Podcast: Johan Lindstrom and Tom Ritz on GSX

BMX News has been long looking forward to a comprehensive sit-down interview with Johan and Ritz since before the Chula Vista Supercross in September. Johan, is CEO of GSX Events–the independent company that runs the BMX Supercross World Cup Series for UCI. And Tom is CEO of a GSX division called Elite Trax, which is responsible for building all SX tracks on the World Cup circuit, as well as the Olympic track in London.

Any time the riders, spectators, industry or other observers express an opinion or comment about BMX Supercross, threre is nearly a 100% chance it involves a decision one or both of these gents made at some point.

GSX is just about a year old now, and a lot has happened over the past 12 months. We talk about the dark days, when their original partner in the GSX venture–the National Bicycle League, imploded about a month in to the 2011 World Cup series. GSX was relying on the NBL for financial and back office support–and it was suddenly gone. Johan and Tom candidly address how that went down, and also talk about Stratesphere, Inc. a private equity firm, who is their new partner, after buying the NBL’s shares in GSX out of receivership in October of this year.

The guys also address popular hotbutton topics like track design, whether BMX Supercross as a whole helps, hurts or has no effect on “classic” BMX Racing, and whether we will see prize payouts rise dramatically in the 2013 season (after the 2012 games, next August).

It is a fairly long show, but we felt all of the content addressed was of interest to our audience, whether you’re an insider or a fan. Of the topics left on the cutting room floor, we salvaged three clips, which we present to you as “deleted scenes.”

Enjoy the Podcast…and, as always, we’ll be discussing the show over on VintageBMX.com, so come join the fun (and listen to the deleted scenes).

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Gerrit Does Files Review of Chula Vista SX

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Gerrit Does, and do not necessarily reflect those of BMXNEWS.COM, or its staff.

In June of this year, BMXNEWS brought you a critique of the Papendal SX, written by legendary Dutch BMX figure, Gerrit Does. Gerrit is an ABA BMX Hall of Famer, and the person credited with bringing BMX into the UCI, and with inventing World Cup BMX, among other pioneering work in our sports formative years.

His credentials to comment on the longview are unimpeachable. The following is a review that has been circulating, over the past week. BMX News is not taking an editorial position one way or the other on Gerrit’s assertions, but we felt it was newsworthy, and a piece which fans of the sport would want to read, and form opinions of their own.

Gerrit writes critiques of this sort after most races he attends. He wrote a similar critique on the Worlds in Copenhagen.

This piece is presented to you unedited (translation: it is REALLY long). BMX News did clarify some of the terminology and European colloquialisms to make the content more digestible by our mostly-American audience.

Via University of BMX

—Mike Carruth

---

UNIVERSITY of BMX
Gerrit Does
Waalre/Holland

Evaluation UCI BMX CX Chula Vista /Cal. USA, September 30th and October 1st. 2011.

Dear friends in BMX,

This is my third and last evalution for the time being on a series of three BMX SX events in 2011. Again, this evaluation is ment to be constructive criticism not only by me, but also by several team-managers, trainers, riders, inside spectactors and pioneer top BMXers watching the events and the developments in our sport at this level, the past years.

The trip over to San Diego was a disaster, problems with my Esta form, bad weather in Philadelphia. Because of that I did miss 2 connecting flights, so I arrived 24 hours later then planned at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.

1. THE BMX FACILITIES.

On arrival at about 10AM on Friday September 30th, an ABA National was going on at the `standard` BMX track close to the Olympic Training Center main building.

First impression I had on the Olympic Training Center was just great. Professional set up entrance, lots of parking space, plenty officials regulating traffic etc. Parking was $10.00 per day! Entry fee was $ 25.00 for the ABA event. To be present at the UCI BMX SX event on Saturday another $25 per person had to be paid.

The ABA National was run at the `standard` BMX track from early in the morning on Friday till about 1:00PM. After that, the time trials took place at the BMX Supercross track about 3/400 meters away from this `standard` BMX track. The ABA National had a little over 200 motos, so about 1000 to 1200 entries. Around the track, (were) about 3,000-4,000 spectators/fans.

A so-called Factory lane area was set/up a little bit aside, and in-between the two tracks. Most well-known BMX brands had their trucks, bikes and so on, displayed there. It looked fantastic, only not too many people visited the area, as it was too far away from both BMX tracks.

