~~This Page May Load Slow Due To Lots Of Content Listed.~~
This BMX Olympics Page Has Been Archived And Is No Longer Being Updated.
This Information Has Been Left On This Page For Historical Research Purposes.
Some Of The URL Link Sources Maybe Out Of Date And Dead As Time Gos On.
XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing, China August 08th - 24th, 2008
They are stories of Triumph, Heartbreak, Passion, Power. They are
moments defined not by victories or losses but by heroism displayed.
The IOC Executive Committee decided on June 29th 2003, during their meeting in
Prague, to include BMX ( Bicycle Motocross ) in the XXIX Olympics in Beijing,
China and will be held from August 8th to 24th 2008. - In The 21st Century Games
Are More 21st Century Athletes. New To Olympics, The Furies Intensity Of BMX.
Making its Olympic debut in Beijing is one of the fastest and youngest cycling sports, BMX racing! 32 male riders and 16 female riders competing, With eight
riders racing along a dirt track littered with jumps, banked corners and
obstacles, this new cycling discipline is a spectacular addition to the
2008 Olympic Games programme in Beijing.
The Official "Olympic Theme" Music Of The 2008 Olympic Games.
~ (
NBC-Olympics-Theme-Song.mp3 [8.1M] by John Williams ) ~
On August 22nd, 2008 -- Maris Strombergs of Latvia won the gold medal in the mens
BMX cycling, holding off American stars Mike Day and Donny Robinson for the title....
Strombergs took control from the start and then remained in the lead the whole way
and claiming the first-ever BMX Olympic mens gold.... - America won three of the
six medals awarded, the first medals in the new sport of BMX. The U.S. men took
two medals, with Mike Day winning silver, Donny Robinson taking home bronze. Anne-
Caroline Chausson of France won the first ever Olympic gold medal for the womens BMX,
finishing first in the high-speed eight-rider womens final. - Great Britains Shanaze
Reade had been challenging Chausson for the lead until she crashed on a turn. Her
compatriot Laetitia Le Corguille took the silver, with Jill Kintner of the United
States in bronze position. - History is made in BMX. Congratulations to all nations
of the world, all the BMX athletes for representing the sport of BMX in the 2008
Olympic Games, and everyone that made it possible for BMX to be in the 2008 Beijing,
China Olympic Games. - A Thumbs Up & Good Job! - Everyone is Winners!
~~
Please See All Of The BMX Olympic Press Releases And Links Listed Down Below
~~
`The Battle Of The BMX Rankings, It`s The Road To The 2008 Beijing Olympics"!
A NOTE TO ALL BMXers:
The Nations rankings are determined by the placing of each nations highest
top 3 riders in the UCI BMX World Rankings and it starts ( January 01, 2006 )
So - Let the battle of the bmx rankings game begin!!! Good Luck, Everyone :)
06/14/2008 - U.S. Olympic Team BMX Trials, Chula Vista, Calif.
08/08-24/2008 - Opeing/Closing XXIX Olympic Games, Beijing, China
08/20-23/2008 - BMX Racing Olympic Games Laoshan BMX, Beijing, China
GO! Team U.S.A. BMX, GO! - Show us all proud :)
Official Olympic BMX Web Site Links w/ Information
( By clicking on one of the links listed, It will take you off this web site page. )
( News Box" - Links in Boxes - Pull down box, Highlight a Link, Then Click - [Go!]. )
Cycling (BMX): It is a new discipline from the Athens Games.
The competitions will be held on Aug 20 and 21, 2008 at the
Laoshan BMX Field with two gold medals on offer.
Only 32 men and 16 women world-wide will qualify to compete
in Beijing in 2008, with the U.S., France, Switzerland and
Australia likely to dominate the top slots for entrants.
The Olympic BMX event will have three rounds of quarterfinals, three
rounds of semifinals and one final round for about a two-hour program,
much shorter than current BMX races, which often take several hours
with hundreds of participants.
Venues: - Location and Area of BMX Competition for Beijing 2008 Games.
Venue:
BMX Field - Temporary
Location: Laoshan, Shijingshan District, Beijing
Functions during the Games: Cycling (BMX)
A series of competition events themed "
Good Luck Beijing" will be
held prior to the 2008 Games. The calendar of year 2007 shows,
( 11 - BMX International Tournament (invitational) 08/20/2007 BMX field )
Johan Lindstrom
Coordinateur sportif - BMX
BMX Sports Coordinator
UCI tech. delegate for BMX
Union Cycliste Internationale
CH - 1860 Aigle, Switzerland
Tel : +41-24.468.58.11
Fax : +41-24.468.58.12
www.uci.ch
The Youth Olympic Summer Games in year 2010. The Youth
Olympic Games is for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18.
Youth Olympic Summer Games BMX Singapore August 14 - 26, 2010
2010 Youth Olympic Games Host:
http://www.singapore2010.sg
Re: Kilo Track Cycling Events Dropped To Make Way For 2008 BMX Olympics Event
( The Petition -
Don't let track cycling die - To: UCI and IOC ) [ "Below - News Box ]
London, UK - 09/28/2006
Great Britains BMX talent team stars
Eleven-year-olds Bradley Minns and
Reece Hoggatt are two of just the 12
British BMX riders of the age 11-15
selected for an elite squad to receive
specialist BMX training for the
2012
London Olympics in 6 years (
More)
Goodbye BMX Beijing, Hello
BMX Singapore 2010 And BMX London 2012
Beijing, China -- 08/24/2008
Photo - Shanaze Reade enjoys the closing ceremony dispite being in a wheelchair.
Great Britains BMXer Shanaze Reade had been challenging Chausson for the lead
until she crashed on a turn at BMX racing on August 22. Right now I'm pretty sore.
I feel like I've been hit by a car. she said. Still I'll be back in 2012 and hopefully
in both track and BMX then. I can't wait. BMX rider and Olympic finalist Sifiso
Nhlapo
leads Team South Africa into the Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium for the closing ceremony.
Spectacular success: Beijing has raised the bar for staging the Olympics.
The overall picture may change when figures are released for the whole event, but
the need to change the programme for the 2016 Games to include more sports
like BMX will become overwhelming.
(
Beijing Games: Facts and Figures ).
(
2010 Youth Olympic Games Information ) Known information as of date.
The Youth Olympic Summer Games in year 2010 in Singapore. The Youth
Olympic Games is for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18. BMX Racing
is on the events list so please make note of it.
Through these Games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more
about the world. Athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees came to these
dazzling venues and awed us with their talent.
New stars were born. Stars from past Games amazed us again. We shared their
joys and their tears, and we marveled at their ability. We will long remember
the achievements we witnessed here.
As we celebrate the success of these Games, let us together wish the best for
the talented athletes who will soon participate in the Paralympic Games. They
also inspire us.
To the athletes tonight: You were true role models. You have shown us the
unifying power of sport. The Olympic spirit lives in the warm embrace of
competitive rivals from nations in conflict. Keep that spirit alive when you
return home.
These were truly exceptionnal Games!
And now, in accordance with tradition, I declare the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
closed, and I call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in
London to celebrate the Games of the XXX Olympiad........
Photo: United States BMX Cyclists Pose On Their Bikes
Beijing, China -- 08/24/2008
Photo - The United States BMX cyclists, from left to right, silver medalist
Mike Day, bronze medalist Jill Kintner and bronze medalist Donny Robinson
pose on their bikes for photographers near Tiananmen gate during the Beijing
2008 Olympics in Beijing Sunday, August 24th, 2008.
(L-R) Gold medalist Maris Strombergs of Latvia, silver medalist Mike Day of the
United States and bronze medalist Donny Robinson of the United States pose with
their medals during the medal ceremony for the Men's BMX event held at the Laoshan
Bicycle Moto Cross Venue during Day 14 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August
22, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Mike Day (C) and Donny Robinson (L) of the United States races next to Sifiso Nhlapo
of South Africa during the Men's BMX semifinal held at the Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross
Venue during Day 14 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 22, 2008 in Beijing,
China. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
*** Latvian Strombergs Wins First Ever Olympic Men's BMX Gold ***
Maris Strombergs, reigning world champion from Latvia, clinched the first ever
Olympic Men's Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) gold on Friday. Strombergs took the
lead of the eight- strong final from the very beginning and finished the
run at 36.190, leaving the Games' favorites Mike Day and Donny Robinson
of the United States far behind at 36.606 and 36.972, respectively.
Maris Strombergs bites his gold medal.
(Photo credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Maris Strombergs (R) takes the lead.
(Photo credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Maris Strombergs competes.
(Photo credit: Lu Mingxiang/Xinhua)
Maris Strombergs (2nd, L, front) competes.
(Photo credit: Liang Qiang/Xinhua)
Maris Strombergs (front) celebrates.
(Photo credit: Liang Qiang/Xinhua)
*** France Wins Women's Cycling BMX Gold Medal ***
Anne-Caroline Chausson of France won the title of the Women's BMX event of the Olympic
Cycling tournament on Friday. The silver medal was taken by Laetitia le Corguille
of France.
Jill Kintner of the United States finished third.
Anne-Caroline Chausson poses on the podium.
(Photo credit: Hou Deqiang/Xinhua)
World champion Maris Strombergs of Latvia has won the gold medal
in mens BMX cycling, holding off American stars Mike Day and
Donny Robinson for the title.
Strombergs took control from the start and remained in the lead the
whole way Friday, claiming the first-ever Olympic mens BMX gold.
Day who dominated the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds won
the silver and Robinson the bronze for the United States.
Beijing, China (U.S. Olympic Committee) -- 08/22/2008
Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.)
won silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men's BMX
competition at the BMX Venue Friday morning.
The gold medal went to Maris Strombergs of Latvia in a time of 36.190
seconds. Day earned the silver with a 36.606, while Robinson won the
bronze with a 36.972.
Beijing, China (U.S. Olympic Committee) -- 08/22/2008
Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.) won the bronze medal in the
women's BMX cycling event, held Friday morning at the BMX Venue.
Kintner crossed the line in 38.674 seconds, 2.698 behind gold medalist
Anne-Caroline Chausson of France, who hit the tape in 35.976. The silver
medal wen to Laetitia le Courguille of France in a time of 38.042.
Women's Semifinals Run 1, Men's Semifinals Run 1, Women's Semifinals Run 2,
Men's Semifinals Run 2, Women's Semifinals Run 3, Men's Semifinals Run 3 &
Women's Final Run, Men's Final Run Are now set for Friday August 22, 2008.
***** BMX Rescheduled for Friday, August 22 *****
Due to weather conditions, the BMX semifinals and finals for both men and
women have been rescheduled for Friday, August 22 and are set to begin at
9 a.m.. That is the only event updates we have at this time as a result of the
current conditions.
