Until the Olympians turn up, the star of the show is the London 2012 track, itself. And like most stars today, ours underwent a bit of a facelift (or, as we say in the biz, “had some ‘work’ done”) before the big show.

The Test event last August uncovered a few potential issues with the track (which is, indeed, the POINT of a test event)–most notably the first-straight berm jump on the men’s side, and the “Red Bull Box Jump.” These features were cool for spectators, but many athletes and, indeed the UCI, felt they did not belong.

Here is the Men’s Final from 2011:

So, for the past few months, the first turn was reworked to a “Beijing-Style” layout (triple-in, and “Y” split after)… and the box jump was replaced with something more traditional as well.

There was neither the time, nor a spot on the schedule to hold another test event, so organizers decided to hold an open practice on the Olympic track this week–between the Papendal World Cup and next week’s World Championships, 118 miles up the M1/M6, in Birmingham.

ProGate’s Pierce Barker is on-scene, doing his part to make sure all runs smoothly on the start ramp, and sent News the following “View From the Top of the Hill” report.

(photo via facebook)

Day one of the Olympic track practice was rainy and cold, pretty much like normal here in London. Last month was the rainiest April they have had in years! Fact is… it was hailing with wind gusts to 30 mph at about 3:00 pm on the starting ramp. The whole ramp is like a wing, and sometimes you wonder if it is going to just fly away!. But she stayed in place for the entire event.

Day Two rose to a blustery 28 degrees (-2c), with a crisp & clear blue sky (which wouldn’t last for long)! Winds came up and blew a few of the riders a bit off-course on the first jump, but as the day progressed they all worked through it. Come August, we hope the wind will die down a bit.

The panoramic view from the top of the start ramp is spectacular, with a picturesque, 360-degree view of London. Today it was good to be on top of the hill. No serious accidents, though there were a few bumps and bruises, but all in all it went well–some much-needed learning for the riders.

Some are absolutely fearless. Maris Strombergs was the first to navigate the wind on the first straight, with Barry Nobles right behind him. Then Nic Long, Maris and his coach, Ivo Lakucs, were planning the best line off the hill. UK star, Liam Philips, worked on planning his angle of attack on the snake “S” at the end of the second straight, and Connor Fields was taking the section at full boost (above).

All in all it made for a great experience for everyone in London. Watch for the history-making events on August 8, 9, 10, compliments of London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG).

Great report, Pierce. Thanks for sharing it with us. And please…by all means, keep them coming!

—Mike Carruth

Discussion on VintageBMX.com

Click to read part one

Picking up our story from Friday’s Part One, out the hotel window, there was a trace of rain on the blacktop, but just enough to be able to say “God watered the track…thanks bro!” By first gate, the sun was out, and five and a half hours of red-hot BMX race action was queued up and ready to jump off.

Powder Springs wasn’t an Elite Series race and, in fact, was running against the Papendal World Cup… but the 22-deep A Pro class provided the fans an intense day of holeshots, lead-changes, style points…and in the case of Olijuwon Davis, straight-ace domination.

Leroy Moses was aboard the new-fangled Staats frame, and was showing some front-side flav in the early rounds, and the second semi.

Jon Miller (not to be confused with John-with-an-H, who is way-in-the-mix in the 36-40 Cruiser class), has been keeping his Doublecross on the radar, and in announcer Jim Riley’s calls the past few races.

Last time we saw Nic Britt, he was in a Free Agent kit, but he’s suited up for Hawk Racing now, and was consistent through the motos and semis.

In the main, the gate slammed down, and the eight main makers sprinted for the first turn. It was an even pack over the first jump, with Miller still in a gate one trajectory, and OD in gate two. After the first-straight table, and approaching the triple, the pack settled in to two rows of four–at least for a split-second.

Miller was in that second row, but got a solid backside, and put himself into the two slot into turn one. OD was in command, and had the “comin-in-hot” momentum which railed him through the turn, and out with a bike-and-a- half on Jon.

Into turn two, the order was Davis, Miller and Moses, but Britt was on his right, and pulled even, as the pack thundered to the last turn.

Olijuwon had about two and a half lengths on Miller into the last turn, and Miller about the same on Britt, who by that time had a firm handle on the third podium slot. And that’s how it crossed the line, with Moses in the four spot.

