Podcast: On the Gate with ProGate

We all drive cars, but not a lot of people think about the engineering miracles that actually get you from point A to point B. Until, of course, one of those little belts, bolts or bulbs blows up, and puts sharp focus on the finer points.

The same holds true in BMX Racing, where we all rely on a mechanically-sound starting gate to get the group off to a fair, even and safe start, and on to what lies beyond the 30-foot line. But when something doesn’t go to plan…when the gate sticks, or shakes itself apart after 1200 slams in a weekend, you knows it’s time to call the pros.

Our friends at ProGate are celebrating their 10th year in 2012, and we sat down with bossman, Pierce Barker, to talk about the company, the upcoming Olympic Games (which will be using their gate, as in Beijing), and life, in general, “on the gate.”

We also get in to an important topic for every BMXer, parent and Track Operator…namely what can tracks can do to keep their starting gates functioning to spec. This means not sticking when they are supposed to drop…and not dropping when they are supposed to be up. The fix is surprisingly simple, and approachable on almost any budget.

Pierce flys to all the UCI Supercross races, to be on-site just in case something goes awry, and has some great stories from the road.

We’re sure you’ll enjoy this segment as much as we enjoyed producing it.

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Above: Danny Doherty, Jay Patch and Pierce Barker (far right) of ProGate take a moment out of setting up the very first of their ProGate “Crescent” BMX Starting Gate Systems in their Rockford, IL factory. BMX News photo by Mike Carruth.

ProGate Website

Worlds Tickets Selling Out

The 2012 UCI BMX World Championships in Birmingham, England are coming up quick. May 24-27 marks the event, and for those of you going over, don’t forget to buy your tickets NOW.

Unlike most BMX races here in the states, the BMX Worlds is a ticketed event for everyone, except the riders (and even riders for the Friday and Saturday night show).

An email has been circulating today reminding people that once tickets sell out…that’s it…there is no “oh, man…I didn’t know, and I traveled all the way from Faraway, USA.” It’s going to be “hard luck” for those chaps.

The ticket for all daytime events, and the evening shows (called the “Moto Pass + Friday and Saturday Evening Finals Show”) is £67.10 (about US$109), and there are a bunch of other lesser options, which you can view using the link below.

As we said above, riders are NOT automatically allowed entry into the Friday and Saturday evening shows. Here’s how they say it on the ticketing site:

Riders who have qualified to take part in the 2012 BMX World Championships are granted access to the arena through their WINGS accreditation for all sessions apart from Friday and Saturday evening. For the Friday and Saturday evening sessions riders will need to purchase a special rider ticket in order to watch the racing from the spectator seating. Rider tickets are not available at this time but for more information on rider ticketing including how to purchase please visit www.bmxworldchamps.com.

We’re unsure if riders who are racing that night are exempt from buying a ticket, but it sounds like if you want to sit in the stands and see the race, you gotta pony up.

2012 UCI BMX Worlds Spectator Tickets

Facebook “Offer” Scam Hits BMX Fans

Checking Facebook has become an irresistible, many-times-a-day habit for tens of millions of people in recent years. Great content travels fast, and we tend to see the same images, videos and headlines shared on multiple walls, as people utter a collective “dude, check THIS out!”

Combine that with Facebook’s new “Offers” ad product, currently in the beta testing phase, and you have a phenomenon that is part “FREE BEER!” and part train wreck–you just HAVE to click through–like scratching inside your leg cast with a coat hanger.

“Facebook Offers” is an ad service that is being slowly rolled out this month, where companies can offer daily deals, targeted in much the same way the ads on the right side are targeted–only these are more compelling, because they are from companies you already “like.” These ads will show up inside your news feed as Editorial content–straight to the bloodstream, no digestion needed.

Back on April 13, through popular tech outlets like Engadget and Tech Crunch, we starting hearing that testing in Europe was coming to an end, and Facebook Offers would be hitting US shores by the first of May in “beta” form.

This seemed to be the “gentlemen, start your engines” moment for spammers and scammers to get their evil game ramped up, because on April 30, we started the day seeing the above “Red Man BMX Bikes” [sic] ad in our news feed, offering a “Buy One, Get One Free” deal, alongside the honest-to-goodness Redman Bikes logo.

Well, if Redman is selling frames two for the price of one, we want some of that action… and so did a lot of our friends list. The offer was quickly in the “share-stream,” and before you knew it more than 100 people had “claimed” it (including us–”just to see…”). Of course, nothing happened when you claimed it, but the scammer had your info now, as someone who was interested in a deal like this. And who knows what else in our profiles they were able to access because we clicked on the link.