Overall impression. A fantastic facility, to be compaired with the Papendal facility, both with a high-standard of general organisation and both on National Olympic Training Center grounds.

THE BMX SX TRACK

According to the riders taking part in these SX series, the Chula Vista SX track is the best of the series. Well laid-out, and the dirt of the track itself was hardend with a sealer called “soil-tac.” This material is used to harden the surface of sand landing strips for planes in deserts and such. So, it makes the track realy hard.

One problem was the wind blowing in from the Ocean. Till about 2:00-3:00PM, there is always a strong wind blowing, and with the high starting hill that can be tricky. I have been told that for that reason (among others), the BMX SX track will be moved to the backside of a hill, close to the location of the present track. Good thing!

2. PRACTICE and TIME TRIALS.

Safety is, and will remain, a hot item at BMX SX events. During practice, several riders were injured and were not able to race on Friday and Saturday. Because of the speed, the jumps and the track being that hard, when falling down, injuries will mostly be not minor but serious.

Time trials…well I think all has been said about time trials already. One more time then. Seeing riders going around the track one by one, about 180 of them, is not very interesting to watch.

Time trials are NOT a spectator-drawing part of BMX racing. During the time trials, no more then around 200-300 spectators were watching and around 50% of them left after about an hour. In the VIP area there were almost only specialists in BMX, former professional BMX racers, organisers and such. Most of them had the same opinion, time trials are boaring and don’t have anything to do with Bicycle Motocross racing.

Again here, time trials is NOT BMX racing. Riders coming over from Japan or from Europe, not making the right laptime to finish within the 64 number, after one lap, this rider can go home.

It is BMX racing when a max. of eight riders compete against eachother in three motos, best four qualify for the next round. The advantage of executing BMX as it is meant to be is, less time needed than running 180 riders one at a time. Plus, this is what BMX is all about, RACING AGAINST EACHOTHER and NOT one at the time. Much more interesting for spectators to have real racing going on.

An Olympic medal to be won at the BMX time trial event…what will be the value of that???

My advice to the UCI: After the (2012) Olympics, cancel the time trial events. Better have an Olympic medal ready for a National Team event, where a Country can win an Olympic medal!

The actual UCI BMX SX event on Saturday October 1st, 2011.

The fact that the ABA had scheduled a National event in combination with the BMX SX event, was a very good move. The intent was probably to have many National riders and their supporters at the BMX SX on Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon.

Well, that was kind of a disappointment. On Friday, there were, maybe 300 spectators around the SX track in the afternoon, and on Saturday maybe around 1000 spectators– no more! I counted the grandstands, and how many people could sit on them. On one side, a maximum of around 1000 people could sit there and on the other side maybe 200. Well, I can tell you that both grandstand were not filled completely, and my quess is that, including lots of people present in the VIP area, there might have been around 1000 spectators, which in my opinion is not very good for such an important event. Making the sport more spectacular by building large starting hills and extreme jumps doesn’t realy help getting spectators over there. (GSX Inc.!)

I stayed around the entrance of the BMX SX track for some time and heard many parents complain about having to pay $25 per person, including children. It was too much money for many of them. So there was a potential of around 4000 people present on the grounds, only a few actualy came over to watch. The VIP area was very well filled with former top pro BMXers and others–around 100 people.

Publicity wasn’t very well done either, based on what I could see in the area. I went around Chula Vista by car, went to a shopping center close by and so on. Nowhere were there any signs or posters to be found on the UCI BMX SX event. Even on the roads around the event, no signs or whatever telling you about the event. Only when arriving close to the main gate of the Olympic Training Center, were there signs telling you that an event was going on at the Center, thats all!

So how serious does GSX inc. take UCI BMX SX events?

3. Saturday Racing

Racing on Saturday was okay and sometimes even exciting, and that was the opinion of people (again mostly former professional BMX racers) around me in the VIP area.

Safety was an item again here. There were several bad crashes, and after being at three BMX SX events, some crashes are so bad, they can be considered CAREER ENDING.

Injuries so bad, that riders will not be able to come back and be competitive again. In first aid at Chula, I saw one rider with his foot next to his leg. Kyle Bennett hurt his shoulder again, might be one fall too much for him. Granted, at normal tracks people get hurt, but not as many get hurt, as bad, as in BMX SX.