There has been no cancellation or delays in womens beach volleyball as the
womens bronze-medal game is currently underway and will be followed by the
womens gold-medal game featuring the USAs Misty May-Treanor and Kerri
Walsh at 11 a.m. **** CC - U.S. Olympic Committee, Craig Bohnert.
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Photo - The track is covered from the rain ahead of the Men's and Women's
Semifinals of the BMX Cycling at the Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross Venue during
Day 13 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 21, 2008 in Beijing, China.
All Three U.S. Team BMX Riders
Through To Semifinals
Beijing, China (U.S. Olympic Committee) -- 08/20/2008
All three members of the U.S. team for BMX cycling have advanced to the
semifinal round, which will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, August 21, at the BMX Venue.
Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.) finished first in his heat with three points
by placing first in each of his three runs, while Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.)
was third in the same heat with 11 points (4th, 3rd, 2nd). Kyle Bennett (Conroe,
Texas) was fourth in his heat with 14 points (2nd, 4th, DNF).
Jill Kinter (Seattle, Wash.) had a best time of 37.913 and was seventh
in the seeding phase, automatically advancing to Thursday's semifinals.
(
CLICK HERE! FOR FULL NEWS STORY )
The stands were filled with fans, cheering for both every jump and crash. The
theme from Rocky and AC/DC`s Thunderstruck blared from speakers
as Chinese cheerleaders and breakdancers gyrated along. Outside, plenty of
people without tickets tried desperately to talk their way in, just to be
part of it all.
The BMX world had never seen this before. The sport finally had reached
the Olympic stage. You cant get much more rad than this, American star
Donny Robinson said. Not in the Summer Games, anyway.
And in the biggest competition of their lives, the four American riders
didnt disappoint but didnt escape unscathed, either. All advanced, but
three-time world champion Kyle Bennett dislocated his left shoulder in
his third and final heat. Doctors popped it back into place, and Bennett
plans to race Thursday. (
CLICK HERE! FOR FULL NEWS STORY )
Photo Shots Olympic BMX Races At Laoshan BMX Venue
Beijing, China -- 08/20/2008
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Photo - Kyle Bennett of the United States competes in the Men's Seeding phase
of the BMX competition at the Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) Venue during
Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China.
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Photo - Kyle Bennett of the United States competes in the Men's BMX Seeding Phase
at the Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) Venue during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China.
Photo Shots Olympic BMX Pratice
Session At Laoshan BMX Venue
Beijing, China -- 08/19/2008
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(L-R) Maris Strombergs #1 of Latvia practices a start alongside Liam Phillips #65 of
Great Britain during a pratice session at Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) Venue
on Day 11 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 19, 2008 in Beijing, China.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Ivo Lakucs #256 of Latvia trains during a pratice session at Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross
(BMX) Venue on Day 11 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 19, 2008 in Beijing.
Before flying to China last week, three-time world BMX champion Kyle Bennett
was home, watching American swimming king Michael Phelps leave an indelible
mark on Olympic history. And when Bennett would see Phelps starring in those
medal ceremonies, he couldn't help but daydream.
"I'm thankful to be part of it all, thankful to get to the Olympics, and anything
from here would be a bonus," Bennett said Monday. "But just seeing that smile
and imagining the feeling he had, it would be amazing to experience that."
He's about to get his chance - a chance BMX racers have never had before, and
a chance that some racers decided was worth putting their long-term career plans
on hold. So architecture and art can wait. There's Olympic gold at stake. "I never
thought this could happen," American women's racer Jill Kintner said.
Photo - 2007 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, The Good Luck Beijing event
at the Laoshan BMX Venue, served as the test event for the Olympic Games....
BMX, or bicycle motocross, makes its Olympic debut Wednesday, when qualifying
begins in the men's and women's competitions. Medals will be decided Thursday
and the United States expects to be in contention, with three accomplished riders
in the 32-racer men's field and a former world mountain biking champion in the
16-rider women's field.
Bennett, Donny Robinson and Mike Day will represent the U.S. men; Kintner is here
as the lone American woman. "Anything can happen," said Day, the U.S. Olympic trials
champion. "I know an American sweep would be awesome to see, but it's a lot easier
said than done. I think everyone will just worry about their own thing, but if that
happens, it would be awesome."
Beijing is halfway around the world from the U.S. BMX training center
in Chula Vista, Calif., but the Americans have as close to a home-field
advantage in China as possible.
Knowing that medals were for the taking at these Olympics, the U.S. Olympic
Committee and USA Cycling spent about $1 million to build a replica of the
Beijing course in California, giving the American team a chance to train on
an exact model of the track that will decide gold, silver and bronze. No other
nation had that luxury, and USA Cycling even invited some rival teams to train
on the course as a goodwill gesture.
Photo - Australia's Luke Madill, Switzerland's Roger Rinderknecht and Italy's
Manuel de Vecchi practice during a BMX training session for the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games....
"We've been setting records out there left and right on our track," Kintner said.
Now, though, comes the biggest test: Will the training in Chula Vista pay off in
Beijing? It`s not a sure thing, simply because in a wacky sport like BMX, nothing is.
Racers have eight riders on the course together, all first having to navigate a 35
-foot starting ramp that has such a severe slope, more than one rider has gotten to
the platform overlooking it and become so gripped with fear that they burst into
tears.
Those who can handle that ramp have plenty more tests awaiting. BMX racing is almost
like roller derby; people jostle for position in corners, there's plenty of contact
at high speed, and there'll be more than a couple of nasty falls before the winners
finally emerge Thursday.
It's not for everyone - but the BMX world thinks it has appeal.
"We're going eight riders wide, going 40 mph, jumping 40-foot jumps, coming off a
three-and-a-half story starting hill," said Robinson, who won the test event on the
Beijing course last year. "It's something that the viewers are going to be kind of
psyched about. Everyone's ridden a bike and to see what is possible on a BMX
bike nowadays is just going to have them in awe of what we're doing out there."
This American BMX roster has a little of everything: Bennett is a country music fan
from Texas, Robinson is a former competitive gymnast, Day thinks he'll eventually
be an architect and Kintner is an art aficionado with an affinity for photography.
All of them have won before against the best in the world.
And all of them know that to be the first Olympic BMX champion would send their
careers skyrocketing. "We have a chance to show the world what BMX athletes can
do," Robinson said. "I hope we put on a good show for everybody."
Video Yahoo! Sports Talks With
Two Of The USA BMX Athletes
Beijing, China -- 08/17/2008
Yahoo! Sports talks with BMX rider Donny Robinson about
the emergence of BMX as an Olympic sport And also talks
with BMX rider Jill Kitner about BMX makes its debut as an
Olympic medal sport. - Yahoo! August 16th and 17th, 2008.
BMX Cycling Press Conference
Please be advised that the originally scheduled BMX Cycling Press Conference set for
Sunday,
August 17, 2008 at 11 a.m. has been pushed back and will now be held at 5:30 p.m.
Sunday.
( 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. )
WHO: Members of the U.S. Olympic Team - Cycling (BMX) ..........................
WHAT: Pre-Competition Press Conference .....................................................
WHEN: Sunday, Aug. 17, 5:30 p.m...................................................................
WHERE: Main Press Center (MPC), Press Conference Room 4, Second Floor
DETAILS: All four members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Cycling (BMX) will
be available to the media for comment during its pre-competition press conference.
Athletes scheduled to appear include Kyle Bennett, Mike Day, Donny Robinson, and
Jill Kintner. Head Coach Mike King will also be on the panel and available for comment.
Soon after American BMX medal hopeful Donny Robinson arrived in Beijing,
he walked past track star Tyson Gay in the athletes' village.
That's when the magnitude of the Olympics hit Robinson.
"I've been in awe," Robinson said Friday. "I was like, what are we doing here?"
He and the rest of the Americans hope to turn in some awe-inspiring performances
of their own, as BMX prepares to bask in the Olympic spotlight for the first time.
The four-person U.S. team arrived in Beijing late Thursday, will spend the weekend
acclimating and maybe seeing an event or two, then hit the track for official pre-
competition workouts starting Monday.
The moment they've spent years preparing for has finally arrived.
"It's really cool how it's opened a whole new world to us and to everyone else,"
said Jill Kintner, the lone American woman in the Olympic BMX field. "BMX is an
exciting, fresh sport and I know a lot of people are anticipating what it's going
to be.
For us, this process, I don't know - it's like we never thought this could happen."
International travel isn't a new thing for the BMX team, of course: Their World
Cup schedule has them flying all over the world, even to Beijing last year for
the Olympic test event on the same course where they'll vie for gold next week.
But what they saw when they got off the plane Thursday left them wide-eyed.
New buildings everywhere. Lush gardens along city streets. The Bird's Nest, the
spectacular stadium that serves as the centerpiece of the Olympic center. The Water
Cube, which U.S. swim king Michael Phelps has turned into his personal playground.
"It's all setting in," former world champion and gold-medal hopeful Kyle Bennett said. "It's kind of amazing. BMX is going to be in the Olympics. I'm just in awe, too."
BMX - bicycle motocross, where racers take off down a steep ramp at the start and
navigate a banked dirt course with plenty of bumps and jumps over the 40 seconds or
so that it takes to finish - was invented in California about four decades ago, and
since
the Americans devised the sport, they would figure to clearly be the world's best.
That's simply not the case.
Several nations have strong programs, including Australia, Latvia, New Zealand,
France and Great Britain, among others, and the Americans know just getting to
the medal podium next week will be a giant challenge.
"It's going to be great," U.S. men's racer and Olympic trials champion Mike Day
said. "I made it. I'm excited. After you qualify, you get the million phone calls,
'Good luck,' 'Good job.' But it doesn't set in until you land here, you check in,
you go through metal detectors and you see Olympic rings everywhere. It's just
super cool to finally be here."
Team USA BMX Athletes In Rought
To The Beijing China Olympic Games
Los Angeles, Calif. -- 08/13/2008
On Wednesday August 13th, 2008 Team USA BMX athletes Kyle Bennett, Mike Day,
Donny Robinson, Jill Kintner and Coach Mike King load up on United Airlines and head
from Los Angeles California USA to Beijing, China for the 2008 Olympic Games BMX.
The Olympic Event Bicycle Motocross (BMX) Scheduled For August 20th - 21st, 2008
BMX Final Lead Up To The Olympics
At The UCI World Cycling Centre
Aigle, Switzerland -- 08/12/2008
While the road cyclists have already crowned their Olympic road race champions
in Beijing, other medal hopefuls in the Games, new cycling discipline, BMX, have
been finalizing their Olympic preparation at the World Cycling Centre (WCC) in
Aigle, Switzerland.
The BMX competition kicks off in Beijing on August 20th and some National
Federations chose to delay their departure for the competition site until after
the beginning of the Olympic Games.