It did not seem legit, especially because it bared the hallmark of scams everywhere–Mispelled words! The “Redman” of Redman Bikes is one word, whereas in the ad it was expressed as “Red Man.” Still, we had to run it down, and BMX News contacted Mike Redman to find out if this was a legitimate offer. “Absolutely not…I don’t know anything about it” was Redbone’s immediate response.

Then, on May 1, Oakley saw a Facebook offer scam take wing, which quickly spread like wildfire all over the site. I mean, who doesn’t want two pairs of Oakley glasses for the price of one, right? If only!

Oakley put out a statement on Facebook, disclaiming the offer, saying the following:

Some of you may have seen an ad or wall posts featuring a promotion for free Oakley eyewear. We want you do know that our company is not behind this and do not recommend clicking on the link. Unfortunately, Oakley and other brands, have (been) targeted by a scam falsely offering our product for free.

This activity naturally strikes deep into the heart of the credibility of the legitimate-and-as-yet-not-officially-launched Facebook Offers product. If scammers can so easily replicate the look and feel of the “Offers” (capital “O”) design, how will anyone be able to trust it when a legitimate offer is presented?

Facebook is keeping mum on the issue, probably for the dual reason of the quiet period leading up to their IPO, and because they are banking heavily on the success of Facebook Offers to give them a foothold in the wildly-popular, wildly-profitable “Daily Deals” market, ala Groupon, Living Social and others.

Five Tips For Avoiding Facebook Offer Scams

* Do not accept friend requests from people who do not have at least 10 friends in common with you.

* Be very careful which Facebook Apps you allow access to your profile. Be especially cautious of video apps that want to show you something wild, or outrageous, and games you have never heard of.

* Do not click on “Deals” unless you already “Like” the company on Facebook.

* Carefully read the copy in ads, and ignore any with misspellings, or awkward wording (i.e. “Red Man BMX Bikes,” when we all know the real deal would be “Redman Bikes”)

* Immediately report any ad you know to be a scam using the little arrow at the upper-right of the post.

Bonus: If it sounds too good to be true, it is. (ala two-for-one Oakleys).

Bonus 2: Now would be a good time to evaluate which companies you truly “Like,” and which you do not. Un-like (de-like?) those you do not, or prepare to have your Facebook timeline mobbed with offers, legitimate or not in the coming weeks and months, as Facebook’s real Offers product comes online to the full audience.

Our STRONG advice is to avoid these offers at all costs, regardless of how good the deal. Clicking on evil Facebook links can transmit viruses, and also can expose private information to the scammer, including your photos, timeline data, and friends list–giving them the ability to masquerade as you to your friends.

GT Bicycles Mike Day Edit

Just got through watching the new GT Bicycles edit with Mike Day from the Chula Vista World Cup. The three-minute vid takes the viewer through some great footage from the Chula race, set atop of Mike’s voiceover talking about his 18-month push to get back to his old self after back surgery in 2010.

Mike has been showing some strong direction in the young 2012 season, and thousands of fans are pulling for him to make a return trip to to Olympic Games this summer.

Props to GT for a great edit.

Postcards From the USA BMX Cajun Nats

BMX News was wrung-out-and-hung-up-to-dry after the past few weeks of travel, site development, photo pickin and article writin’, so we skipped the Cajun Nats to catch up just long enough to head over to Atlanta for the Dixieland Nationals on May 11.

Lots of good reports from the Cajun Nats, though. We thought we’d let YOU tell the story. SO, we’re going to start it off with a postcard from Redline’s Gorgeous George Goodall, and let you guys take it from there. Use the “Email News” tab at the top to send us a postcard about your weekend in Monroe, Louisiana.

It can be anything relating to the weekend: How the team did, flat tire tales, who ate the most at Golden Corral, Who was hot, who was not and who’s got the flav going into the worlds next month.

Monroe was not big, but the quality was there. Archibald handled 41-45 cruiser both days even from lane 8. Super fun track!

The “Nugget” Olijuwon Davis rode like a man on a mission with a WIN on Saturday, and a third on Sunday.

No one could touch Elmore in 19-27x! In Friday practice, you just watched him do all these crazy lines in the rhythm and both days he just showed everyone the fast way around the track.

The ORP team was out in force and a great group of guys ! Had a great Saturday night at Outback with the HRP crew–lots of BMX stories from the 80′s & 90′s!

Strider was packed with my fav, Boo Bear looking totally factory in Deluxx gear.

So much cool stuff happened hard to tell ya about all if it. From novice to expert it was a memorable race. Thanks USABMX for a great event !

—George Goodall

Use the “Email News link in the main nav above to send your postcard from Monroe.