The main reason is the way BMX SX tracks are built. High starting hill, means high speed (average 30+ MPH for Elite men). The tracks are as hard as a normal road. Nothing but jumps up til the finish line. Riders know and feel the danger, don’t want to hit eachother, so here comes the (follow-the-leader) TRAIN.

Nothing “old-fashioned” or “backward-thinking” (is allowed). This is a remark of the GSX inc. CEO by the way. Those persons with remark or critisicm on the SX tracks are old-fashion and backwards-thinking, according to him.

Having a last straight of 30-40 meters, with no jumps, where riders have to really race, and where the difference between power among riders can make a difference. A BMX SX track layout should be a combination of technicque and power. Right now its 90% technique.

By the way, it’s fantastic to see what riders can do technically, but that’s an insider opinion. Spectators want to see riders RACE and not ROLL, seeing almost only “follow the leader” action.

The ONLY rider at this moment, able to race and pass riders, as we used to see in BMX racing some time ago, is Joris Daudet of France. Even with clips, he can cut back and pass riders in corners. You almost don´t see that anymore because riders are afraid of falling or hitting eachother.

I believe it was in the semi final, Joris Daudet tried to cut back in the last corner but slipped his front wheel. Besides Joris himself, a couple of riders (Sam Willoughby and Khalen Young) did fall down. Both of them almost got in a fight with Joris and warned him: “don’t ever do that again!” What do you mean guys? It’s RACING, things can happen.

Anyway, all has been said about clip-pedals too. Again, clip-pedals are dangerous and they took away what BMX is all about: real racing. I’m so happy that, in Europe, young riders will not be allowed to race with clips anymore (I believe 13-and under is no clips).

AND if everybody is on normal (flat) pedals, in Junior and Elite classes, still the strongest in all fields, power / technique etc., will win anyway, so for the best of the sport: ban clips.

Concerning SAFETY at Moto/GP´s, F/1 event and so on, in the past 20 years, the focus been on safety. In BMX, by building extreme tracks, allowing clips, not working seriously enough on protective gear and things, safety has gone down.

MEDICAL ATTENDANCE.

What I have seen myself and heard from riders is that the medical attendance in itself is very professional and good. Especially the Doctor, who is always present at the BMX SX events. He is doing a great job and deserves respect. It says enough about Supercross events/racing, that a Doctor is part of the team of officials and is on the track itself at all times.

It would be very interesting to know how many riders were injured this year in BMX SX events, and what their injuries were. Are medical reports sent to the UCI…and what does UCI do with those reports?

It would sound normal to me, if most bad accidents happen after the first dubble jump for instance, that UCI would say: “let’s change that obstacle to make it safer,” or “let’s go down in speed by lowering the starting hill a couple of meters.”

It also might be possible to draw a conclusion from these medical reports that, for instance, the clip-pedals are the cause of certain injuries. This may be a motivation for the UCI to ban click pedals?

Talking about banning clip pedals, some people say to me: “clip pedals are a technical development in BMX.” I don’t agree, clips have nothng to do with the technical progress of equipment in our sport. As a matter of fact, it made the sport more dangerous, took away the meaning of real BMX racing, and now BMX looks like “follow the leader” most of the time.

UCI RULES AND REGULATIONS ON SX EVENTS.

What I have learned this year, being present at three BMX SX events, is that UCI should have strict rules on how to build a BMX track in general and more specific in building BMX SX tracks.

Currently, GSX Inc. can do as it pleases. If the CEO decides we will make the starting hill two meters higher, they just do it.

Also, what happend this year, building the Papendal track in Holland should not be possible during a running year. Changing the jumps, making the peaks of a double jump 50 cm or 100 cm wider apart. Putting in a so-called box-jump, which is crazy and has nothing to do with BMX racing.

Enough has been said about this, hopefully we will all learn form this? UCI can make rules for these things and GSX, or any other organisation as such, has to execute them.

I also think UCI should have rules on how to market and promote an SX event, how to dress a track, and how to build a track, in general. Check my remarks on the borders of the jumps at the Copenhagen World Cup event. Glad nothing happened there, but riders could have been hurt badly.