Since the beginning of August, Olympic BMX teams from France, Italy, the
Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia and Venezuela have trained at the WCC. The
Latvian contingent, with World Champion Maris Strombergs, continues to train in
Aigle this week. They will leave Switzerland for Beijing on Friday August 15th.
Photo - The Czech Republic`s two Olympic BMX representatives Jana Horakova
(left) and Michal Prokop (centre) after a training session with their compatriots on the
starting ramp at the WCC.
All the nations qualified for the Olympic Games in BMX, except the Netherlands and
Argentine, have trained at least once at the WCC this year. Among the athletes were
the two World Champions Maris Strombergs and Shanaze Reade (Great Britain) as
well as the French athlete Anne-Caroline Chausson, multiple downhill World Champion,
who returned to BMX in order to participate at the Olympics.
Track cyclists from the Canadian Federation also used the WCC facilities
from July 28, 2008 to August 10, 2008 in order to prepare the Olympic Games.
In addition, para-cyclists from the Czech Cycling Federation are on a training camp
in Aigle from August 10 to 18 to prepare the Paralympics which take place in Beijing
two weeks after the Olympic Games.
Photo - Jill Kintner`s Olympic machine and "Lady Killer" are the fastest,
lightest, most beloved bikes she has ever owned,,, lock and load. Mikey`s
"Banchee Warrior" is ready to dominate as well. GT Power series BMX bikes.
A Shot At Glory Video
US Olympic BMXer Donny Robinson
Los Angeles, CA ( Hulu LLC ) -- 08/10/2008
A cool video of USA Olympic BMXer Donny Robinson, On his way up.
~~
A Shot At Glory - BMX:-
Donny Robinson Season 1 : Ep. 2 | 24:00. ~~
Originally from California, the `dR' is a BMX national champion, and with the
trip to Beijing right around the corner, he`s not planning on slowing down.....
This Vid Brought To You By:
Hulu LLC/Mojo And NBC Universal Videos.
Google 3D SketchUp Warehouse
Model Laoshan Bicycle BMX Venue
Mountain View, CA ( Google.com ) -- 08/09/2008
Google 3D Warehouse, - which features models for SketchUp and Google Earth,
it does have a cool selection of architecture related to the
Olympic Games -
BMX.
As the Olympic Games is the biggest sporting event in the world,
the opening ceremony of Olympic Games is also something special
and equally attractive to the fans from around the world. In fact, it
is one of the most viewed television program across the world......
The opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium known as
Birds Nest today 08/08/2008. The number 8 is considered as the sign
of prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture. -- The opening ceremony
formally started at 8:00 p.m. China Standard Time (CST) and 12:00 UTC.
Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images (
Photo Source )
The Netherlands delegation enters the stadium during the Opening Ceremony
for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at the National Stadium on August 8th
2008 in Beijing, China. - Hey, is that BMXer
Afro Bob with a orange tie on.
Team USA BMX Is Processing With
US BMXer Jill Kintner Reporting
San Jose, Ca (Jill Kintner) -- 08/06/2008
A report from inside Jill Kintner`s blog with Team USA BMX Processing.
Photo - The United States Olympic BMX Team:
Mike King, Donny Robinson, Mike Day, Kyle Bennett, and Jill Kintner.
A day trip up to San Jose today to pick up all our team USA Olympic apparel.
Every Olympian had to go through this process, including superstars like Kobe
and Lebron, and of course me:).
Anyway, you get a shopping cart and flow through this checklist
till the cart is full. Rows and rows of clothes, shoes, luggage, etc.
Then to Alterations, ring sizing, photos, medical checklist, and another briefing.
Think the 5 of us were the last 5 total, so we were in and out and on an early flight
back home. We head to China on the 13th, so another week to go. You will have to
wait for the big show to see all these kits in their entirety. Ralph Lauren and Nike..
McDonald`s Launches Face The
Glory With BMXer Donnie Robinson
Oak Brook, IL (McDonalds Corp.) -- 08/05/2008
McDonald`s has launched its new web site today in the U.S. called FacetheGlory.com where it will play up its Southern Style Chicken Sandwich with Olympic BMX athlete Donnie Robinson.
The company is featuring BMX Olympic athlete Donnie Robinson on the site to high
light the BMX sport`s entrance at the Olympic Games this year. On the site, visitors
can superimpose athletes, pictures and send them virally on to friends. You can check
out the new McDonald`s web site, Face The Glory at: (
http://www.facetheglory.com )
Or this URL link:
http://cep.mcdonalds.com/foodnews/sandwich
McDonald`s is an official sponsor of the 2008 summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
For more information visit
www.mcdonalds.com to learn more about the Company.
The Argentina BMX Team leaves Tuesday at 1850 hrs. bound for Australia on
first step of it`s trip to the 2008 Olympic Games. In Australia, they will be able
to train in a similar manner to Beijing and the team will be able to adjust to the
hourly time change.
Team members travelling from Argentina include riders Gabriela Diaz, Maria Dutto
and Ramiro Marino. Accompanying them will be National Coach, Flavio Vacarezza.
Coming from the United States will be Men's racer, Cristian Becerine who will meet
the rest of the team in Australia. Men's Alternate, Javier Colombo (2006 UCI World
Champion) will remain and train at his home in California. -
www.bmxargentina.com
This BMX news is courtesy of:
www.bmxmania.com
The BMX worlds best BMX Racing News web site.
The aerial photo taken on August 2, 2008 shows the Laoshan Velodrome,
Laoshan Mountain Bike Course, and Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX)
Venue in Beijing, China. Photo by Guo Dayue/Xinhua.
Following discussions the IOC has held with the organisers of the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games on the difficulties experienced this week in accessing some web
sites, the IOC is pleased to see that the issues are quickly being resolved.
The media should be seeing a noticeable difference in accessibility
to web sites that they need to report on the Olympic Games.
The IOC has always encouraged the Beijing 2008 organisers to provide media
with the fullest access possible to report on the Games, including access to the
internet, knowing this is important for them to do their job. This access has
always been assured by BOCOG and the Chinese authorities and the IOC
is pleased to see these are assurances being upheld.
*** IOC Statement On Internet Access July 31st, 2008 ***
The IOC has always encouraged the Beijing 2008 organisers to provide media
with the fullest access possible to report on the Olympic Games, including access
to the internet.
In light of internet access problems which were experienced this week by media in
the Olympic Games Main Press Centre in Beijing, the IOC namely Chairman of
the Beijing 2008 IOC Coordination Commission Hein Verbruggen and Olympic
Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli held meetings and discussions today with Games organizers (BOCOG) and Chinese authorities.
The issues were put on the table and the IOC requested that the Olympic Games
hosts address them. We understand that BOCOG will give details to the media very
soon of how the matter has been addressed. We trust them to keep their promise.
The IOC would like to stress that no deal with the Chinese authorities
to censor the internet has ever in any way been entered into.
US Olympic Team Entered Into
Olympic Games Beijing, China
USOC News -- 07/23/2008
"The U.S. Team is ready to compete in a manner that makes this country proud."
The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) announced today its team members
for competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The U.S. Team will
include 596 athletes: 310 men and 286 women.
The U.S. Team will compete in 30 sports at the 2008 Olympic Games, including the
newest Olympic disciplines of bicycle moto-cross (BMX), open water swimming and
women's steeplechase. The United States will also field a team in women's field hockey for the first time since 1996 and in baseball for the first time since
2000. The only team events the United States will not compete in are men's
field hockey and team handball.
"The United States will send a strong team of 596 athletes who will represent our
country with pride and honor," said USOC Chief Executive Officer Jim Scherr.
"America's athletes recognize just how challenging the competitive environment
will be, and they are preparing with this in mind. We are confident they will rise
to the competitive challenges in Beijing." - For FULL USOC PR -
Click Here!
Team U.S.A. Olympic BMX Athletes: Representing The United
States of America At The 2008 Beijing, China Olympic Games:
Mens Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
U.S.A. BMXer, - Kyle Bennett, 28 Conroe, Texas....
U.S.A. BMXer, - Mike Day, 23 Sam Clemente, Calif.
U.S.A. BMXer, - Donny Robinson, 25 Napa, Calif....
Womens Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
U.S.A. BMXer, - Jill Kintner, 26 Seattle, Wash..........
Six foreign BMX federations were inviting to the USOC Olympic Training Center
in Chula Vista, Californian from June 30 to July 12 to prepare for the upcoming
Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The six foreign BMX countries included
Argentina, Australia, Canada, Columbia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The
group included the world's best BMX athletes with the likes of the UCI women's
world number # 1, Sarah Walker from New Zealand and the men's world number
# 2, Jared Graves from Australia.
The U.S. Olympic BMX team was also at the OTC during the 12 days and most of
them took part in the open group track sessions which where held later in the week.
The open group sessions were inserted after all the team managers made the request
after the warmer than normal heat and breezy winds which picks up mid morning. All
of the foreign athletes used the weight room, the AT&T athlete center, crit course
for sprints, and all raved about the great dining hall.
On the last day of the camp, Canada held a simple race off with some mock heat
races with Scott Erwood and Jimmy Brown to determine the sole male Olympic spot.
The race was won by Scott Erwood of British Columbia and he posted some
impressive track times.
However, with all the good comes the bad. We saw some minor injuries from
two athletes during the camp. Belen Dutto of Argentina, who is also deaf, had a
fall over the first double jump and was admitted to the local hospital for head
abrasions along with a minor concussion. The Netherlands top male rider, Robert
DeWild had a similar crash on the last day of the camp in the afternoon which saw
Robert get sideways over the second strait step jump. The crash resulted in a
concussion and he was also sent to the hospital for overnight observations.
With all that said, the replica Beijing BMX track is by far the best BMX facility
in the entire world and these foreign athletes would all agree. Everyone was very
gracious and thankful for the opportunity and I believe USA Cycling was a terrific
host. I look forward to hosting them in the future.
----------------------------------------- - August 19th, 2008 -
A Lot Of Confusion Seen About The NBC Television Coverage Times For BMX Listed.
Please See (
www.nbcolympics.com ) For All Official TV Coverage Times In Your Area.
-----------------------------------------
NBC's BMX Racing Olympic Games Television (TV) Coverage:-
August 08, 2008 - 8:00pm - 12:00am EST
Opening Ceremony. Estimated 205 nations march into Beijing's "Bird Nest" stadium,
the Olympic cauldron is lit and the Games of the XXIX Olympiad officially begin.....
August 20, 2008 - 12:30am - 2:00am EST
Late night (LIVE) BMX cycling, featuring men's quarterfinal races.
August 20, 2008 - 8:00pm - 12:00am EST
Prime time (LIVE) cycling's BMX finals.
August 21, 2008 - 2:00am - 5:00am EST
Prime time Replay BMX finals.