USA Cycling Develops Head Injury Protocol

This comes out of VeloNews, but mentions BMX in the very first sentence, so we felt it was fitting to let you in on it. As tracks become more extreme, and hyper-optimized training by BMX athletes increases the speeds they travel on those tracks, concussions are always a possibility, when there is a bad crash. Most recently, at last month’s Chula Vista SX, where we witnessed Jelle van Gorkom suffer such a bad impact that his Motocross-grade helmet and Leatt Brace both cracked, and Jelle was in the hospital for two weeks, with sundry injuries—including…wait for it…a severe concussion.

Fortunately, The World Cup series has a medical team, complete with licensed physician, right there to take charge of any issues. And they do take charge. We remember at the 2011 Chula Vista SX, when Donny Robinson crashed on the first straight. He had low enough points to transfer to the next round, but the medical team “black-flagged” him and he was not permitted to race, over his objections.

In the article, USA Cycling President of Athletics, Jim MIller, said, of BMX injuries:

Dirt-track racing “is a high-risk, high-impact sport when they crash,” Miller explained. And because BMX courses are tight and competition for first position into the banked turns is furious, the riders crash a lot. Not being doctors, the BMX coaches and USA Cycling officials did not feel comfortable making judgment calls “when these kids crash and get up and say they are fine and they want to race the next round.”

The VeloNews article is a great read for anyone who races BMX, or has kids racing BMX, as it goes deep into the mechanics of head injuries, and talks about how USA Cycling has taken the lead on developing the protocol, complete with a software tool that tests brain function and cognitive function.

We have heard riders say “I’m fine…I really want to get out there next round” after a bad wreck, only to learn they have no recollection of saying it, nor of the crash, nor of anything after leaving the pit area. This is obviously a case of some form of brain trauma. It’s not a question of being “tough,” is the point. When you need to make the decision to race or not race, you may not have the physical ability to make such a decision–and not even know it til much later. USA Cycling, via their efforts on this important issue, has stepped in to ensure science can give you a hand when your brain’s in pain.

We have included a link to a “decision tree” chart, developed by “Medicine Of Cycling,” to help in diagnosing brain injuries. We recommend you print it out and put it in your gear bag, in case you need to administer it to a friend or teammate. Also great for local tracks.

Read the VeloNews Article

Download the Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnosis Chart

Sharrah Featured in ESPN Pre-London Coverage

The BMX action at the 2012 Summer Games in London kicks off in 104 days. And as the calendar gets thinner on the big day, the media coverage is starting to ramp up nicely.

ESPN reporter Alyssa Roenigk posted a piece in their “Olympic Sports” section with a story, and four-minute-and-change video edit featuring US Olympic hopeful Corben Sharrah.

The edit does a great job of bringing us inside Corben’s progression in the sport, from a two-year-old shunning training wheels, to a three-year-old jumping over his brother with “bricks and a board,” to his first days in the Tuscon / Manzanita Park BMX Racing scene…and on to his current spot as a short-list candidate for the three-member US Olympic Men’s BMX Team.

In the story, we learn of Corben’s first BMX goal, told through his mom, Karen, when he said he was “going to go from novice to intermediate to expert before he was 6…and he did it!” Obviously, the drive that was in six-year-old Corben is burning hotter than ever, as his latest goal is within his grasp.

The interview gives a rare insight for the fans into the mental strength and conditioning that is such a big part of being a top performer in BMX racing. Corben talks about his injury at the 2011 worlds, where he broke his femur, and how that injury often creeps in to his off-track thoughts.

His is a great story of triumph-over-adversity, and he articulates it very well for on-camera reporter Julie Foudy.

Gather the family round the computer and give it a couple views–there are some great life lessons inside, and we’re proud of Corben’s performance…we know you will be too.

Read the Full Story

UPDATED! All Winternats Photos Posted

For some reason, the time change between central and Pacific time is kicking our butt like it’s never been kicked before. A 6:30AM wakeup call was of no utility when eyes sprang open at 3:45. Meditation, Prayer nor the constant regurgitation of the day’s headlines on HLN were no match…may as well get some work in.

So, in the two hours between 4AM and 6:15AM, we got the full photo gallery for Saturday’s race prepped and posted. Rather than wait til the full re-cap and Sunday gallery were ready, we thought we’d give you something to look at in the meantime.

For a brief peek under the Saturday curtain, Elite class wins were booked by Maris Strombergs and Dom Daniels, both of whom won by healthy margins at the stripe. Neither one lost a lap all day. So, too with the straight-aces thing for the Juniors. Rusty Nesvig and Felicia Stancil took it to the front all four times.

UPDATE: Monday 10:37AM, PDT>>All WinterNats photos are posted. Here are the links for all three days:

USA BMX Winter Nationals Photos – Friday

USA BMX Winter Nationals Photos – Saturday

USA BMX Winter Nationals Photos – Saturday

Fryin’ on Friday at the Winter Nats

With temperatures in this high 90s for day one of the 2012 USA BMX Winter Nationals, most people were keeping low under a team tent, in the car with the AC cranked, or were back at the hotel. The brave souls who were standing in plain view were dipped in a candy coating of sunscreen, and the few who forgot it were candy apple red by the time pro practice stepped off. Tip: They sell sunscreen at the concession tent!