4. COMMUNICATION.

During the events I went to, I did find many people (spectators, riders and BMX specialists) complaining about a lot of things that had been said in my reports on those SX events. However, complaining and talking about stuff around the track will not help anybody. It should be possible to express ones ideas, at least to the UCI and GSX inc.

Riders have no possibility to lodge a complaint, or give comments on track layout, safety or anything else. In Copenhagen it was the GSX inc. CEO’s idea to even fine riders that did not agree with, or who had outspoken critisicm on what GSX was doing. Crazy situation.

It looks like people are “afraid” of speaking their mind, to those who need to know what the riders are thinking/feeling. It’s also crazy that the CEO of GSX inc. gives a reaction on Facebook, which seems to be the place to write down your critisicm nowadays, “you guys are old-fashion and backwards-thinking.”

This CEO probably does not understand people are worried about developments in BMX within SX.

He feels like it is a personal attack, and that is NOT what the critisicm is all about. And…a serious CEO with the right background and education should “listen” to what is said and learn from that, not wave it away like, “you guys don’t know what you are talking about.” WRONG.

My advice to the UCI: at the Junior (future) and Elite level, there should be some kind of “riders group” who is able to communicate, first of all, with UCI, and also with GSX inc., on items such as track design, safety, and racing rules. So many riders have such good ideas, but it seems they are never heard.

General remark: I have the experience that, when trying to communicate with, among others, GSX inc. “nobody is home”. OK, they are busy for sure, but NOT communicating, like not answering any mail one sends, is very unprofessional and in the end deadly for an organisation.

The present feeling is (and this is what others told me in Europe, and now also in the USA, ánd I can confirm that myself) that GSX, Inc. can do as it pleases in all fields, for the good but also for bad of the sport. They just don’t listen/communicate and act like a dictatorial organisation.

My advice to UCI: I believe UCI should have an observer at all Supercross World Cup and World Championship events, just to check if races are run according the UCI rules and regulations.

If things are not done correctly, he/she (UCI person) can decide otherwise. I think UCI should stay on top of things and must be the final decisionmaker.

5. CLOSING GENERAL REMARKS.

The BMX athletes today are great sportsmen and women. Their abilities have improved a lot the past five-eight years. It’s great to see how, even in Elite women class, the level has grown so much. Jumping most obstacles is common now at International competition…fantastic!

The problems BMX SX is running into, are not caused by the riders. It’s because of the riders that watching a SX event still is interesting.

The feeling is also that GSX Inc. thinks they are the most important party and not the riders. WRONG! GSX Inc. is here THANKS to the athletes in BMX. GSX Inc. should serve the riders, they should create the best conditions for the riders to race in. They are responsible for serving BMX SX and such.

Being present at these three SX events in 2011, I also noticed that the CEO at GSX inc. keeps everything under tight control. Among others: Speakers (announcers) have strict orders what they can and cannot say on the PA system, and are corrected if they step out of line.

Speakers only talk about the race, something everybody present can see. No info on background of athletes and/or the history of the sport, mostly nothing more then just a race report. There is so much to tell about BMX in general to make it interesting for the “outside BMX” spectators present at these events. I found SX events on that point “ïnside, and almost-only racing” oriented.

Advice: just look how in other international sports announcing is done at the event, itself, and on TV. Still a lot to be learned here.

At the Chula Vista event you have almost all of the “pioneer” Pro BMX racers in the USA present. Also present are former top riders from Europe. Several times, during the racing, there are breaks, and most of the time nothing happens. Why not interview several of those pioneer BMXers / ABA Hall Of Fame members during this time? Stephen Murray was there, why not try to have an interview with him and his sons?

During one of the longer breaks, a rock band was playing live. There were only about 1000 people to listen to the band. This does not add any real entertainment to the event (same as at the Worlds in Copenhagen: almost nobody was realy interested in the band and singer).

If you’re going to have live music during the event, make sure it’s a top act, which brings lots of fans to the track, who want to listen to the act ánd watch BMX before, during and after. We did this with AVRO TV in the ’80s, with bands that were number one on the hit-charts. Back then, the facility was packed (and there is proof of this: tapes are available of those events).

The UNIVERSITY of BMX, EUROPEAN BMX HALL of FAME AWARD PRESENTATION.

