Strombergs Sidelined in Grands Pro Set Slam

Maris Strombergs was sent to the ER this morning after a major crash over the pro section in the first round of qualifiers for this evening’s Pro Spectacular. Early reports out of the Free Agent tent, via VintageBMX.com, are that he has a broken wrist, and a possible concussion. If true, these injuries would surely render him absent from staging for the balance of the ABA Grands weekend.

The big question now is “What about the title?” In the BMX equivalent of “electoral math,” Maris still has a chance at it, even if he is drinking a Rockstar on the sidelines as the three pro mains unfold on Sunday. But, that seems like a lot of “if/then/else” that has to happen for the blue sky of the so-called “quint crown” to show through.
UPDATE: Following Firday evening’s Pro Spectacular, the title is now down to Sam Willoughby who retained, and improved upon his points lead with a win, and Marc Willers who, with his second place, has edged into the “Zone” where an upset of Sam’s points stronghold is mathematically possible on Sunday.

Maris is, of course, not the only points leader leaning on the fence this ABA Grands. BMX News has been reporting the on-going events in the injury of Womens’ points leader, Alise Post, after a freak accident in the final lap of a late Monday practice session in Chula Vista.

BMX News will be tweeting from the infield of the Pro Spectacular/NAG 5 Challenge this evening, as well as the full day tomorrow and Sunday. Follow BMXNOW for the latest, and send your questions to @bmxnow as well. Also, for those of you at the race, use hashtag #10ABAGrands for your tweets.

We posted a brief “appetizer” photo gallery from Thursday’s Elite practice (which was where we snapped this Maris photo on the first straight).

View Photo Gallery Now

Broken Hearts Over Alise’s Broken Leg

At 10:35PM EST this evening, Vintage carried a thread with a rumor that Alise Post broke her leg (“Confirm or Deny,” it said). It seemed like a classic hoax, or maybe just some mistaken intel (no aspersions cast upon “mannequinforce,” the thread creator…but we all get wild rumors that later turn out to be stinkers).

News traded text messages with Alise, and it is with great sadness that we report the rumor is, in fact, true.

Alise was out this afternoon riding the Amateur track at Chula Vista with Sam Willoughby and Wade Bootes, at a recreational pace, when things went wrong over the double coming out of turn one. She hung her toe on the backside of the jump, and the resulting landing broke her right Fibula. In a tragic irony, it was the last lap of the session and they were headed off the track–somewhat of a freak accident.

Alise says that doctors characterize the injury as also possibly involving torn ankle ligaments (an MRI tomorrow will tell for sure) and surgery is likely next week. Recovery time on injuries of this nature is typically 3-6 months depending on the severity, according to BMXNEWS sources.

Going into this week’s ABA Grand National, Alise holds a 40-point lead on the ABA National Number One Pro Women’s title over long-time rival Dominique Daniels.

Alise will be writing an “In Her Own Words” piece for News, which we will post tomorrow. But before the rumor mill spun too far out of control, Alise gave us permission to bring you some early facts on this heartbreaking development.

All of us here at NEWS wish Alise a quick and more-than-full recovery in 2011.

Stay tuned to BMXNEWS.COM for Alise’s story.

Tim Daniels Speaks out About Dom’s Tulsa Speech

Got an email from Tim Daniels (Dominique’s Dad) the other day. He wanted to set the record straight on a couple of points relating to Dom’s acceptance speech at the 2009 ABA Grands, where she directly addressed so-called “haters.” We felt that, rather than editorialize Tim’s comments, we would bring his statement to you directly.

This post is to provide a little background on Dominique’s acceptance speech at the ABA Grands. I have had more than a few people ask me what she meant by “Haters not being able to discourage her and that they would only make her stronger.” In previous years I had an idea of what she would say because we would talk about her speech and she would make notes for the podium. This year I had no idea of what she intended to say and I was very proud of her thoughtfulness toward Erin Shaefer. I also understood the “Haters” comment, based on certain circumstances which I would now like to let everyone in on.

Many people do not know that, for the past three Grands, she has had to race with the knowledge that someone has tampered with her bike. We have found loose chain rings, headsets, handlebars, cut tires, loose wheel nuts, and this year, spokes were literally cut-through on her front and rear wheels. These problems were found after her bike had been checked by myself and mechanics at the track, so there is no doubt what happened. We try to keep a close eye on her bike, but with her schedule, it is impossible to watch it 24/7.