August 24, 2008 - 7:00pm - 11:30pm EST
Prime time, Games of the XXIX Olympiad conclude with the Closing Ceremony.
11:30pm - 3:30am EST Prime time, Replay Of The Closing Ceremony...............
BMX cycling fans can follow all the cycling action via streaming video online
at
www.nbcolympics.com or either live or via tape delay on several NBC networks.
NBC Sports HIGHLIGHTS:
Here's your first, live look at one of the Olympics new events, BMX racing.
Watch as competitors race through a treacherous course filled with turns,
bumps and jumps as they try to advance toward the gold medal final. Though
the event is unpredictable, Team USA has strong contenders in Kyle Bennett,
Mike Day and Donny Robinson on the men's side. - For Full PR Listings See:
(
www.phpbb88.com/genesbmx/viewtopic.php?t=5107&mforum=genesbmx )
Also Note Of The
AST Dew Tour Stop #
03 In Portland, Oregon USA.
August 21st, - 24th, 2008 - NBC TV Schedule Of The AST Dew Tour.
USA TV - Friday August 22nd 2008 12:00am - 1:00am EST...
USA TV - Saturday August 23rd 2008 12:00am - 1:00am EST.
NBC Sports TV - Sunday August 24th 2008 4:00pm - 6:00pm EST...
NBC Sports TV - Saturday August 30th, 2008 4:00pm - 6:00pm EST
Click Here! For NBC Full TV Schedule Of The 2008 AST Dew Tour.
McDonalds is launching its biggest sponsorship to date around the
upcoming summer Olympic Games in Beijing, which includes every
thing from new menu items, a kids program and a global online game.
In the U.S., McDonalds will promote its newly launched Southern
Style Chicken and feature nine Olympic and Paralympic athletes
on its cups and bags, which is now rolling out. In addition to the
packaging, TV spots and online activities will support the effort.
On Aug. 5th, 2008 McDonalds will launch a new Web site in the U.S. at
(
http://www.FacetheGlory.com ) - where it will play up its Southern Style
Chicken Sandwich with Olympic new comer BMX athlete Donnie Robinson.
The company is featuring Robinson on the site to high light the
sports entrance at the Games this year. On the site, visitors
can superimpose athletes pictures and send them virally on
to friends, Dillon said. - For Full PR Please (
Click Here! )
Colorado Springs, Colo. (USA Cycling) -- 07/01/2008
USA Cycling made it official on Tuesday, July 01st, 2008 releasing this statement:
BICYCLE MOTOCROSS (BMX)
As the discipline of BMX racing gets set to make its Olympic debut this summer,
the U.S. will field a four-person squad which consists of three men and one woman.
Automatic qualifiers on the mens side include
Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas) and Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.).
Bennett earned his automatic nomination as the top-ranked athlete in
USA Cyclings 2008 BMX Rankings, while Day won the 2008 U.S. Olympic
Team Trials on June 14 to earn his.
Bennett and Day will be joined by Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.). Robinson earned
a discretionary selection to the mens BMX squad based on his consistent history of
recording top results at the international level.
Among Robinsons performances that factored into his selection were first-place
finishes at the 2007 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Beijing last August, which
also served as the official Olympic Test Event, and the third round of the 2008
series in Copenhagen in May. Robinson is currently the number-one ranked mens
BMX athlete in the world and leads the overall 2008 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup
standings. Most recently, he finished second to Day at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
The sole womens BMX spot will be filled by Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.).
Kintner earned an automatic nomination as the top-ranked athlete in USA
Cyclings 2008 BMX Rankings.
2008 Olympic Games Beijing, China
August 8-24 USA Cycling Nominees:
Donny Robinson can rest easily now. He's going to the Olympics.
The world's top-ranked BMX racer has been told by USA Cycling on
Wednesday that he'll fill the third spot on the men's team headed
to the Beijing Games. He'll join automatic qualifiers Kyle Bennett
and Mike Day on the team.
USA Cycling did not intend to announce the pick
until next week, but Robinson couldn't help himself.
"There is no reason to wait to let all of you know this great news,"
Robinson wrote in an e-mail to supporters which was obtained by
The Associated Press.
Robinson's selection was hardly a surprise; it was assumed for
weeks that if he wasn't an automatic qualifier through either
USA Cycling's yearlong points series (won by Bennett) or the
Olympic trials in Chula Vista, Calif. (won by Day), he would
be the discretionary pick for the team.
But after he finished second at the trials, Robinson
sounded anything but certain that he'd be Beijing-bound.
"I did all I can do and I have to hope it was good enough,"
Robinson said.
In the end, it was.
Robinson, who at 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds is considerably smaller
than most BMX racers at the elite level, won an Olympic test event
on the Beijing track last year and will surely be among the gold-medal
favorites this August, when BMX makes its debut on sport's biggest stage.
He is also one of the most highly marketed racers in BMX, with
endorsement deals with major Olympic sponsors such as McDonald's.
"The past year has been nothing short of spectacular and I only hope for
better things in the future, but know that all of you are the reason for
the success I'm having," Robinson wrote Wednesday in his e-mail to
supporters and friends. "I wouldn't be in the spot I am today, with out you."
With Robinson's selection, BMX becomes the first discipline to have
its entire U.S. Olympic roster set: The Americans will send the three
men to compete, along with Jill Kintner in the women's division.
In all, 13 of USA Cycling's 24 Olympic start positions have now been claimed.
Taylor Phinney, Bobby Lea and Michael Blatchford are on the men's track team,
with three spots left there; Sarah Hammer and Jennie Reed will be the two women's
track racers in Beijing; Todd Wells is one of two men's mountain bikers headed
to the games; Georgia Gould is one of two women's Olympic mountain bikers for
the U.S.; Levi Leipheimer is the only automatic qualifier to the five-man men's
road team; and Kristin Armstrong has secured one of the three spots on the
women's road team.
U.S. Olympic BMX Team Qualified
Athletes For 2008 Beijing Games
U.S. Olympic Committee -- 06/23/2008
Qualified U.S. Olympic Team BMX Athletes for the 2008 Olympic Games
As of June 23rd, 2008.
Following is a list of U.S. athletes and sports that have qualified for the
2008 Olympic Games. Athletes named in the list represent those sports in
which Olympic Trials have taken place or athletes have qualified by other
means world ranking, Pan American Games, and World Cup competition.
2008 U.S. Olympic BMX Team Qualified Athletes:
Kyle Bennett, Conroe, Texas....
Jill Kintner, Seattle, Wash..........
Mike Day, Sam Clemente, Calif.
Men's TBD (Coaches Selection)
The USA Cycling Team will announce its Full Olympic team on July 1st, 2008.
CC - U.S. Olympic Committee, Kevin Neuendorf ( usoc press box )
Robinson Hopes To Fill Spot On
American Olympic BMX Team
Beijing, China -- 06/21/2008
Donny Robinson, an Olympic hopeful, wants to fill the last spot on the
three-man American BMX team, which is already equipped with Texas'
Kyle Bennett, who earned the first spot last month for his lead in the U.S.
rankings at the time, and Mike Day, who grabbed the second opening after
his victory in the winner-take-all U.S. Olympic BMX trials in Chula Vista,
California, on June 14. - (
U.S. Olympic Team BMX Trials Announced )
Together with Bennett, Robinson scored points in 17 of
the 19 races during the U.S. Olympic qualifying series.
Entering the BMX competition stage at age six, Robinson jumped into
professional BMX cycling a few months after graduating from high school
in 2001. He won the 2006 world championships and the "Good Luck Beijing"
event last summer on the same Olympic track where he might race this August.
In addition, Robinson won the third round of the UCI BMX Supercross World
Cup series in Copenhagen, Denmark, just a few months ago, on May 10. He is
ranked No. 1 in the world by the International Cycling Union.
At 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds, Donny Robinson's small figure doesn't seem to fit in
on the international circuit. But gone are the days when skeptics railed against his
ability to win over the bigger cycling guys. - The 24-year-old top-ranked racer with
sponsorships from McDonald's, AT&T, Hershey's, Kellogg's and Nike, has proven
that his size won't deter him from aiming high at the Olympics in 2008.
Robinson is now looking forward to July 1st, 2008 when USA Cycling
plans to announce the names of its Olympic representatives. He hopes that
he will stand on the Olympic podium at BMX's Olympic debut in Beijing.
USA Olympic BMX Podium - Jill Kintner (women's BMX) Kyle Bennett (men's BMX)
and Mike Day (men's BMX), USA Cycling Team will announce its full Olympic team on
July 1st, 2008
BMX Qualifying Places Awarded
For 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
UCI BMX News -- 06/10/2008
The International Cycling Union (UCI) has given the National Olympic
Committees (NOC) confirmation of the number of places each of them
has obtained for the BMX events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
According to criterion 1 (UCI ranking by nation) which was finalized on
June 1st 2008, and criterion 2 (2008 UCI BMX World Championships),
17 nations in the Elite Men category and 11 nations in the Elite Women
category will be represented at the Beijing Olympic Games.
A total of 45 places have been awarded: 30 Elite Men and 15 Elite Women.
The UCI is very pleased with the universal participation, demonstrated by the qualification of several countries from the American and African continents.
The NOCs have until June 20th 2008 to confirm their qualification places.
The remaining invitation places and vacant places will be awarded by a
tripartite commission made up of the IOC, ANOC (Association of National
Olympic Committees) and UCI in early July 2008
BMX Suppliers Hope Bike Sales Feed Off Olympics Buzz
Kent, Washington -- 06/03/2008
To say Craig (Gork) Barrett is a BMX Olympics believer is putting it mildly.
When you tell
Redline`s marketing director you haven't herd much BMX
Olympics buzz out there, he acts as though you've been living under a large
rock, then provides enough BMX coverage links to make your head spin.
"I could give you thousands of more links to the pre hype the BMX has
been getting so far from the AP to international media around the world,"
Barrett said.
"Between now and August 21, we are hoping that BMX racing
becomes a household word and a dinnertime conversation," he added.
Just a month ago, "
The Today Show" dedicated a large portion of
its show to BMX, featuring elite riders such as Kyle Bennett,
Donny Robbinson and Arielle Martin.
The 2008 Olympic Summer Games will feature BMX racing
in men's and women's categories for the first time.
But morning show buzz aside, others in the BMX
world share a more tempered enthusiasm than Barrett.
"When BMX racing in the Olympics was first announced there was a real
excitement about it," said Greg Swingrover, owner of
Crupi BMX.
"It altered the marketing mindset of a few of the BMX companies
out there who are trying to position themselves with the best racing
athletes, giving them the best chance of getting their riders and
equipment in the Olympics. For these riders and companies the
excitement is still there, but overall Im not sure there is or was
enough marketing done about BMX in the Olympics to excite
the younger riders in the sport."