Apart from all of the above, the University of BMX wanted to present two American BMX heroes their Hall of Fame award. Greg Hill and Eric Rupe have been inducted into the European BMX Hall of Fame.

Greg Hill, for being the first-ever official World Champion in the highest performance class at the time, within the first ever official Worldwide BMX organisation (the IBMXF, now UCI BMX).

For Eric Rupe, a lifetime achievement award, for being the longest rider still racing, without any interruption, at the highest level, in each of the performance classes during that time. A total of 37 years.

I wanted to present these awards at the Saturday UCI BMX SX event, during one of the breaks that day. Weeks before, I did send several emails to GSX inc. to ask for their permission. NO REPLY!

During my time at Chula Vista, through the ABA (being the host of this event), I tried to get permission from GSX Inc. to present these awards. Finally, an answer came back: NOT possible, because this is a “live” TV broadcast! BS answer, no way there was live TV during the whole day, including breaks (four hours total, approx). No respect for pioneer BMX heroes!

Shortly after that, I ran into Mr. GSX, himself, Johan Lindström, and I asked him again: why is it not possible to present these two awards to Greg Hill and Eric Rupe during one of the many breaks on Saturday? A new reason came up now, nothing about live TV, however, but: “sorry we can’t do that. No European awards can be presented here in the US!” Again, BS…and I told him so. I said, “Johan YOU are the organiser, YOU can decide YES, or NO, so what’s the problem here?”

And then happened what happens a lot of time, I understand: he just walked away…no discussion possible. That is the quality of communication within GSX.

You can imagine how I felt. I wanted to show respect for our pioneer BMX heroes; Greg and Eric by presenting the European BMX Hall of Fame awards in front of the many ABA HoF members, and former USA Pros present in the VIP area at the time. GSX did NOT allow this.

Afte this incident, there were several breaks during the event where nothing happened on, or around the track, so….for sure it would have been possible to present these awards. We only needed five minutes.

The next day (Sunday), these Hall of Fame awards were presented to Greg and Eric during day two of the ABA National, taking place at the Olympic Training Center. Thanks to the ABA for helping out here!

A short history and something about respect!

In 1979, I met George E. Esser (Founder of the NBL) for the first time during the JAG BMX Worlds in Indianapolis. In 1980, George talked to me about starting an international BMX organisation run by National organisations worldwide. Since I speak four languages and had a lot of experience in that field– and with Europe being a developing continent in BMX with many countries involved, he wanted me to be his secretary. So, together we made plans for such an organisation in 1980 and finaly in 1981 the I.BMX.F. was formed. For five years, I “pulled the wagon”, did all the work and even connected I.BMX.F with FIAC already at the time (during a UCI – FIAC/FICP congress in Leicester,England). Many years later I.BMX.F. merged with UCI and within that merge my friend Louis Vrijdag played an important role.

In 1994 I was appointed project-manager of the World Cup series for UCI. You can read all about those developments on my websiteL www.universityofbmx.com in the section “History of BMX” and then click on the years mentioned. In 1997, I retired, as project-manager.

The World Cup/Supercross activities got a boost again after it was announced BMX would become an Olympic sport in 2008.

Conclusion of all of the above is, that Mr. Lindström as well as GSX are here and now acting as they do, BECAUSE of what happened in the past. I think it is showing NO RESPECT at all for pioneer riders (in this case Greg Hill and Eric Rupe) and organisers (in this case myself and ABA) NOT to allow awards to being presented during the Saturday UCI BMX SX event. No respect for the history of BMX in general, only thinking of themselves.

In my opinion the CEO of any important BMX organisation working for the UCI should meet the following criteria:

Must have a BMX background.
Must have an affinity for BMX
Must be a proven organiser – promotor.
Must be a good cummunicator, meaning be able to listen to, and NOT walk away.
Must be able to organise an open communication with riders, trainer-coaches and others concerned.
Must be open to constructive criticism
Must have a wide vision on things, no tunnel vision
Must be flexible and innovative
Must have charisma
Must have good leadership
Must be Democratic and not dictatorial (like fining riders if they have criticism!)…just to mention a few criteria.

Well, this is it. As I told you before, this will be my last evaluation for the time-being. Of course, I will follow developments in my sport, Bicycle Motocross, constantly and absolutely give my opinion on futwww.ure developments wh ich you can read at universityofbmx.com in the year concerned in the “History of BMX” section.