I have asked her to take stuff like this in stride but, honestly, she shouldn’t have to. I know in my heart that it is probably one, or perhaps, a small group of individuals who may think they are helping someone else in her class by doing this. But, to the person(s) responsible, I can say with confidence, that the rider you think you are helping doesn’t want to win that way.

Back to the podium speech, Dom told me she was just angry and should have been in better control. She also said that many of the young riders she spoke to throughout the weekend asked her “how do you deal with people being mean or saying mean things in the staging area?” That added to her frustration. This is not meant to start a lot of discussion, but just to shed some light on the motivation behind her comments.

The BMX community is by far the most family-friendly group in sports, and this kind of action toward Dom is not the norm. We harbor no ill will or bad feelings. I hope it never happens again, though we will keep checking her bike diligently. I thank all those who have helped keep her safe, because the last thing I want is for her to be seriously injured because of actions like this.

Thank You,
Tim Daniels

Randy Rocks Tulsa Town and Takes 2009 ABA Title

The battle for 2009 ABA Number One Pro title was a three-way throwdown that ended as if written by the best Hollywood screenwriters. After a contentious weekend of racing from the first gate on Friday, it all came down to the final 40 feet, of the final AA lap of the day.

Going in to the three-round pro main event, six points separated Maris and Randy (who had 2403 and 2397, respectively), while Kyle had 2274. Thus, between Stumpy and Maris, whomever beat the other in the overall would win, and Kyle had to beat the winner of that lot by at least one place to best them in the title chase.

The first two pro mains threw the deck in the air, with Stumpy out of the top three in the first round (which came in Strombergs, Stein, Willoughby with Bennett in fourth), and Maris with a seventh in the second round (finished Bennett, Stumpy, Willoughby). The final main would decide the overall and, with it, the title.

At the first jump, it was Strombergs with the inside, Randy about a half a bike back next to him, and Kyle about a half a wheel ahead of Maris shooting through the middle (which is the way they came out of the gate).

In the end, they came across the line Bennett, Stumpy, Strombergs, which is ironically how the overall for the day went as well. And because kyle did not beat the other two by at least one place, it went to Randy.

Quite aside from the fact that he said as much, this would have been among the best weekends of anyone’s life—-getting the “Golden Crank” honors as Pro of the Year on Friday Night, and the winning the title in such a grand way on Sunday night. This situation was somewhat reversed a few months ago when Maris was the one holding the big check after a down-to-the-wire points win for the 2009 NBL Pro title.

Randy’s acceptance speech was very eloquent, as he thanked his family, sponsors, fans and the Good Lord above. We are anxious to see him gate up with the Skinny digit on his bike in a mere 39 days when the 2010 ABA series gets started in Reno on January 9.

Photo Galleries

Friday Gallery

Saturday Gallery

Sunday Gallery

2009 ABA Grands Track Taking Shape

One of the most anticipated moments of any ABA Grands is that first time you walk through the pits, past the ABA Trailer, past the bleachers and see, for the first time— as if in a shimmering valley after a long trek through the desert—the track for the first time. This year, BMXNEWS heightens that anticipation by bringing you the actual layout sketch that ABA track builder Billy Allen and his team are using to create the 2009 edition.

Unlike any Grands track we’ve seen, the 2009 model boasts a fresh-in-every-sense-of-the-word config, with a loooonng first straight, and an exciting third straight that looks more like the runway configuration at nearby TUL (Tulsa International Airport) than any BMX track we’ve ever seen. No doubt there will be some serious air time on THESE runways, come next Friday when the first gate drops. This spy photo came in late Tuesday night with limited explanation…but we can surmise that the farthest left straightaways are pro section (whether decision-maker or Male/Female routes, we do not yet know). The “outer drive” then crosses the inner route twice on its approach to the last turn. Here, it seems like a decisionmaker is presented for the final bolt to the finish.

The layout sketch, obviously, shows no obstacles in place, but there is little doubt that Billy and his boys will be bringing the same innovation and freshness to that part of the equation as is evident in the “bones” of the design.

Stay close to BMXNEWS.COM for as-they-happen updates on the ABA Grands Track Progress…and, starting Tuesday, November 24, with our coverage of the 2009 ABA Grand National here on News, with photo coverage on our sister site, BMXNOW.COM…and, as always, the broad-spectrum discussion on VintageBMX.com.

Thanks to Shannon at ABA for smuggling the microfilm out.