Here’s the video of the lap:

Exclusive! > Olijuwon talks about his Atlanta wins
(will open in a new window)

^ Lexa Jones was tearin it up in Powder Springs for Ssquared. Paige “The Pest” Norton staying true to her nickname down the second straight first round. Lexa and Paige went 1-2 in 13G.

^ Cole Tesar is heading to the Worlds next week, and decided not to “play it safe” by staying away from Dixieland. That’s a bigger deal than you might think, if you harken back to Nashville last year, where his World Championship trip was put on ice by a wreck in the last turn. Not-so this go-round, as Cole aced-up on all his Jr. Devo laps, taking the win over Alden Volle for Dan’s Comp and Justin Knapper of Answer/Rennen. As well in 15x, with a win over Knapper and Hyper’s Luke Roarty.

^ Seconds from disaster…in the 41-Over Inter Main. John Cleveland (on the right) and Chris Blackburn battle it like it’s 1984. A split-second after this photo was snapped, the battle ended for Chris, who was down, and back up in a minute or two. Rick Carroll took up the chase for second, but John held the lead to the stripe.

^ The BMX Community has been behind Raul Gomez these past few months, as he battles cancer. Powder Springs was the first race back for the MCS ace. Only a few weeks out of chemo, and WOW!, he is coming back STRONG! A truly amazing feat by a truly amazing guy. Made the main in the 36-40 expert class, and put a fifth in the USA BMX books. But in his fans’ book, he is “winning this race!” We can’t tell you how happy we are to see him back at the track!

^ Whitfield bolting for home to win the 17-20 Cruiser main. Tyler logged a fourth in 17-18x, behind Justin Posey, Maliek Byndloss and Jeremy Smith. We have to think the cruiser win helped Answer Ssquared to their Factory Team sheet win. TWhit was also seen in Friday practice decked out in some 2013 Troy Lee Gear. Shhh! News will be bringing you some spy photos later this week!

^ Shan-the-Man Hatfield quaked the home turf for SE bikes, with a double in 36-40 Cruiser and 36-40 Expert. Hometown homeboy Doran Bradshaw had the double-deuce. Shan’s Cruiser main lap gets our “move of the day” honor. Battling in the pack into turn one, he pedals the tippy-top of the turn to go from fourth to second, then does an unbelievable stall-dive into the lead in turn two to take it on home. #nofrontbrakes

^ It’s the 12 Intermediate main, spread out, and halfway home. Winner Daniel Deertz is past us by this point, but plenty of action left in the pack. Victor Magagnoli (118) held on to the two-spot, but Thomas Townsend (14), in fourth here, made up some serious ground on Nicholas Hamilton (281) and Austin Bowman (275) to log the third.

^ Always-fast Austin Loebe was chill in the pits, and on fire on the track. Never saw the back of a jersey at the stripe all four laps in Dixieland (first round, quarters, semis and main). Answer/Rennen in major effect.

^ Posey and Byndloss Ssquared-off throughout the day…closer than peas and carrots in 17-18x. Justin took the win, with Maliek in second. Extreme Team’s Jeremy Smith got in for third.

^ The Bull, Ethan Moore, put a Pink Slip in the inbox of 8x, with a first-round transfer, an ace in the semi, and a win in the main. Texans Jackson Rodell (25) and Collin McKinney rustled in for second and third.

^ Gavin Freewalt, in command of the 9x main, down the third straight. The G-Man also logged his first cruiser win in Powder Springs for Answer Rennen for some double hardware. Super Cooper Sheldon got the deuce behind G in both classes for Answer Ssquared, with “The President,” Nate Coyman in third in Cruiser and Willie Maze Hayes third in class.

^ Racing The Juice, you got a good excuse. Justin Richmond brought a heavy hurt to 14c and 14x for a double win in Dixie. Christopher White was second in both classes for London Wilmot’s FBN/Hyper Team, with “The Count,” Collin Schmidt and Answer Rennen’s Cameron Moore in for the tre in cruiser and class, respectively. Schmidt has a blank sponsor line on the sheets (hint-hint!).

^ Big B versus the DC Sniper. The 16x main, seconds after Ceslok put the mega swoop on Cooley in the first turn. These guys made it a great race for the fans. Doc Johnson was third.