GT director of product development Mark Peterman said
its hard to gauge the buzz outside of BMX`s core.
"I think that in the BMX community itself its a huge deal,"
Peterman said. "Its just not as large a culture at this point
in time as it was in the mid 80s and mid 90s, so I don't think
that cyclists in general are talking about it."
Perhaps the real truth lies in pre Olympic BMX sales.
BMX racing sales have been picking up for us this last year," said
Jeff DeVido, owner of
Custom Cycle Supply, a BMX distributor
in Coral Springs, Florida. "We are selling more
MCS bikes than
ever before. Moto count at nationals has been down for the last year
or two, but that is more because of fuel prices and hotel expenses.
Just our luck - BMX goes to the Olympics when the U.S. goes into
a recession."
Others paint a grimmer picture of BMX racing.
While
Mirraco doesn't market BMX racing bikes, president Jim
Ford feels BMX is a small part of the over-all 20-inch business.
"The Olympics is too traditional and staid for their lifestyle,"
Ford said. "In fact, the Olympics lends a form of legitimacy to
BMX that many 15-year-old riders might find downright offensive
to their sport."
This summer's Beijing Olympics has already been marred by
protests as political activists are calling for an end to China's
human rights violations and Tibet policies.
But everyone Bicycle Retailer and Industry News
talked to felt this wouldn't be a distraction.
"I really wish the media would just focus on the athletes and
all of the great back stories that each person has.' Barrett said.
"I know its not in the media's interest to look on the positive
side of things and report all the good stuff that will be taking
place. Maybe that doesn't sell papers and draw viewers. But I
wish they would try it."
Whether the Summer Games will impact BMX sales won't be decided
until well after August, but suppliers expressed cautious optimism.
"The Olympics should help boost BMX sales around the globe to
some degree," Swingrover said. "It will get some TV attention and
more marketing once the games are over. However, after the Olympics
are over, BMX will go back to where it was before and several riders
from every country who currently have all of their expenses paid to travel
and train will not have this luxury for a couple of years until these
countries decide it is time to start training for the 2012 Olympics.
It will be tough on the riders and tough on the sport."
CC - Hard print copy of Bicycle Retailer And Industry News
( B.R.A.I.N. ) June 1, 2008 - Vol. 17, Number 9 - Page 24.
Seattle Washington`s Jill Kintner
Makes The U.S.A. Olympic BMX Team
Taiyuan, China ( GT Bicycles News )-- 06/02/2008
Jill Kintner thought her Olympic dream ended four weeks ago,
when she was writhing in the dirt, screaming in agony after
re-injuring her chronically right knee in a training crash.
She felt no pain Saturday.
By finishing sixth at the BMX world championships in Taiyuan, China,
the 26-year-old from Seattle earned enough points to barely edge Arielle
Martin of Pleasant Grove, Utah, in USA Cycling's year long battle for the
lone automatic women's BMX berth into this summer's Beijing Olympics.
For the full Press Release, Please (
Click Here! )
Steven Cisar is continuing his breakthrough season after
a silver medal at the world championships on Saturday.
Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.) led the United States Cycling Team
on Saturday with a silver medal in the elite men's contest at the 2008
UCI BMX World Championships. As one of two Americans to qualify
for the final eight-man main, Cisar finished just 0.384 seconds off the pace
of winner Maris Strombergs (LAT), while Stifiso Nhlapo (RSA) took
the bronze and American Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) placed fourth.
For Cisar, it was his second trip to the podium this season in a major
international event. In February he captured a bronze medal in the
opening round of the 2008 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series.
Cisar and Robinson were the only two U.S. athletes to advance out of
the quarterfinals as other notable Americans such as defending world
champion Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas), David Herman (Wheat Ridge,
Colo.), Randy Stumpfhauser (Sanger, Calif.) and Danny Caluag (Chino,
Calif.) all qualified for the round of 32 but failed to advance to the
semifinals, leaving only Cisar and Robinson as medal contenders.
In the elite women's event, Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.) was the top
U.S. finisher in sixth place as the only American to advance to the main.
Shanaze Reade (GBR), Ann-Caroline Chausson (FRA) and Sarah Walker
(NZL) earned the top three spots respectively.
Entering the world championships, the U.S. was on the fringe of
securing a second women's start position for the Olympic Games.
Needing a top-four overall nation's ranking following the event, the
U.S. entered the world championships ranked fifth - just one point
behind New Zealand, seven points behind Argentina and 13 points
off the pace of Australia.
Entering the event, France had a commanding hold on the number-one
spot. Based on its performance in Taiyuan, the U.S. is expected to retain
its fifth-place ranking when the UCI issues its official standings next week.
Arielle Martin (Pleasant Grove, Utah) crashed out in her quarterfinal
heat, while Kim Hayashi (Chandler, Ariz.) and Stephanie Barragan
(Montclair, Calif.) also failed to advance out of the round of 32, l
eaving Kintner as the only U.S. athlete amongst the final 16 contenders.
Also on Saturday, the U.S. turned in strong performances in the
junior championship categories as Denzel Stein (Desoto, Texas)
earned a bronze medal in the junior men's event and compatriot
Travis Ohrazda (Garden Grove, Calif.) finished sixth.
For the U.S. men's field, the next major competition will be the U.S.
Olympic Team Trials on June 14 in Chula Vista, Calif. where the winner
will earn an automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.
Kyle Bennett is the United States' first Olympic BMX qualifier.
A three-time BMX world champion, Bennett clinched his spot on
this summer's Beijing-bound team Saturday, making the finals of a
World Cup race in Denmark, enough to wrap up USA Cycling's
year long points competition for an automatic Olympic berth.
The U.S. will send three men's BMX racers to the Beijing Games,
but only one spot was assured from the points race. Another will
be claimed at the Olympic trials on June 14, and the third will be
a coaches' selection. BMX makes its Olympic debut this summer.
BMX Racing is on the list to have cheerleaders at the
2008 Beijing, China Olympic Games. How cool is that! : )
Beijing Olympic BMX Cheerleaders Confirmed!
A total of 428 cheerleaders for the upcoming
Beijing Olympic Games were confirmed recently.
Among them 364 were picked through contests jointly organized by the
Cultural Activities Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the
Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and the Gymnastics Managing
Center of the General Administration of Sport.
According to the plan, ten venue clusters in Beijing will have
cheerleading performances during the Olympic Games from August 8 to 24.
They are: the northern area of the Olympic Green venue cluster; the National
Stadium; the Olympic Sports Center venue cluster; the Laoshan bike venue cluster;
the Wukesong venue cluster; the Capital Indoor Stadium; the Workers' Stadium;
the Workers' Indoor Arena; the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Gymnasium; and the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground.
They involve 17 sports, including: hockey, archery, table tennis, athletics
(including marathon and race walking), football, handball, water polo, modern
pentathlon (equestrian, running and swimming), bicycling, BMX, baseball,
basketball, volleyball, boxing, weightlifting and beach volleyball.
In line with the arrangements of the venues, the cheerleaders
will conduct specific training beginning June 15th 2008.
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup 2
Adelaide Australia Report
Adelaide, Australia -- 04/13/2008
Some withdrawals of top-ranked BMX riders from this
UCI BMX World Cup Supercross event in Adelaide seen.
France's top ranked female riders withdrawn from this BMX event.
Top English rider Shanaze Reade and top ranked American rider, BMX
world champion Kyle Bennett, also withdrawn from the Adelaide event
where points towards qualifying for the Beijing Games where accumulated.
BMX Australia's assistant coach Wade Bootes quoted in a news press that
the withdrawals could have some impact on Olympic selections.
On the good side of stuff, David Herman of the USA won his first ever Pro
BMX event ahead of Maris Strombergs of Latvia and Kamakazi of Australia.
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup 2 Adelaide Australia Results:
Men
1. David Herman (USA)
2. Maris Strombergs (Lat)
3. Kamakazi (Aus)
4. Michal Prokop (Cze)
5. Raymon van der Beizen (Ned)
6. Luke Madill (Aus)
7. Emilio Falla (Ecu)
8. Jared Graves (Aus)
Amanda Geving of Largo Florida hopes to be
a member of the first U.S. Olympic BMX team.
The next two months will be crucial for Amanda Geving.
If all goes well for the 2007 Seminole High School graduate, she will be
one of two women selected to represent the United States at the Beijing
Olympics in the new Olympic sport of BMX bicycle racing.
Geving, 19, of Largo, one of the nations best in her sport, is in a
battle with a couple of other womens elite riders for the top ranking
by USA Cycling.
Two women will be named to the U.S. team and one will be the person
with the No. 1 ranking, based on competition. The other position will
be filled by a five-person USAC committee, which could select the
second-ranked rider or someone lower if they choose to, Geving said.
I have to finish above all the other girls (in total points) to ensure it,
said Geving, the winner of the prestigious Florida Rider of the Year award
in 2007. Number two is the choice of USA Cycling. They could go with the
second-ranked rider or the fourth-ranked rider depending on what they want.
Geving was trailing Arielle Martin of Pleasant Grove, Utah, and Jill Kintner
of Seattle by three points. Races in West Palm Beach, Adelaide, Australia;
Copenhagen, Denmark; and the World Championship in Taiyuan, China,
will dictate the final point standings.
Geving and a number of other riders have been training at a U.S.
Olympic training facility in Chula Vista, Calif., since Jan. 2. She was
invited based on her record as a six-time Florida champion, a four-time
national runner-up and four-time competitor in the World Championship.
Working with and against other potential Olympic riders has spurred
her to greater heights and made the dream of representing the U.S.
burn even stronger in her heart.
I dream about it a lot, said Geving, and especially being at the
training center. It really motivates you to push hard and try harder.
The 5-foot, 5-inch, 140-pound blonde stays in shape by working out
three days a week in the gym, riding sprints each day on her 20-inch
aluminum bicycle and training on bike trails every other day.
Physical training is as important as the mental training, said Geving.
Its an important aspect of it. You have to be strong because BMX is
about strength to weight ratio.
Her current regimen is a long way from Azalea
Park in St. Petersburg where she got her start.
It all started when she was playing soccer at age 10 and noticed some
BMX racers a block or two away going over the obstacles on a local course.
I saw all the people jumping and riding,
she said, and I thought it looked cool.
While some children that age would approach the sport more
as a recreational activity, Geving took it very seriously.
She was very athletic as a young girl, said her father,
Bill Geving. She was very good at everything she tried.
Geving gave up an aspiring youth baseball career (not softball,
her dad stressed) to concentrate strictly on BMX racing.
Despite riding a heavy, clunkier bike the first half of her first
competitive season, she finished 13th in the state rankings and,
as the old cliche goes, was off to the races from there.
