BMX at the Olympics
Inspired by and conceived at the same time as motocross, BMX (Bicycle Motocross) originated in California and is a real crowd pleaser with short, speedy races and lots of drama. Here’s our guide to the fast and furious discipline of BMX at the Olympics.
When?
Wednesday 8 – Friday 10 August – Men’s BMX
Wednesday 8 & Friday 10 August – Women’s BMX
Where?
Olympic Park BMX Track. The men’s track is 450m long and the women’s is 440m long with an 8m high start ramp. Both outdoor tracks are built up with jumps, bumps and tightly banked corners and will be open to the public after London 2012.
Who?
32 men, 16 women (each country is limited to 3 men and 2 women) competing
Bikes
Light for speed but strong for landing after jumps, BMX bikes have a single brake and gear and usually have 20 inch wheels.
Competition
A preliminary run of the track determines each rider’s seeding and the competition then follows a semi final (best of three runs) and final format (one run) with each race lasting about 40 seconds. The men’s event also having a quarter final (best of five runs).
Master or disaster
A short but demanding track requires fearless and daring riders. Race officials can issues warnings for offences such as obstruction, with two warnings resulting in disqualification and also relegate a rider to last place.
Source: Guardian
One to watch
After her crash in the Beijing 2008 semi-final, hopefully this year will be the one for three-time BMX world champion Shanaze Reade.
http://mpora.com/videos/d83re12odw/embed?hd=0
About the Author
Sal was brought up riding around in a child seat, showing her competitive streak off at birthday parties at Birmingham Wheels BMX park and spent many weeks cycling around Cornwall and France as a teenager. Bike excursions (mainly to public houses) with friends followed in her early twenties and nowadays she forces her own toddler to ride around in a child seat. Despite pretending not to be a girlie girl, she has owned a series of increasingly pink bikes over the years.Currently training for: BHF South Wales Bike Ride (28 miles). Any donations greatly appreciated! http://www.justgiving.com/teamthelmaandlouise