Everyone left the track on Saturday with a hearty “see ya tomorrow!” But there were rumblings. “It’s 70%” was a powerful reminder that Thor’s predictions (as mentioned in Part One) were coming to pass, and not boding well for racing Sunday in-the-dry.

A quick look at the weather.com radar before closing the laptop on Saturday Night foretold that we were dealing with a 300-mile-wide storm system that was tracking straight-East, across Alabama…destination: Georgia.

“Let’s talk at six” was the final word to make the go/no-go call for the Sunday Morning routine of shower/empty out the on-floor ice machine/and meet at the rig, just after seven.

Well, it didn’t even take an opening of the curtains to tell it was going to be an ankle-deep-in-red-clay kind of day. The pall was on, and a soaking rain was falling.

We punched the snooze button and were going to see what the 7AM hour would bring.

Fortunately, USA BMX was on it, posting that the race was on rain delay til 10AM.

That provided a sweet opportunity to catch the early rounds of the Papendal Supecross, and a trip for seconds at the included breakfast buffet.

At 9:30AM, the word came down that USA BMX had made a call they had only made two other times in history: Today’s race was canceled, due to weather!

For most of the BMXers in town, it was absolutely the right call. Of course, we knew there would be some that wanted to press ahead.

Strictly speaking, it would have been a disaster, had they tried to run it, and would have likely ended up in a cancelation anyway. Of course, you’d never convince the critics.

As we were packing things up to make the Noon checkout time (for a change), it dawned on us…maybe, just maybe, Mother NATURE was sending a message on this Mother’s Day…”go home and be with yer ma!”

USA BMX Dixieland Nationals Photo Gallery

USA BMX Dixieland Nationals Report, Part One

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Dallas, TX

Today, as part of the Team USA Media Summit, First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama announced a national commitment to coax more than 1.7 MILLION young people off the couch! Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative will join with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), the US Olympic Committee, and NINE other national organizations to get kids involved in sports and activities they may not be otherwise exposed to.

BMX Racing is right in the thick of things, joining Swimming, Soccer, Track & Field, Field Hockey, Tennis, Volleyball, Gymnastics and Basketball in Mrs Obama’s speech in Dallas.

The BMX effort is a joint one, with USA Cycling (the national governing body for cycling), and USA BMX. USA BMX CEO, BA Anderson, was on-scene in Dallas to be part of the announcement, meet the First Lady, and bring the news back to the BMX universe.

PHA has created a dedicated website for the initiative (http://ahealthieramerica.org/) which, in the coming weeks and months, will likely be the place where millions of people will be routed to seek out activities in their area, following a national media blitz leading up to the Opening Ceremony in London, to which Mrs Obama will host a contingent of American sports and business leaders.

Programs like this are precisely the kind of thing the sport of BMX Racing needs to get its message out: that it is a great individual-centered sport, which also has the unique attributes of bringing families together and creating a lifetime fitness habit for participants.

In a release posted on its Team USA website, the US Olympic Committee said that USA Cycling, and USA BMX will do the following as their part of the initiative:

Free 30-day memberships to tracks and free races/clinics at 350 BMX tracks nationwide this summer. These efforts will engage approximately 88,000 young people, an increase of 40% from 2011.

BA Anderson sent BMX News this exclusive quote, immediately following the event:

“We are pleased to be working with the USOC and Partnership for a Healthier America as part of Let’s Move!. BMX racing has always been a great family activity, and a sport that children of all ages can participate in. By taking part in the Let’s Move! campaign, we hope to get more American children active in the sport of BMX, and help the First Lady in her initiative to solve the problem of childhood obesity.”

Read the release on TeamUSA.ORG

Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA)

Discussion on VintageBMX.com

BMX News would like to express our deepest thanks to BA Anderson and Nick Adams for their help in getting this story.

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Troy Lee Designs is known for their quality and exceptional designs, the D3 carbon helmets are among hundreds of great products offered by Troy Lee that meet or exceeds rider expectations.

The one-month long promotion offered a chance for thousands of BMXers to win this one-of-a-kind helmet.  J&R Bicycles would like to thank all of our customers and participants who entered online along with Greg Skibel and Troy Lee Designs for their contributions. Stay tuned for future promotions at www.jrbicycles.com.