Im motivated and determined to win, said Geving, who is a member
of the Redman Bicycles factory team. My dad helped me with techniques
and ways to jump but I learned a lot at the races. I would watch other
riders and see what they did, and see if it would work for me. I want
to push myself and get myself to the top of my skills.”
Her success has come with a price, though. Over the last nine years
she has suffered a lacerated liver, cracked ribs, a broken collarbone
and most recently a fractured ankle.
It has been injuries like those that have kept the
talented racer from winning a national championship.
As in most sports, she admits luck plays a strong
part in success, along with strategy and training.
I really dont like to build myself up, Geving said. I work hard
and no other girl works as hard as me. I try to do what I need to do.
It has been that way for many years. It doesnt matter if the sport is
high school soccer, cross country, track or BMX. Geving is probably
as competitive as athletes get.
And if everything falls into place like she hopes, Geving will be
cruising down a four-story ramp toward a series of 35-foot obstacles
when the BMX competition gets under way in Beijing on Aug. 21.
Bubba Harris is back on his bike, and he's set the Beijing Games in his sights.
Six months removed from a gruesome crash at the Beijing Test Event
that nearly cost him his left foot, Bubba Harris is back on his bike, and
hes set the Beijing Games in his sights. The 2005 UCI world champion
believes that he can return to form in time to compete in BMXs inaugural
Olympic competition.
Harris best shot to make the Olympic team will likely come on June 14
at the Olympic Trials in Chula Vista, Calif., where hell face off against
an imposing collection of the worlds best, including Kyle Bennett, Donny
Robinson and former training partner Mike Day. But Bubba is optimistic.
He talked with NBCOlympics.com about facing amputation, juggling to get
stronger and empathizing with Olympic snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis.
How are you doing physically?
My foots getting better. Im about 85 to 90 percent right now. The only
thing Im having a problem with is right out of the gate. The second pedal
is the most important pedal in BMX and thats actually my left foot, my
second pedal, so Im a little bit behind, but my track speed is very good.
Actually I got seventh in time trials in Spain two weeks ago, so Im
definitely back and Ill be a force to be reckoned with this summer.
What went through your mind when the doctors
brought up amputation after the accident?
That was definitely very scary. My foot was completely off. Of course, my
skin and my tendons were still hanging on a bit, but my foot was off my
leg completely. If it had been a half-centimeter more off to the side, they
would have had to take it off. Im out of it, Im in morphine because my
foots off, and the last thing they told me was if we cant get this back in,
were gonna have to take your foot. Me and my dad both looked at the
doctor and said, no youre not.
How long were you off the bike?
Three solid months. It was very depressing. Its hard to be an athlete,
sitting on the couch, playing video games and watching movies. I couldnt
move, it was really hard for me to even go to the bathroom. I was living
with my fiancee, we moved in with each other two years ago, and I
actually just asked her to marry me on Christmas Eve. But when I was
injured she took so much care of me. The first three months were hard,
but once I was back on the bike again, I was super set.
What was it like those first days back on the bike?
Sore, very sore. Im still sore. The first 30 minutes of my riding,
theres pain. Ill have pain my whole life. But its not that bad. After
30 minutes of warming up, it starts to go away. The first two months
of riding again was very hard. To not be able to pedal down the first
straight, not be able to put all your power behind it, not be able to jump
the jumps that you wanted to jump. But at the same time at least you
werent in the house anymore.
You say youre at 90 percent right now.
What are you doing to get to 100 percent?
Everything possible. I mean its just been climbing. My ankle is getting
stronger and stronger and stronger and the thing is with my injuries, I
dis-attached two ligaments completely, theyre scarring back in. So its
just a process of those scarring all the way back in and Ill be good to go.
Some of the biggest training things that have helped me in the past I’m
not able to do right now, but Im doing a lot of physical therapy. Standing
on one leg and juggling; I know it sounds random, but youve got to build
all the muscles in your ankle.
What would making the Olympics mean to you?
The Olympics is the sporting event of all time. If youre even able to call
yourself an Olympian, thats saying something. And for BMXers to have
that ability now, its amazing. We will be the first, the pioneers of the BMX
world in the Olympics. Thats definitely an amazing honor. To say you
were a part of that first group, to look back on history. Your kids will be
able to say my dad was one of the first Olympic BMX athletes ever.
Talk about the track in Beijing.
The track in Beijing is the best track in the world right now. The facilities
they have there, the Birds Nest and the Watercube, wow, and the BMX
facility is the best BMX has ever seen. To have a facility totally geared to
BMX In the stands in Beijing, there are huge bleachers set up, all yellow
with blue seats that spell out B-M-X. The starting hill is four-stories high,
and when you get eight dudes going down at once, man, youre going
super fast and youve got jumps right away. Intense.
Any Olympic events from the past that you identified with?
Last Winter Games, when Lindsey (Jacobellis, during the womens
snowboardcross final in Torino with a huge lead) fell, I think that
definitely was the biggest thing I could relate to since our sports
are so similar.
To be out in front of a race like that, I definitely learned a lesson.
I was actually watching that live when it happened, taking every turn,
I wanted her to win so bad, and then to see that happen, I literally
covered my eyes. I sat back and stared at the ceiling and was like wow.
I will make sure I dont do that. I was definitely feeling it with her.
Amazing Awaits when we least except it or when someone has been
training for it all there life. It awaits on the shoulders of athletes when
sprits prove unbreakable in BMX. Show us all proud Bubba Harris..
Live Web Cast 2010 Youth Olympic Games
Host City Announcement On 02/21/2008
IOC Olympic News -- 02/15/2008
On February 21st, 2008 - 11:00 GMT a live announcement ceremony of the
2010 Youth Olympic Games Host City will be announced by IOC President
Jacques Rogge in a web cast on (
http://www.olympic.org ) from the
Olympic Museum in Lausanne. -
Moscow and
Singapore are the finalists.
The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) bring together and celebrate the world's
best young athletes. They innovate in educating and debating Olympic values
and societal challenges. The YOG share & celebrate the cultures of the world
in a festive atmosphere. Follow the live announcement of the Host City of the
1st Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010.
The Youth Olympic Summer Games in year 2010. The Youth
Olympic Games is for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18.
The election and announcement of host city in February 2008.
Please also note that BMX Racing will be on the events list......
The track is an exact replica of the one in Beijing, China. More
than 100 people braved the rain, wind, and chilly temperatures
to watch riders break in the track. BMX is the first extreme sport
to debut at the games, and it is expected to be a crowd favorite.
Riders gather at the top and launch themselves down the 30-plus-foot
ramp on a race that usually lasts between 30 and 45 seconds. The U.S.
team is considered one of the most talented in the world and will be
among the favorites heading into Beijing.
The U.S. BMX program is being headed up by Mike King. King is
a former BMX amateur and professional world champion who grew
up in San Diego. King said he is thrilled to be home again
with a new challenge in the sport he loves.
King would have loved to have had the chance to compete in the
Olympics himself, but as he says, "The sport is dangerous. I'll be
the first to admit some of the stuff they do now is very mind-blowing
to me," and he is excited to be molding the up-and-coming athletes.
The new track in Chula Vista gives U.S. athletes a big leg up on the
competition. It was built by the same man who built the track in Beijing,
and according to King, it is an exact replica. The centerpiece of the track
is a huge ramp that serves as the starting gate.
Gene`s BMX News Added Notes:
Please Note that this BMX track in Chula Vista, Ca and the 2008 Olympic
Games BMX track in Beijing, China and some of the UCI BMX Supercross
World Cup Tracks are made for the PRO BMX Rider Athletes. The tracks
are much, much bigger than what the most of the everyday BMX riders race
on around the world.
The Big BMX Tracks are made to test the Pro BMX Riders to there best,
to show the best of the best of a Pro BMX Rider skills. It does take
a lot of skill to be able to ride a BMX bike on the bigger Pro Tracks.
If you are interested in getting involved in BMX Racing, check out what your
Local BMX Track has to offer you. You will find that your local BMX tracks
are much smaller and made for you and the everyday BMX racer to race BMX
competitions on. - The sport of BMX Racing is fun!
Chula Vista Calif. BMX Olympic Training Center Opens
CHULA VISTA, Calif. ( U.S. Olympic Committee ) -- 01/17/2008
BMX Cycling Super-Cross Track Completed at Olympic Training Center;
Ready for High-Energy Action and Competitions. Event Exhibition & Ribbon
Cutting Ceremony Set for Monday, January 21, 2008
Amazing awaits at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista as
the facility opens its doors to the newest Olympic event, BMX racing.
Excitement surrounds the training center as the BMX athletes have
arrived, ready to hit the track to train for the 2008 Olympic Games.
The 2008 Olympic Games will be the first for all BMX Cycling athletes,
as the sport makes its Olympic Games debut in Beijing this August.
The BMX track in Chula Vista is the only permanent super-cross structure
in the nation. Completed in January, the brand new BMX Super-Cross
track will offer training and competition grounds for BMX athletes.
The Olympic Training Center will host a BMX athlete exhibition and
ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, January 21. The event is open
to the public and media are encouraged to attend.
The Exhibition and Ribbon Cutting event will begin with Media Access
at 12:00PM. Several of the top U.S. BMX riders will be available for
interview and photographers will have access to course for photos.
The ribbon cutting will take place at 1:00PM with athlete
exhibitions on the course following shortly thereafter.
Athletes in attendance will include:
Men:
Kyle Bennett: 2007 and 3-time World Champion, #1 ranked American ....................................
Donny Robinson: 2007 US National Champion, Beijing Test Event Winner, #3 ranked American
Mike Day: UCI Salt Lake Super-Cross winner, #2 ranked American ........................................
Steven Cisar: UCI Super-Cross time trial winner (Madrid), #4 ranked American .......................
Women:
Jill Kintner: BMX and Mountain Bike World Champion, #2 ranked American
Arielle Martin: #3 ranked American ..............................................................
Amanda Geving: #1 ranked American ............................................................
Where: U.S. Olympic Training Center, Chula Vista
2800 Olympic Parkway
Chula Vista, CA 91915
For a credential, please contact Diana Wright
at (619) 482-6119 or at diana.wright@usoc.org
Chula Vista Olympic Training Center BMX Course information:
BMX, short for bicycle motocross, began in California during the
late 1960s. A low cost action event, the sport was an instant hit
and quickly spread across the country and the world.
In 1981, the International BMX Federation was founded. The main
hubs for BMX competition include the U.S., Europe, Australia and
South America. The United States is currently #1 in both Mens and
Womens BMX rankings.
Its an honor to have our facility designated as the only permanent
training location for BMX in the Americas, said Tracy Lamb, Director
of the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center. This addition is significant
for us because it drives home our commitment to excellence in Chula
Vista. We pledge to keep our training center on the cutting edge of
competition for our nations athletes. At the same time, we welcome
the worlds athletes who want to train and compete here.