Wishing you all good luck and wisdom making decisions, in making our sport a professional sport in all fields.

Kindest regards,

Gerrit Does
University of BMX
Holland-Europe

Sarasota Loses Fizz For September SX

UPDATED: 7/14/11 7:01AM – Late Tuesday, news stories in Sarasota local media started hitting the wires, telling tale of trouble in paradise for the UCI and their planned BMX Supercross World Cup race this September. As of this writing, it appears the race, scheduled for September 16-17, will likely be canceled, though no official word from UCI has been released.

Two local news sites, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune and “The Patch,” both carried stories with similar accounts–that negotiations between Sarasota County and the UCI had been terminated by the county after the parties could not agree on specifics of the contract.

The “Patch” article, quoted a county official as saying “Sarasota County was negotiating with the Switzerland-based sanctioning body – the International Cycling Union (or UCI) – but the talks stalled because of insurance issues like indemnification and sovereign immunity.”

As these stories were breaking within the BMX community, it was initially unclear as to whether these negotiations were regarding the Sarasota World Cup event (on September 16-17, 2011), or the US Olympic Trials next year–as the Patch article made mention of “Olympic trials” several times.

We felt strongly that this was simply a case of the mainstream media getting the terminology wrong, and BMX News has now confirmed through sources that the US Olympic Trials will be held at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista on June 16th, 2012. Sarasota was never in the plan (as a location for the US Olympic Trials).

As bleak as things look for the Sarasota SX happening, this may not be the final word on the matter. The negotiations with the county, discussed in the articles, related to the event taking place at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds. If some other venue could be found, there may be time to salvage the event. Of course, some might say the probability of that is slimmer than being hit by lightning, as the reported pricetag to stage the event was $350,000, to be provided by the county–so that money would have to be replaced as well. All in less than 60 days.

There was no mention, in either article, of GSX Events, the US-based company headed by former UCI staffer Johan Lindstrom. GSX was last-known to be the global promoter of the UCI’s BMX Supercross World Cup Series.

This would not be the first time UCI was forced to cancel a BMX World Cup event due to location-related issues. Last year, plans for a Supercross event in Monte Carlo, Monaco in October were scrapped in June. With barely 60 days remaining before the Sarasota event was supposed to happen, the margin was much thinner this time around.

You may remember that the Sarasota SX weekend was also scheduled to be the finale for the ill-fated NBL “NationsTour” series.

BMX News has inquiries out to several of the principals in this story, and will update you right here, as soon as we have further information to share. Stick with BMXNEWS.COM for the latest.

>>>UPDATE: 8:44AM, CDT, July 13, 2011:

Johan Lindstrom, CEO of Global SX Events Inc., responded to our inquiry with the following comments:

“In the midst of the discussions to resolve some legality in the contract, Sarasota County decided to cancel the event not even giving UCI and GSX any time to react” says Johan Lindstrom, CEO of Global SX Events Inc.

“It has been handled unprofessionally from the beginning by Sarasota. This could have easily been resolved if Sarasota County have not chosen to wait until the very last moment and just giving UCI legal department 3 hours to react and resolve this issue”, continues Lindstrom.

“It’s unfortunate for the sport, athletes and the teams who have to deal with this, and we feel for them”

“So far the 2011 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup season has been a great success, with more participants, spectators and TV viewers than ever before. UCI and GSX together with the local organizers are committed to continue deliver world class BMX events, and the upcoming BMX SX events in London (Aug) and Chula Vista (October) will certainly be proof of that.”

There are no replacement venue at the moment, but UCI and GSX are looking into options.

There will be an official press release tomorrow.

NEW! >>>UPDATE: 2:34PM, CDT, July 13, 2011:
John McCarthy, Recreational Tourism Development, Sarasota County Responded to our query with the following comment:

“We too are very disappointed that a contract for the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup event could not be approved. Our community committed over $350,000 to host this important event. We believe that all parties worked in good faith to resolve important aspects of the contract.

Sarasota County will continue to support BMX in our community as we have done since 1974. Anyone who has visited the Sarasota track this year has seen the investment that our community has made in BMX.