Oh yeah… The Winner of the Troy Lee Designs/J&R Bicycles Custom D3 helmet Give-A-Way is none other than Patty Richards of Ukiah, California.  Patty will receive a D3 Pinstripe helmet with custom J&R Bicycles graphics and personalized with their last name (if they so choose). 

J&R Bicycles

Troy Lee Designs

As part of their “100 Olympic hopefuls in 100 Days” coverage, USA Today featured Arielle Martin as their May 13th athlete.

it’s a great profile, which talks about her compelling story, missing the Beijing spot due to injury, being the wife of an active-duty Army hero (our words), her competitiors (both for one of the two Team USA slots, and in general), and sneaking some dark chocolate when coach James Herrera is not looking (or is he the supplier of same?).

One thing that’s exciting about these mainstream media profiles on our athletes, is that we get to see the story told from a non-BMX perspective. Athletes like Arielle are our friends, on-track heroes, and ambassadors of the sport we love. It is just so awesome to see them get their due on the world stage. Unique visitors to usatoday.com? About 20 Million per month.

Read the Article Now

Figuring out the perfect time to leave for a 13-hour road trip is a constant process of adjusting and optimizing. Do you leave at the crack of dawn, so you’re driving all day, and land in time for dinner and a good night’s sleep before practice on Friday? Do you select a team of drivers, ply them with unlimited access to the Monster and 5-Hour Energy stockpile, and do the overnight dash across the landscape? Or do you just pack it up and move it out whenever it all comes together? There are virtues to every stratagem.

For our part, the trip to the 2012 USA BMX Dixieland Nationals was a “blended” approach. Leave in the daylight, and arrive in the wee hours. It wasn’t optimal, but was a refinement over previous trips which started at 2AM and got us there in time to get some pit gossip, and shoot pro practice (“like a zombie,” instead of “like a boss”).

Our trips are pretty much divided out by the location of Starbucks stores along the way. So, there is always a steady supply of Trenta ice coffee and clean bathrooms a few hundred miles up the black ribbon (sounds like dern-fine inspiration for a Country/Western song, doesn’t it?).

For this rendering of the Dixieland nationals, there was a heapin helpin’ of anticipation, on how strong attendance might be, what with the the 300-moto-and-change Morristown race a couple months back.

Some fast-talkin city slickers even had their union scratch plunked down on a moto count north of 275, but most folks put the fantasy-moto-count pool in the 200-225 range.

As an overhang to the Powder Springs weekend, was the upcoming UCI BMX World Championships in England. Flights leave in a week, and the prospect of getting hurt and having to cancel the trip was certainly the last thing anyone wanted to do.

The Cobb County “Wild Horse Park” track was completely rebuilt last month, taking out the 90-degree left-hand first turn, and replacing the unconventional layout of years past with a more traditional “W” (or what I like to call “M”) layout. Every person we talked to applauded Billy Allen’s artistry in making the track “infinitely more raceable,” as one articulate twentysomething put it. There is still a ton of pedaling in the layout, and leads were changing all the time, via pure-pull down the first straight, bike skills, and the occasional hand-of-fate tagging in.

The weather for Friday’s practice and pitwalk was primo–high 70s, with plenty of Sun. Suhweet! Thor Buchanan is said to be the official weatherman of the Answer Ssquared team. Earlier in the week, when we told Tyler Whitfield’s dad, Shawn, that the BMX News staff meteorology team had the weekend at 20% chance of rain both days, Shawn said Thor had it much higher than that, and we should pack a pancho. If only…well, more on that later.

Lots of bench strength made the trip in the team tents. Answer/Rennen had Loebe, Knapper, Cam Moore, Freewalt, and a bunch more, Answer Ssquared had the full squad, minus Jamie Windholz, AllTow/Yess had Cooley, the Wong Bros, and Munson, among others, Black Crown was rock-solid on its home turf, Felt had a stacked pit, with Cole Tesar, Samantha Brown, Jeremy Thompson, Luke Segal, William Parker, et. al.