Mike King, Director of BMX Programs, oversees the resident program.
A Chula Vista native, King has been active in BMX cycling since 1975.
A former World Champion in both BMX and Mountain Bike, hes a member
of the BMX Hall of Fame.
Its an exciting opportunity for our BMX athletes to have a
facility in the South Bay, which is where I grew up, said King.
This state of the art training facility was designed for our elite
athletes will set the standard for other countries to follow. The
goal of our facility is to replicate the Beijing track and ultimately,
bring home medals from the 2008 Olympic Games.
The course in Chula Vista was built by Tom Ritzenthaler, who also
built the BMX venue in Beijing that will be used for competition
during the Olympic Games in August.
Ritzenthaler, a 33-year veteran BMX rider himself, has built dozens
of BMX courses around the world, but the course in Chula Vista is the
only course that replicates the super cross style course that the athletes
will see in Beijing.
The course is very challenging and very technical. Its almost the
same course theyll see in Beijing, which is huge for the athletes,
he said. Theyll be training and competing on a one of a kind course
and will be very comfortable with the obstacles. This course at the
Training Center has an eight meter start ramp there are no other
permanent courses with a start ramp that high in the United States.
The BMX athletes are just as excited about the new course and the
possibilities it offers for them as they make their own preparations
for the Beijing Olympic Games.
Jill Kintner, BMX and multiple 4-cross (mountain bike) World Champion,
has been at the Olympic Training Center since early December. As an
experienced rider, shes seen and rode on several of the worlds best
courses including the course in Beijing.
Its going to be such an advantage having this replica track in our
back yard, she said. The Olympic Training Center has opened my
eyes to what the possibilities could be towards an Olympic dream,
and they have provided an incredible resource.
In my normal life meeting all these different athletes and learning
from those who have been to Olympics before just wouldnt have
been available. This environment has plenty of positive motivation
to train hard.
Kintner took fifth place at an Olympic Test event on the course in
Beijing. She leads the charge for the United States women in BMX
Super cross and has high hopes for an Olympic medal in 2008.
As athletes, spectators and fans anticipate the inaugural BMX Olympic
event in Beijing, no one will be more proud than Ritzenthaler, the man
who built the course in Chula Vista and has watched the sport evolve.
Its like a dream come true for me, he said. The sport gained some
popularity in the early 70s and grew during the 80s, but now its at its
pinnacle the Olympic Games. Its a great sport and its really exciting
to know its finally going to be recognized in front of the world.
- Long-term training program for top-ranked BMX riders
- Participants include Mike Day, Steven Cisar, Jill Kintner
and Arielle Martin Pre-Olympic BMX Identification Training
Camp, January 7-18 (13 participants)
- Training for BMX cycling athletes on new track
The U.S. Olympic Team BMX Trials Are scheduled For June 14th, 2008
The Confirmed Locaton Is At The Olympic Training Center In Chula Vista, Calif.
08 Olympic BMX hopefuls will be going head-to-head in front of the NBC cameras.
Here is the star-studded line-up: 1. Donny Robinson; 2. Mike Day; 3. Steven Cisar;
4. Danny Caluag; 5. Tyler Brown 6. David Herman; 7. Bubba Harris; 8. Kristopher Fox.
*** Mike Day BMX Trials Winner To Beijing ***
Chula Vista, Calif. -- 06/14/2008
With his Olympic hopes on the line, Mike Day delivered the race of his life Saturday.
Day won the U.S. BMX trials in Chula Vista, Calif., his dominant performance good
enough to secure a spot on the three-man Beijing-bound team that will represent America.
www.phpbb88.com/genesbmx/viewtopic.php?t=4987&mforum=genesbmx
Regards to tickets, they are currently available via at
www.usolympicshops.com
or by phone at 619-482-6120. $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for children and seniors.
They will also be available on site if tickets are still available.
NEW YORK, NY The Associated Press (AP) -- 12/25/2007
American is key part of top-ranked cycling team.
Photo - American BMX racer Donny Robinson poses at USA Cycling's
Olympic training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo. The 24-year-old rider
from Napa, Calif., is one of the best BMX racers in the world and part of
a powerful American team that plans to dominate when the niche sport hits
the Olympic stage for the first time this summer in Beijing.
American cycling star Donny Robinson has heard it for years.
It seems like such simple physics. At 5-foot-5, isn't he too short
to be an elite BMX racer? Doesn't his 150-pound body simply lack
the strength and power to compete against men several inches taller,
50 or 60 pounds heavier and who have far more muscle packed onto
their frames? -- Somehow, the answer is no.
"People have no clue what can be accomplished,"
Robinson said, "when you want something bad enough."
So next August in Beijing, Robinson wants to stand tall -
atop the medal podium with Olympic gold around his neck.
The 24-year-old rider from Napa, Calif., is one of the best BMX racers
in the world and part of a powerful American team that plans to dominate
when the niche sport hits the Olympic stage for the first time this summer.
The U.S. squad is ranked No. 1 by the International Cycling
Union, and the diminutive Robinson is a big reason why.
He's currently No. 2 in the worldwide BMX rankings only behind fellow
American Mike Day and won a test event at the newly built Beijing Olympic
track a few months back, giving him plenty of confidence heading
into the biggest year of his career.
If he gets one of USA Cycling's Olympic spots,
he'll be a gold medal favorite.
"When I first got to that track in Beijing, the place was completely
empty and my jaw was hanging for a good half an hour," Robinson
said. "It really hit me that this is the place. This is the place where
all my dreams can come true."
One of his dreams already is: BMX is going mainstream.
He was 6 when he started racing, and even into his late teens, the
Olympics wasn't something BMX racers like Robinson thought about.
Their sport - pedaling single-gear bikes on 350-meter dirt tracks with
steep start ramps, challenging jumps and banked curves - was thought
by many to be a long shot for the Olympic program.
But in 2003, the International Olympic Committee took notice of BMX's
surging popularity, particularly among young athletes, and added it to
the Beijing lineup.
Right then and there, Robinson's priorities immediately changed.
He abandoned the cliche, one-race-at-a-time approach that worked
for years. From now until August, it's all about the Olympics.
"Having the world finally see our abilities and realize that we've spent our
whole life to be at this point, it's just an amazing feeling," Robinson said.
He makes BMX sound easy. - It's nothing close to easy anymore.
Gone are the days where the sport's "tricks" include relatively simple
things like wheelies, kickouts and bunnyhops. No, it takes a special
sort of athlete to survive in the sport now. Races are grueling and can
tend to mimic roller derby on dirt.
And the tracks - including the massive, steep in Beijing - test everyone's limits.
Photo - American BMX racer Donny Robinson competes in
this undated photo. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/USA Cycling.
"I had a rider who was ranked in the top 10 in the world,"
said Pat McDonough, USA Cycling's director of athletics.
"We went to the Olympic track in Beijing, with its huge start ramp.
She got up there and retired. She got up there and froze for 45 minutes.
She told me that if this is where the sport is going, she's done. It's almost
at the point where you've got to be completely nuts ... freakin' crazy to
do this now." - Robinson doesn't describe himself as nuts or crazy.
But he races that way. He has to, or else winning wouldn't be an option.
Once riders leave the starting gate, the next few seconds on a BMX track
are, at best, controlled chaos. They're often side-by-side, inches apart,
pedaling furiously. They usually go over jumps en masse; if one racer
lands awkwardly and bobbles, then the riders trailing at that point
typically crash as well.
So there's tons of luck involved just to navigate the course while
remaining upright.
"It's like anything else," Robinson said.
"The more you work, the more successful you'll be."
His record - with a couple dozen race wins as a pro, a few
titles and the current No. 2 points ranking - has proved that.
It also proves that his size won't deter him from his
plans to climb that Olympic mountain in Beijing, either.
"These guys are bigger. So why don't they beat me every single time?
It's always in my mind," Robinson said. "So I train harder, I work harder
and it's all mental. If you let it get to you, then you've already lost the
race. And I won't let that happen."
The UCI website now contains a new section
dedicated to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
These pages include general information, as well as specific details
pertaining to the four cycling disciplines: road, track, mountain bike
and, new to the Olympic Games, BMX.
You will find the competition timetables, qualification systems, details of
the various sites and reports on the test events. The website, which also
includes photos, graphics and maps of the Olympic site, will be updated
as information comes to hand.
The Shijingshan District in Beijing's western suburbs will invest
2.9 million yuan (app. 386,000 US dollars) to build two large-capacity
parking lots near the Olympic competitions in the Laoshan Mountain.
According to the local government, the two lots will cover a total area
of approximately 10,000 square meters. One lot is already complete for
Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) Venue, and the other lot is scheduled
for completion by May 2008 for the Laoshan Mountain Bike Course.
Due to the hillside location of the venues, the lots will be vertical
or on an incline, and each lot will have a separate entrance and exit
to create a one-way traffic flow.
The design of the new car park will take into account environmental factors.
In addition to closed-end fences in the peripheries, the lots will also be
equipped with a fire fighting system and other ancillary facilities, and the
surrounding areas will be landscaped with trees and flowers. The lots will
also naturally drain rainwater.
The lot for the Laoshan BMX venue occupies over 4,000 square meters and is
complete. While the same area of the other lot has also been completed, the
rest will be done in May 2008. The two lots will offer parking space for
270 cars during the Games.
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup
Round-4 Roc dAzur Frejus Report.
Roc dAzur Frejus, France -- 10/13/2007
The fourth and the final round of the 2007 UCI BMX Supercross World
Cup was in Roc dAzur Frejus, France this October 11th - 14th, 2007
On the mens side, Robert de Wilde takes the first and is the champion.
Donny Robinson is second and then Damien Godet is the third. Wow!!
On the womens side, The French imposed themself thanks to Laetitia Le Corguille,
she arrived first of this last part of the challenge and she is now champion on the
world, The Argentinean Gabriela Diaz is number two , and Sarah Walker the
New Zealander is third. -- For All The Results, Photos, Videos (
Click Here! )
The U.S. Olympic Team BMX Trials are scheduled for June 14th, 2008
The Confirmed Locaton is TBD. The Potential Locaton is: U.S.Olympic
Training Center, Chula Vista, Calif. / Salt Lake City, Utah.
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup
Round-3 Salt Lake City Report.
Salt Lake City, Utah USA -- 09/22/2007
Mike Day ( USA ) Wins Rained Out Shortened UCI BMX Supercross
World Cup Round-3 Salt Lake City Decided By Time Trial Finishes.
For the third year running, the
Dew Tour Toyota Challenge hosted
BMX racers from around the world, in a special Supercross event.