We anticipate continued investments as we partner with others to continuously improve our BMX facilities and events. ”

NEW! >>>UPDATE: 6:51AM, CDT, July 14, 2011:
Here is a link to the recorded streaming video of the actual meeting where the County Commissioners addressed the Sarasota SX.
(BMX Discussion starts around 12:43)

Links:

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

“The Patch” Sarasota

VintageBMX.com Discussion on this topic

Podcast: Johan Lindstrom of GSX Events

Johan Lindstrom has been a man in the background, making the proverbial trains run on time, in the BMX Supercross scene for many years. A few months back, he made the jump from working stiff at UCI to CEO of the newly-created Global SX Events, or GSX.

GSX announced, concurrent with its formation, that they would be acquiring the rights to promote the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup events, beginning with the 2011 season. This was a very important announcement, because the World Cup series is the gateway to the Olympic Games and, if that were not enough, carried a fair amount of prestige on its own.

With the UCI SX deal inked, the group came out of the gate strong, and soon announced GSX was to be the promoter for the NBL’s “NationsTour” — a five-city tour of events (later cut to three cities), which promised unprecedented payouts of $40,000 per event, with $8,000 to the winner of Elite Men.

Unfortunately, the NationsTour started to show cracks early in its trajectory. The first event in Primm, Nevada scheduled for March 12 was abruptly canceled two weeks before the event date (citing problems at the location and/or a disagreement with the landowner).

Then, last month, the NBL announced it was in financial distress, ultimately leading up to the announcement that an agreement had been reached to merge the NBL with the ABA to form USA BMX. With 51% of the shares in GSX owned by the NBL, and the Papendal World Cup event rapidly approaching, you can imagine that there were some serious questions as to whether the NBL’s collapse would also take down GSX, and with UCI SX series down with it.

NBL CEO Gary Aragon was the face of all of the above news. And then, two weeks ago, the Papendal World Cup event grabbed BMX headlines with an innovative-but-extreme track–a near-replica of the track being built in London for the next stop on the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup tour and, of course, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

We had been hoping to get Johan to join us on the Announcers Tower Podcast when he moved to Ohio from his UCI gig in Switzerland, in February. The stars never quite lined up, and the interview never happened.

Last week, Johan reached out to us saying that he could take some time for an interview to bring BMX News readers up to date on a variety of issues. From the current GSX situation vis a vis the NBL, BMX Supercross track design, the London Olympics, BMX Racing’s likely future in the Olympic Games, how BMX Racing might be affected by BMX Freestyle’s entry into the games, and much more. We enjoyed doing the interview, and wish to thank Johan for taking the time to join us. We also made him promise to come back on again after the London SX in August, so keep an eye out for that.

Technical Note: Not sure if it was our Skype or Johan’s phone, but there is some pretty severe digital distortion (at times making Johan sound like Max Headroom). Just know that we are aware of it, and tried to fix it twice while recording yesterday.

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iPhone users: Use this direct-listen link

Papendal World Cup Track Layout Released

GSX released the track layout for the upcoming Papendal UCI BMX World Cup race next month in Papendal, Netherlands.

The track is 1525 feet (465 meters) for the men and 1377 feet (420 meters) for the women. You can see the first straightaway berm jump into turn one for the men. After that, the drawing becomes a little difficult to follow, but it appears the men jump over the ladies track, ala Pietermaritzburg, at the end of the second straight (from the black to the black area on the drawing), then the men’s track switches back and hits a box jump which is gah-narly (check it out in this video – in a new window). For “those that makes it” past that crucible, the rest is two, straight-forward straightaways (for an SX track, at least). For those that don’t, please report to the tech area for a wheel rebuild and a pep talk from the on-site psychologist before the next round.

Eagerly waiting for the “walkthrough” video that usually gets released in the weeks leading up to the race.

But, as a teaser, this puts a lot of excitement in the air leading up to the May 27-28 event.

Keep your eyes on BMX News for more from Papendal.

We’re talking about the track layout on the Vintage forum. Come join the discussion.

Edit: Our original version of this article had the box jump on the ladies site, but after a few emails from readers, and watching the video, it seems obvious it is on the men’s side.

USAC Names Nine to SX1 Funded Team

Today, USA Cycling announced the nine riders who will receive funding to round one of the 2011 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa next month.