And this was the first time the Profile and Madera pits were neighbors instead of tentmates. Profile had power, with Caleb Minthorn, local hero Chandler Denton, the wit and wisdom of John Pringle…while up the avenue was Madera with TM Eric Gerholdt in command. We are also seeing more and more Doublecross jerseys up front…and those guys are proud as can be to welcome Bubba Harris to their ranks. An added spring in the step and an added snap to the gate start to rock the same jersey as ol #101, himself.

Jud Ciancio and Luke Roarty were active-for-Hyper, Jud coming off an injury in Morristown, and aboard the near-final prototype for their awesomely-engineered 2013 frame.

A few lone guns from out West ambled out to Dixie. David Archibald’s Crupi jersey was up front a lot, as was Gorgeous George Goodall, who is just back from a one-year BMX hiatus, and has not seemed to miss a beat in his fleety foot speed on his Redline.

Industry Corner

Lots of BMX startups showing their first feathers at the races these days. We expect it in Chula, and even at the WinterNats, but it’s impressive to see some product promise coming into view East of the M’sippi.

Not-so-much a startup anymore, Black Crown had some new stuff to show off, which we’ll be bringing you a closer look at in the near future. Rob McAllister says orders for their “Throne” frames have been better than expectations, and he is getting photos of some awesome builds from all over the world.

George Costa was showing a finished version of their Inertia Training System wheel, which is Batman black and looks so cool it’s spooky. And it really seems like the BMX community is starting to “get it” on decimal gearing, as we are hearing more and more talk about “decimals” as we lurk in the J&R and Dan’s Comp tents, and within earshot of parking lot gear changes on Friday afternoon and Saturday Morning alike.

From the road: Off the starboard side as we rip North on I-65 is the Badd & Co rig, on its way back to Steel Wheels country in Northern Indiana. How perfect, since we were just going to tell you that they are one of the aforementioned new-movers. The frame is lookin solid, so give ‘em a 411 call if you’re shoppin!

So, too is Star Products out of Wisconsin. Pretty sure we gave you a radar blip on them in our Morristown report but they have really been marching things forward in the two months since Mo-town.

The newish industry action is not all Midwest, of course, Stephen Gerardi and his Corsa Racewear is jumping squares all over the board from his HQ in F-L-A. We thinks we’ve seen Amanda Carr suited up in his SKUs, and also seem to remember hearing something about Bubba Harris inking up a deal just after his Doublecross deal was done.

Friday Speed Round:

We coulda swore we saw Kristin Bob with a sling on her arm on Friday…but come race time it was all business in 17-27G. She’s on an Ssquared now, but still in the Sun Bru colors.

ProGate was out in Georgia with a two-man. This year, it’s Marc and Becky Miller from Rockford’s Spoke Monkey Cyclery who are pulling the trailer and pushing the button on a 10-drop for you.

USA BMX also welcomed Matador Beef Jerky as a vendor/co-spo for the weekend’s “fastivities.” They rolled into town with one of the trickest rigs we’ve ever seen–a megabucks Ford F650 pulling their sample wagon, with plenty of Matador samples to dole out to BMX fans. We did a spot-check of trash cans in the vicinity (the lengths we go to for “the story”)… and there were plenty of empty sampler bags that had been chowed down, all quick like. Hope we’ll be seeing more of them on the 2012 tour.

Cute is definitely “in” this season, as the Striders take the National scene by storm. Local tracks are deep in the fun too, turning out strong Strider classes for the half-pint homecrowd. Down in Dixieland, we saw ever-more moms and dads coaching their Strider-rider to a smooth and decisive scurry down the short course which, per usual, included parts of the third straight and last turn.

Proceed To Part Two

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At last week’s USA BMX US Nationals, all reports were that there was some solid racing, good weather, and train whistles every 20 motos or so.

Saturday’s 19-27 Expert main was like one that we had seen five or so times this year–Crupi’s Brandon Elmore in the lead, and a comfortable one, at that.

Spicing things up a few notches, Brandon hit the right-before-the-finish-line jump, and that’s when things went wrong…big time for Ol’ Hot Sauce. Bike and body launched into the air, and literally flew over the line, no rubber on the road. The win was his (marking his sixth), but so was a trip to the ER to look at the carnage the landing delivered.

