Reconstruction of the Alessandro Barbero BMX Bike Park

Reconstruction of the Alessandro Barbero BMX Bike Park - FIRE -

Jul 11, 2025

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 38 times

Hello everyone, it's not my style to appeal, but on Saturday, July 5, 2025, a tragedy occurred that deeply affected me. We were working at the BMX Bike Park to renovate some ramps and transitions when a welding spark struck the foam pit, starting a raging fire. I tried to contain the flames by jumping into the pool to remove the burning cubes, but the flames spread too quickly. I managed to get out, but with second-degree burns to my hands, arms, and face. I was hospitalized for two days.

The result?

Over 15 years of work literally went up in smoke. The foam pit, the airbag, the wooden and resin structures, and many work tools were destroyed. The images speak for themselves. I can't even explain how painful it feels to see everything vanish like that. But I tried to save part of my life, risking my own.

The BMX Bike Park: a dream that has inspired many young people

The BMX Bike Park, built piece by piece, thanks in part to the support of Red Bull Italy when I was an athlete, in Priero (Cuneo), was born from the dream of creating a safe, technical, and inspiring space for freestyle BMX riders. Over the years, it has become a national reference point, hosting:

Official C1 events and Italian Cup competitions, Training courses for boys and girls of all ages, The Kobra Camp, intensive days of riding, coaching, and fun, which we celebrated its 10th anniversary just last year Italian National BMX Freestyle Team training sessions, Free sessions for children and teenagers new to BMX.

The park has never been just a facility, but a vibrant community. A place where dozens of young people learned their first tricks, made friends, and discovered the power of passion. A place where sport has meant education, trust, and courage.

Who is Alessandro Barbero?

My name is Alessandro Barbero, I'm a professional BMX freestyle athlete, born in Ceva. For over 20 years, I've represented Italy in international competitions: I've participated in the Dew Tours, the X-Games, and the FISE in Montpellier, and I've won the title of Italian Champion several times. I've also been the Captain of the Italian National BMX Freestyle Team. In recent years, I've also dedicated myself to promoting this discipline, training young riders and organizing events throughout Italy.

At the BMX Bike Park, I was able to create a meeting point between sport, education, and sharing. It's where many kids tried BMX for the first time. And it's where I want to continue building dreams. But now I need your help.

How you can help us?

To rebuild the BMX Bike Park, we need: New material for the foam pit, Airbag repair, Wood, resi, and tools Securing the destroyed area.

Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference. We must be back up and running within two months for the Kobra BMX Camp; there are dozens of kids waiting for the park to reopen.

Together, we can give the park a future and continue to develop the next generation of riders. If many of us do even a small gesture, the Bike Park will come back to life. "Pain is temporary, glory is forever." This time, the glory will belong to all those who believed in it with me.

Thank you so much.

Go Fund Me

-Alessandro Barbero