For the men, it will be the same squad who made the trip to the Oceanic Continental Championships earlier this month; David Herman, Nic Long, Josh Meyers and Corben Sharrah. Corben earned an automatic nomination to the funded team for his fifth place finish in the overall World Cup standings for 2010.

Five Team USA women will make the trip to South Africa: Alise Post, Arielle Martin, Brooke Crain, Amanda Carr and Amanda Geving. Alise and Arielle received “automatic nominations” to the funded team for their 2010 finishes in the World Cup series (fourth and sixth, respectively in the overall final standings). The balance of the team are coach’s selections.

Word is that Alise may be suiting up for the ABA Winternationals this weekend, and we are anxious to see her back in action for the first time since before the 2010 ABA Grands. Keep an eye on BMX News for all the latest from Phoenix and Pietermaritzburg.

Check out the USA Cycling BMX “Power Rankings”

Vote For Your Favorite SX Rider of 2010

Whether you are making the hop over to Frejus, or just want your voice to be heard over there, definitely use the link below to vote for your UCI BMX Supercross Rider of the Year.

VOTE NOW

So, who’s it going to be? Are you voting along team lines, and going for a Sam/Alise ticket? Or are you doing a “dominator” ballot, with Maris and Laetitia, or are you more of an underdog cat, and voting for Sifiso and Caroline? We’ll find out on October 9, as the awards are handed out by UCI BMX honcho, Johan Lindstrom and his posse.

There are also categories for:
“Best Crash of the Year”
Best Pass Of the Year
Coach Of The Year
Style Award
Rookie Of The Year

…but those categories are decided by jury. This is the first time the Rider of the Year award is opened up to public vote, so get on over there and let your voice be heard.

We’re talking about the choices over on Vintage. Come join the discussion.

Estrella To Bring SX to PHX

There have been a few rumors kickin around the forums and pit areas the past week, that we may be seeing another BMX Supercross track in the United States before long. Today, BMXNEWS confirmed that Estrella Mountain BMX in Goodyear (Phoenix), AZ is the place. In an exclusive interview with “News” today, Track Operator, Justin Hill said that they are “already moving dirt, and getting the straightaways in place. The [8-metre starting] ramp is in the process of getting its engineering drawings approved by the City of Goodyear, and we expect that to be done in the coming week.”

The track will be a “ride-along” track which will have two starting hills (Elite and Challenge), and will have parallel straightaways…basically a replica of the 2010 UCI Worlds track in South Africa (both tracks sharing a last straight). “We want riders to be able to train on the Worlds track so they have the best preparation possible” said Justin.

Justin’s clearly-stated goal is to offer an additional resource to the long-established SX track at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. “This track will be open to more riders, and will be a little more affordable to train on. We are working with local resources like the Comfort Suites here in town and the LA Fitness club nearby, so visiting teams can ‘plug in’ to a package deal we will set up for them. When they land, all they need to do is show up, and we’ll hand them their hotel keys and gym cards. We will even have an entertainment component set up at the local Dave & Busters so the riders can enjoy some down time.”

You may recall that Estrella (properly-pronounced “Ess-tray-ah,” for the Spanish word for “Star”), made headlines earlier in the year by resigning their NBL sanction and joining the hometown crowd of the ABA. Since the switch, local and state-race moto counts have gone through the roof.

A natural question, given the fact that his will be one of only a handful of permanent BMX Supercross facilities in the world, is “Will you be hosting a UCI World Cup event?” On that, Justin is, understandably, a bit guarded, simply saying “Naturally, we hope to attract that kind of event to Estrella, but nothing firm has been put in place yet. The ABA is a tremendous help in helping us make the right connections on that.”

Another begging question is “What happens after the 2010 worlds? Will you be changing the track to model the 2011 worlds?” Again, maybe more work is being done behind the scenes than can be spoken of publicly, as Justin says “We do plan to change the track in the fall. If the 2012 Olympic design is out by then, who knows?”

All this development is not some “way down the road” affair, for as we said at the top, dozers are moving dirt now, and the ramp is due to be built in the coming weeks. Justin says that they are shooting for an “early-to-Mid-June” opening.

BMX News will have first photos of the in-progress build, and we hope to have coverage from the first events and ribbon-cutting ceremony when the time comes.