BMX News checked in with Brandon after he got back to Dallas to see how he was doing, and he had this to say about the race, and the doc’s determination:

I was in gate seven, and had a great first straight. I lead the race the whole way, and I new Patterson was shopping in the last corner, so I carved the corner faster than usual… manauled the step, and the front tire wouldn’t go down. So I ramp off the lip of the last jump off my back wheel and did a front flip over the finish for the win (right on my head).

I went to the ER, and they said the x-rays were negative. But I’m gonna get a second opinion. I’m pretty sure its a fractured elbow and a broken left pinky. It’ll probably be a six to eight- week recovery. Luckily, I have my six wins now. I’d like to thank all my fans for being there and supporting me. I’ll be back, don’t you worry!

We’re happy it worked out OK for Brandon, all things considered, and always enjoy watching him tear it up on the track. We’re setting an iPhone alert for Six to Eight weeks, and will be looking for him in the viewfinder soon.

—Mike Carruth

You’ll be seeing this hit the wires in a few hours, but BMX News is proud to be first to bring you the 2012 National BMX Hall Of Fame Inductees.

Pioneer BMX Racer – John Palfreyman, Jr.
A true pioneer in the early days of the sport, “Snaggletooth,” as he was lovingly called by his contemporaries, blazed a trail on the early tracks, on which nearly all the sport’s later heroes would follow.  The featured rider on the storied Rick’s Bike Shop team, JP turned six years of competition into a lifetime achievement through title wins at the 1974 Northern California Yamaha Gold Cup series, where he won the Expert Class; placing third in the first-ever pro BMX race at Saddleback Park (also in 1974); and a now-legendary pairing with Doug Takahashi as half the unbeatable sidehack duo of the time.  John was also one of the original test riders for Linn Kastan’s Red Line BMX line, and appeared in the very first Red Line magazine ad.

BMX Racer – Eric Carter
With an easy smile off the track, and fierce competitive nature on the track, EC was at the top of every fan’s autograph list through the mid-1980s and 90s. His winning ways also made him an “anchor” member on the team sheets of the time.  Eric was one of the key riders who put Hall Of Famer Yvonne Shoup’s Free Agent brand on the map, and rode his Hutch to an ABA National #1 Amateur Title in 1986– adding the cup to IBMXF world titles from 1985 and 86 (he would go on to win the 87 and 88 world titles as well). Eric made the transition to the Mountain Bike world in 1993, where he stacked up a slew of national and world titles in Dual-Slalom, Downhill and Four-Cross.  In 2012, he returned to former BMX sponsor Hyper Bicycles, where his skills are breaking new ground for the brand on the mountain.

BMX Freestyler – Mat Hoffman
From early roots as a 14-year old blasting unbelievable airs on his personal ramp in Edmond, Oklahoma, to being widely-credited as the savior of the sport of BMX Freestyle in the early 1990s, to his role in organizing the X Games with ESPN, and his position as president of Hoffman Bikes and the Hoffman Sports Association, “The Condor” literally has too many accomplishments to list.  Through his passion for the sport, “big idea” business skills, and unequaled talent as an athlete, much of the popularity of BMX Freestyle today can, in one way or another, be traced back to Mat’s vision and efforts.

BMX Industry – Steve Johnson
Even today, yellow and black on a BMX uniform are bound to start a discussion of Steve Johnson’s Torker.  His iconic twin-top-tube frame design, and keen sense for the granular details of marketing his products made Steve among the most celebrated and respected industry figures of the late 70s and early 80s.  Steve had a deep respect for riders, and The Torker Factory Team was home to a roster of A-List talent that, over his eight-year tenure, included Eddy King, Jason Jenson, Kathy Hanna, Tommy Brackens, Kevin McNeal, Mike King and Mike Miranda. Steve was also instrumental in the early days of BMX Freestyle, sponsoring Bob Haro’s touring team in 1980, and later serving as a mentor and manufacturing source to Bob in creating the Haro Freestyler–the first frame made specifically for BMX Freestyle.

BMX Woman – Windy Osborn
“Photo By Windy” was the line that a generation of BMXers would look for upon cracking open the newest issue of BMX Action magazine.  For many, she was our first crush, and for everyone, she was our visual link to all the action that was happening at the tracks and secret riding spots, far, far away from wherever we, the readers, happened to be.  First published in Hall Of Famer Elaine Holt’s “BMX News” newspaper in 1974 (as a high school freshman), Windy helped define the sport of BMX through her viewfinder for nearly 20 years, in BMX Action, Freestylin’ and GO magazines.

