BMX Cycling to Make Olympic Debut in Beijing | Voice of America - English
Bicycle Motocross - or BMX - is making its debut as a full medal sport at the Beijing Summer Olympics.  The United States is sending four elite BMX cyclists to compete in the inaugural men's and women's individual racing events.  As VOA's Teresa Sullivan reports, BMX has come a long way over the last 30 years - from kids doing tricks on bikes, to earning a place on world sports' most prestigious stage.
The cycling sport of BMX has been called "edgy," "explosive" and "extreme" - and with good reason. Abicycle motocross race consists of two or three rounds with eightracers per "moto" or heat. The fastest four cyclists advance to thenext round. Riding only several centimeters apart, the racers explodeoff the starting line and pedal furiously down a steep ramp to gainenough energy to blast over a dirt course of treacherous jumps andobstacles. There are no points for style or artistic expression. Onlyspeed wins. Each moto is only about 40 seconds. U.S. Olympic BMXracer Mike Day says the race is usually won in the first 10 rotationsof the pedals. Elite BMXers can reach speeds of more than 60 kilometers per hour and jump nearly 2.5 meters - and they enjoy it. Three-time men's BMX world champion Kyle Bennett is excited about going to Beijing as a member of the U.S. Olympic team. "Idid not really think it would happen," said Kyle Bennett. "It wassomething I had dreamed about since I was little. Being in theOlympics is amazing. It is the highest our sport can go. We areseeing a lot of changes. As far as where it will go as a sport, I seenothing but positive things coming out." Day and Bennett's BMXOlympic teammates are Donny Robinson and Jill Kintner. All fourathletes are considered medal contenders. Robinson says hehopes, that as an Olympic sport, BMX will show others that itscompetitors are great people as well as great athletes. "BMXracing and BMX riders are wholesome characters," said Donny Robinson."We know exactly what it takes to make our dreams come true. And, Ithink we are a good breed definitely for the Olympics. BMX is ourpassion. Now that we have an opportunity to obviously do what we loveon such a huge world stage and have that chance of doing somethinggreat is an amazing opportunity, and we are definitely going to makethe most of it." BMX originated in the United States in thelate 1960's and early 1970's. Youngsters in California used theirpush-pedal bicycles to copy the tricks performed by older motorcycleracers. As its popularity spread, this type of riding became known as"bicycle motocross" - or BMX. It was eventually recognized asa sport of its own, with official BMX competitions, rules, specializedbikes, safety equipment and culture. It was further legitimized in1981 with the founding of the International BMX Federation. In 2003,the International Olympic Committee made BMX a full medal Olympic sportfor Beijing in 2008. There will be 48 BMX racers competing in Beijing - 32 men and 16 women from at least 17 countries. BMXracing is not the first American-made sport to be elevated from thefringe status of "extreme" to the pinnacle of Olympic respectability. Snowboarding made the transition (with half-pipe and slalom events) atthe 1998 Nagano Winter Games in Japan. Then in 2006, snowboard crosswas added to the Turin Olympics in Italy. U.S. team member Jill Kintner believes the Olympic debut of BMX is changing the culture of cycling at home and abroad. "Nationally,you do not notice it as much, but when you go overseas it is prettystiff now, and everyone is cruising around with their nationalgoverning bodies," said Jill Kintner. "It was never a sport like thatfrom when I remember. People were riding for fun, and whatever, and ithas gone to the next level now." The only permanentsuper-cross BMX structure in the United States is the new BMX facilityat the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California (near thecity of San Diego). It includes a near-exact replica of the Olympicsuper-cross course in Beijing. Kintner describes the atmosphere at thecenter. "We are all pushing each other to get better, and weunderstand that," said Kintner. "We are a team, but we are a team toget to the Olympics, you know. It is not like we are going to workagainst each other. But it is definitely a new experience. This wholeOlympic thing has brought people together that would not normally livetogether in any normal situations." USA Cycling chief SteveJohnson says the new BMX training facility highlights the importance ofthe close partnership between the U.S. Olympic Committee and USACycling in the continued development of international BMX racing.