Pista BMX Carlos Ramirez for Friday's practice and Saturday's Round 7 of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup. Most of the athletes had come over to Colombia a week prior to get used to the 2500m altitude. For them it's the third weekend in Bogota and the goal was to score some good points now that Olympic qualifying has started for BMX racing since last weekend. Watching high level BMX racing you can only have respect for the athletes. That first lip of the 10m gap looks good for a dirt jump competition, but takes a different approach when hit at 60 kmh. It becomes a bit of a curb that you have to suck up to stay low. Any freestyle rider would use the transition to send it high, but that's not the goal for BMX Racing. The speed generated is so high and the racing is so close that a little elbow bump can result in being out of competition.
The support for the riders is there. With team tents, rollers, food, drinks, physios, doctors, trainers, and mental coaches at hand, the pressure gets even higher when expectations are high and points are expected. Racing down that 8 meter hill with 7 others next to you becomes a battle. With fairly packed granstands on the first straight full of loud fans, VIP's, media and coaches, making it out front is what everyone is shooting for.
LIVE | BMX Racing | UCI World Cup Round 7 #RoadToParis2024 by Olympics
The season continues in Colombia! Don't miss the world's best BMX riders fighting in a thrilling event for the honor of becoming the 2022 UCI World Cup Champion and the chance of becoming an Olympian
Let me start this by saying it was great to see the passion for BMX that several people in Bogotá showed. BMX truly is a worldwide activity and with 10 BMX shops in town, Bogota is certainly a big part of it. Once again Sebastian and Esteban Palencia picked me up to show more of what the city had to offer. We first visited a sports facility with indoor pool, soccer fields, basketball courts and 3! skateparks. It was 'skateboard day' meaning no bikes were allowed. But on BMX day, no skateboarding is allowed. This way the parks see good activity. In other parts of town the NO BMX day corresponds with a YES BMX day so it is possible to ride different parks during the week. The three concrete parks had something to offer for everyone. A pool section, one with two box jumps and another one with smaller ramps. If you would take a few elements of all three it would be an amazing place for a Park
etnies launches Visuals, a new BMX video showcasing European riders
Today, etnies launches its latest BMX project - “Visuals.” This banging new video was filmed over six months in Europe’s most iconic cities and features opening and closing parts by Jordan Godwin and Miki Fleck.
Complimenting those two titans is a smorgasbord of talent including Isaac Downey, Sam Jones, Clement Carpentier, Joe Foley, Harry Mills-Wakley and Marius Dietsche.
Getting wild in the streets of Sofia with the amazing @1UP BMXCrew! Thanks for a sick jam. We'll be back!
The 2022 NORA Cup for Transition Rider of the Year goes to Kevin Peraza! Kevin absolutely destroyed every ramp in his path this year. He has a knack for finding lines at skateparks that people normally don't see and transitions that skill to unique street transition setups. He is an all-around force in the category.
This year we had the opportunity to hold a second Bloom Week at Woodward West. It was our first inaugural Bloom Week West which was also happening during Girls Week.
The 7th Annual GNARBQ jam in South New Jersey, U.S.A. went down last weekend, and it was a treat, to say the least. 100% DIY to the core, and non-stop wildness and laughs all day long. Shout-out to Chris "Baboon" Volkwine, Sean Rose, and everyone who helped make the jam possible.
Following on from last week's Peg Vacay video from Sweden, we've got another dose of Skandinavian BMX for you, this time from Denmark and Andreas Madsen. Packed full of creative grinds, interesting links, and even a spring loaded flat ledge, this is well worth a look.
UCI BMX Racing World Cup standings. 2 rounds to go this weekend!
Top 10 UCI BMX Racing World Cup standings with 2 rounds to go.
Elite Men
1 ANDRE Sylvain FRA 2170 points
2 WOOD Cameron USA 1705
3 RENCUREL Jérémy FRA 1562
4 ARBOLEDA Diego COL 1392
5 KENNEDY Izaac AUS 1369
6 WHYTE Kye GBR 1308
7 MAYET Romain FRA 1099
8 RAMIREZ Carlos COL 1070
9 CARMONA GARCIA Mateo COL 851
10 CLERTE Eddy FRA 843
Elite women:
1 SMULDERS Laura NED 2790 points
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.