Special Recognition – The 2008 Olympic BMX Team
As the place where the sport of BMX originated, the United States felt an overwhelming sense of pride when Team USA captured three of the six available medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.  Mike Day, Donny Robinson, Kyle Bennett and Jill Kintner represented their country with extreme poise, sportsmanship and untiring dedication. Their accomplishments as the first US Olympic BMX team have set an example of excellence for future generations of BMX Olympians, from London in 2012, to Rio in 2016, to the local tracks where the next generation of Olympians are just starting out.

BE A PART OF HISTORY!
The Sport of BMX will come together under the Olympic Flame at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA on June 16th for the 2012 National BMX Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner.  Inductees in the four traditional categories will be joined for the first time by a new category honoring the women who have helped make BMX the great sport it is. We will also pay tribute, in this Olympic Year, to the first US Olympic BMX Team, by inducting all four of its members as “Special Recognition” honorees.

A select number of tickets are being offered to the public for the 28th Annual Induction Ceremony at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA on Saturday, June 16, 2012. Tickets must be purchased in advance (no later than June 7th).

Tickets for the 2nd Annual National BMX Hall of Fame Golf Tournament are also being offered to the public.

Visit the link below for more information and to purchase tickets to these events:

Purchase Your Tickets Now

Weigh in With Your Congrats on VintageBMX.com

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First on BMX News, we get a chance to see the first in a series of Redline “Road to London” videos.

This first is a 1:10 montage segment that teases us with all the A-List stars we’ll be seeing in the series. Photographed and produced by ace video virtuoso, Justin Kosman, during the Chula Vista World Cup last month, the first in the series leaves us wanting the next one RIGHT NOW.

The secret email, containing the go-ahead to post this up tonight, also included a sentence or two from Redline HQ:

This montage video of the Global BMX Racing Team is the first in our REDLINE ROAD TO LONDON series. Over the next few months we will be releasing the rest of the video series leading up to August 2012.

So, without further ado…

VintageBMX.com Discussion

Keep your eye on BMX News for more in the Redline “Road to London” series, and our lead-up coverage to the Olympics, in general.

—Mike Carruth

This came in a few days ago, but we just got the first photo of Profile pro-on-the-go, Tyler Faoro, topping the podium at Sarasota this weekend in his first outing on his new Phoenix frame.

When the release first came in, we thought he had jumped full-on, and would be in a Phoenix kit next time we saw him. But, it works out great for all, in that it’s a frame deal, and keeps #954 in the 727.

Here’s a vid from the Sunday main. He doubled up on the weekend, so congrats!

Follow Tyler on Twitter

The official release follows:

Heralded as one of the top up-and-coming BMX Elites in the World, Florida’s Tyler Faoro has joined the Phoenix Pro Cycles family for 2012 and beyond. Tyler completed initial testing of his Talon BMX frame on the just-finished London replica BMX track at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Chula Vista, California this week, as representatives from Phoenix and USA Cycling gathered information to ensure his best possible set-up for the upcoming World Cup round in Papendal, the World Championships and Olympic Trials next month.

“I’m pumped to be on a Phoenix for this critical season.” Tyler said. “The frame is stiff in the right spots, compliant in the others, and really helps me get my sprint on down the Supercross hill. Plus, it looks like no other bike on the planet!”    
  
Also on-scene at the OTC were Phoenix Cycles owner Tom Floyd, framebuilder and fabricator Tony Garza, former Pro BMXer and current Psychological Consultant to the Phoenix Pro Cycles team Dr. Jason Richardson, and USA Cycling’s Mike King.

“This is a great achievement for Phoenix.” said Floyd, “In our second year as a brand, we’ve gone from having a top USA BMX amateur team to having a solid contender for the Olympics. Whether he makes the team or not this year is almost irrelevant. His feedback and reputation are already doing more for our brand than we could have expected. When he brought our bike out to his local track, we immediately received a bunch of orders. I can’t wait to see what other benefits come from this great relationship.”

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