But no climate can put the kibosh on BMX News and our factory row stroll.

The earlier question we posed to the universe of “how will pro turnout be, given the proximity between to SX races” has now been answered. Tons of Elites out for practice yesterday. In fact, you could count the ones who were NOT there much faster than trying to go over the stars who were on-scene. Three we can call right from the get-go as taking the weekend off are Connor Fields, Arielle Martin and Brooke Crain. It’s been a tough few weeks, so you gots to look out for you. Enjoy the down time.

It’s hard to say who was “looking fast” because most riders were taking a quick first straight, then just cruising to get the flow of the Black Mountain landscape. It was hot enough, without taking hot laps when not absolutely necessary.

We were pleasantly surprised to see Felicia Stancil suited up, and in Elite practice. After a ballup in the semis of the Chula Vista Supercross, we thought she might be out for another few weeks nursing her wrist. But the GT wings will be Fly’n in both Junior Women and class.

The newly-rebuilt pro set was the talk of Elite practice. The first set features a MONSTER gap, reminiscent of an Evel Knievel Wide World Of Sports setup. Deak Brown was the first one we saw hit it, and WOWZA! it is a site to see. Bubba was also skyin’ it in a big way, and Jeremy Rommell sailed clear past the landing one lap, onto the flat-bottom. Tommy Zula could have been fined by the FAA for airspace incursion, that’s how high we’re talkin.

The set is a crowd pleaser, no question…but it has lots of elites asking: “Is it raceable?…do we really want to be taking chances on something like this in a year so critical?” There were rumors circulating they might not make it mandatory, or may just close it off completely. I gues we’ll see when today’s first gate drops around Noon. There is no doubt that if the first guy doesn’t make it, it’s going to get very messy as the “committed” guys, already on the way, try to figure out what to do, in a split-second.

Kenth Fallen is back in his Supercross uniform, and ready to mix it up with the Vet pros in Phoenix. Cristian Becerine will be going vet soon (Nashville is the latest, on when), but was out racing in the Pro class Friday night, taking second to Nic Long (Jake Peebles was third).

We spent some time hanging out in the Intense/Speedco trailer, and saw some trick new THE knee and elbow guards. The “soft pads” do not have a hard-cup, as previous generations did–but feature a material that “toughens up” on impact–giving the user 40% more protection than with plastic cup toppers. Tough to believe, we realize, but they did a little on-the-downlow demo for some of us onlookers, taking a hefty pedal wrench to Brian Schrimpf’s knee, Tony Soprano style. No post-demo limp on Brian, so that means they must work as described. Official word is a couple weeks off, but you heard it here first.

Norway SX winner Caroline Buchanan was on-course rockin some trick new clip shoes, courtesy of Riivo–a company based in City of Orange (CA) that specializes in custom cycling shoes for Road and other cycling disciplines. Caroline says the version she is running this weekend is stiffer than a road shoe, and “wonderfully narrow” (said with a pained grin). Fashion hurts, especially when it works.

Well, our 90-minutes til first gate alert just sounded, so we’re going to warp on the Friday Re-cap by reminding you to stay with BMX News all weekend for story and photo coverage…and follow us on Twitter @bmxnow.

Send us an “@message” if there’s anything you want to know from the race (“who won XX class” might be tough til after the race, but general questions are always appreciated).

Winter Nationals Friday Photo Gallery

Follow @bmxnow on Twitter, for as-they-happen tweets from the infield and pits.

It’s HOT at the Winter Nats!

It’s not exactly Winter anymore, but the seasons cannot officially change without completion of the USA BMX Winter Nationals. BMX News was wheels-down at 8:30AM to get prepped on the ground for what promises to be a huge weekend of racing out at Black Mountain BMX. Temps are forecast at 100, straight-up, both days this weekend, but sun, sun, sun is definitely the best scenario, however hot it ends up. We are still toothpicking mud out of our camera gear from a very-unsunny-Sunday at the 2010 WinterNats when the monsoon busted loose just in time for the 8AM start.

With the Norway SX last week, and Papendal coming up in three weeks, it will be interesting to see how the typically-strong Elite draw does.

We will have photos tonight from our stroll through the pits, and the always-hot pro practice. Throughout the weekend, check back for photos and a written re-cap from Saturday and Sunday’s race.

Follow @bmxnow on Twitter, for as-they-happen tweets from the infield and pits.

If you’re in town, use Twitter hashTag #WinterNats to have your tweets included in our coverage. And, of course, be sure to wave us over if you have any good scoop. See you at the track!

—Mike Carruth

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