Curtain Up on Winter Nats as Sun Goes Down

If you have never rolled into town for a big national on Thursday, you need to do that sometime. The energy of roadies readying a rock concert, crossed with the circus being in town, coupled with a tent revival would just about equal the vibe around Black Mountain BMX today. A steady, red-carpet-like arrival of wrapped rigs filed in, tents were hoisted, and the rare Olympian from a foriegn land walked the track during the obligatory pre-race grooming. Arriving on Wednesday evening, hotels are as they are any other day of the year, a revolving door of corporate folk coming back from one meeting, and on the way to the next. But Thursday…Thursday evening you start to see groms zipping about in the parking lot, and the license plates in the lot start to take on a “national” flavor (British Columbia was the furthest tonight, but not confirmed to be BMX).

Standing on the starting hill this evening at sunset, everything was possible, nothing assured, and the spread between the two is where the magic lives. Reading that back, it sounds incredibly corny, we realize. But if you were there, you’d understand.

BMXNEWS will be reporting from Phoenix all weekend long, with photos posted nightly on BMXNOW.COM. Follow BMXNOW on Twitter for as-they-happen updates on race day.