This weekend, a total of 88 BMX racers flew into Salt Lake City and
began their competition with Time Trial Qualifiers on Friday. From
Time Trials, 64 racers moved through to race in the Olympic Qualifying
Supercross race on Saturday.
Mother Nature was unfortunately not on the racers side, and five heats
into the eight heat race, the skies opened up and the rain started coming
down. That coupled with a dash of thunder, was enough for event
organizers to pull the plug on the BMX SX event.
Due to the unfavorable weather conditions, final results have been
determined from Friday's Time Trials, and it was American BMXer Mike
Day who was fastest on the track during Trials. Coming in second place
(based on Friday's time trials) is Robert DeWilde (NED) and third place
goes to Manuel DeVecchi of Italy.
BMX Supercross Final Results (based on Time Trial Qualifiers)
1. Mike Day (USA) ...................
2. Robert DeWilde (NED) .........
3. Manuel DeVecchi (ITA) .........
4. Michal Prokup (CZE) ............
5. Raymo Van Der Biezen (NED)
6. Steven Cisar (USA) ................
7. Kyle Bennet (USA) .................
8. Jamie Gray (AUS) ..................
9. Damien Godet (FRA) .............
10. Luke Madill (AUS) ................
Day 02
Robinson Takes Olympic BMX Course With Victory
Beijing, China -- 08/21/2007
Less than one year before BMX racing makes its Olympic debut at the 2008 Games
in Beijing, Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) rode to victory in the official BMX Olympic Test Event on Tuesday. The event, which doubled as the second round of the 2007 UCI
BMX Supercross World Cup, featured an all-star field of Olympic hopefuls from 25 countries in the only world-class competition scheduled on the track that will be
used at the Olympic Games before next August.
As the sole American in the elite mens final, Robinson outrode Dutchman
Robert de Wilde and Australian Jared Graves to claim the win and bolster
his number-one world ranking.
Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.) led the U.S. with a fifth-place effort in the
elite womens contest. As in the mens final, only one American advanced from
the semifinals as Kintner finished behind world champion Shanaze Reade (GBR),
Anne-Caroline Chausson (FRA), Laetitia le Corguille (FRA) and Maria Gabriela
Diaz (ARG).
For Robinson, the win proved to be a major accomplishment after being
eliminated in the quarterfinals at last months world championships.
I was pretty disappointed with my performance at worlds, but thats the way
BMX is, Robinson explained. Things can happen all the time, but you cant
let it get you down, especially now that the road to the Olympics is in full swing.
Its a huge win for myself.
Robinson was one of 13 Americans that made the trip to China to compete in the elite
mens division. After Mondays qualifying round, the U.S. had again illustrated the
depth which has it ranked number one in the world. Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.),
Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas) and Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.) claimed the top-three
seeds as the only three riders to clock lap times under 37 seconds. Robinson qualified
16th, while Danny Calaug (China, Calif.) qualified 25th, Nicholas Long (Lakeside, Calif.)
27th, Randy Stumpfhauser (Sanger, Calif.) 29th and Tyler Brown (San Clemente, Calif.)
30th, giving the U.S. eight riders in the 32-man quarterfinal round.
Four of those athletes Day, Robinson, Bennett and Cisar advanced to the semifinals, but only Robinson was able to secure a spot in the eight-man final where he faced de Wilde, Graves, Raymon van der Biezen (NED), Pablo Gutierrez (FRA), Martijn Scherpen (NED), Rob van den Wildenberg (NED) and Arturs Matisons (LAT).
In the final, Robinson took advantage of a good start to enter the first of four
turns in the lead and hold off the rest of the field, finishing 0.185 seconds ahead
of de Wilde for the win.
The time trial didnt go as well as I thought it should have, but thats like having
one bad lap at worlds, Robinson said. You just cant think about it, especially with
the weather and the amount of racing we did today. Mentally, the toughest rider out
there wins most of the time and luckily I had the best lap in the main.
This weeks competition gave the U.S. delegation an opportunity to preview
the Olympic course and get a sense for what it will take to perform well at
the Olympic Games next summer.
The Supercross races are technical and the courses are big, so the power riders
dont have an advantage with the big start ramp, Robinson explained. You really
have to be a finess rider and hit all the rhythm straight aways consistently. It
takes an awesome rider just to get around this track and this one is the biggest
that weve ridden.
Kintner, the 1997 UCI BMX World Champion and two-time 4-cross world champion in
the sport of mountain biking (2005, 06), qualified eighth for the U.S. and was joined by Americans Amanda Geving (Largo, Fla.), Kim Hayashi (Chandler, Ariz.) and Arielle Martin (Clarksville, Tenn.) in the semifinals. Kintner was the only American to qualify for the eight-woman final where she lined up against Reade, Chausson, le Corguille, Diaz, Sarah Walker (NZL), Nicole Callisto (AUS) and Tanya Bailey (AUS). Kintner, who will defend her 4-cross title at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Scotland in two weeks, turned an impressive fifth-place finish considering her split schedule of mountain bike and BMX racing this season.
2007 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup #2 Beijing, China August 20-21, 2007
Elite Men
1. Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.)
2. Robert de Wilde (NED)..........
3. Jared Graves (AUS)...............
Elite Women
1. Shanaze Reade (GBR)...............
2. Anne-Caroline Chausson (FRA)
3. Laetitia le Corguille (FRA).........
5. Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.)........
Donny Robinson of United States was crowned at the men's elite time trial
at the 2007 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Beijing on this Tuesday.
!!!!!!!!!! WAY TO GO TEAM USA !!!!!!!!!! (
Click Here - More Photos )
Day 01
France And USA Dominate Time Trials Qualification
Beijing, China -- 08/20/2007
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup Round-2 Beijing
The
"Good Luck Beijing" 2007 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup opend today at the
Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) Venue, with Anne-Caroline Chausson of France
coming out on top on both runs of the women's time trials qualification with a time of
37.446secs, and three US riders making a clean sweep of the top three
places in the men's.
In the women's event, Caroline led the first run with 37.513secs, which was difficult
for other riders to surpass. In the second run, she bettered her time with 37.446sec.
After two runs the result table shows that even Caroline's time from the first run
topped
those of all her opponents, which shows her technical superiority in the women's
group.
The competition for the second and third places was fierce, with Sarah Walker of
New Zealand finishing second in a time 0.004sec ahead of Shanze Reade of Great Britain, the
third place finisher. Their contention in tomorrow's semifinals is expected to be
another even more inten. Following them are riders from United States, Argentina and Czech Republic, who all showed their prowess today.
In the men's group, as many riders tried to get used to the track on their first run,
the results turned out to be quite different. In the second run, however, all of them demonstrated their real strength, especially Mike Day, Kyle Bennett and Steven Cisar,
who swept the top three places after two runs, their best results differing from one another by merely 0.1sec or so.
In tomorrow's semifinals it is very likely that one of them will emerged the winner. Following them today were two French riders, who are expected to join the contention
for the top three spots.
The Event To Be Held On The 2008 Olympic BMX Venue, Laoshan BMX Track.
BMX Mania.com Will Be At The Event With Some Cool Coverage. Check Out The
BMX Mania (
Report Page ) Also Check Out The
BMX Pros.com (
Report Page ).
Construction of the venue started in December 2006. It is difficult to find
two identical BMX tracks in the world, because they are designed according
to the current levels of the sport, which is advancing continuously.
Located at Shijingshan District in west Beijing, the venue covers an area
of 1.98 hectares and is 300-400 meters in diameter. The track is 10 meter
wide at the starting point and 5 meter wide at other points, and it contains
jumps, flattops, and other obstacles.
To allow athletes to maintain speed and to facilitate their stunts, the entire
track is slightly downhill with a 4 meter decline. There are separate male and
female tracks that cross at some points.
In 2003, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made BMX part of
the competition program of the 2008 Olympic Games. The BMX event will
take place on August 20-21, 2008. The first day will see qualification
competitions for men and women.
Although the competitions are one year away, their ticket prices have been
decided already. The qualification competitions, and the two rounds of quarter
finals on August 20 cost 50 yuan each and the price doubles for the ticket to
the rest of the competitions and victory-ceremony on the morning of August 21.
Stands of BMX Venue
A foreign athlete is practicing at the site of the venue, in
preparation for the forthcoming Good Luck Beijing competitions.
Workers are making last check at the starting point.
Gene`s BMX Quote:
WOW! - Now that is a BMX Track. Way to go Beijing, China! WOW!
Thank you Beijing, China for helping make the BMX Race community Proud.!
Anyone ridding on this BMX track should have a Big smile on, no matter what
flag they are flying at the Olympic Games in 2008. WOW! Cool is all we can say : )
ACC -
http://www.phpbb88.com/genesbmx/viewtopic.php?t=3271&mforum=genesbmx
NBC will broadcast more than 3,600 hours of coverage
of the 2008 Beijing Olympics on multiple television
networks and the Internet.
The bulk of that will come online, the first time live streaming
broadband video of the Olympics will be available in the U.S.,
NBC Universal Sports & Olympics chairman Dick Ebersol said Tuesday.
The 3,600 hours of coverage are more than the combined
total of every previous Summer Games televised in the U.S.
NBC's prime-time coverage will feature swimming, gymnastics and
beach volleyball shown live despite the 12-hour time difference
between the United States' Eastern time zone and Beijing.
Olympic coverage also will air on USA, MSNBC, CNBC
and Telemundo. About 2,200 hours of live streaming broad
band video will be available on
http://www.nbcolympics.com
NBC broadcast 1,210 hours of coverage from Athens in 2004.
Colorado Springs, Colo. (USA Cycling) -- 07/30/2007
USA Cycling announced today the eight athletes it will send to the
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup event in Beijing, August 20-21.
The competition is set to serve as the official test event for the
2008 Olympic Games next summer.
Four men Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas), Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.),
Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and Randy Stumpfhauser (Sanger, Calif.)
received nominations to the team. Day, Robinson and Stumpfhauser
were automatically selected as the top three riders in the 2007 USA
Cycling Elite Mens BMX Rankings as of May 20 respectively. Bennett
received a coaches selection after capturing his third career world title
on Saturday at the UCI BMX World Championships in Victoria, B.C.
Four women were also selected for the squad Krystal Hime
(San Antonio, Texas), Kim Hayashi (Chandler, Ariz.), Amanda
Geving (Largo, Fla.) and Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.). As the top
two athletes in the USA Cycling Elite Womens BMX Rankings as
of May 20, Hayashi and Hime received automatic nominations,
while Geving and Kintner were coaches selections.
2007 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup
Beijing, China August 20-21 U.S. Funded Team:
Men
Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas) ................
Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) ...............
Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.) ..............
Randy Stumpfhauser (Santa Clarita, Calif.)
Women
Krystal Hime (San Antonio, Texas)
Kim Hayashi (Chandler, Ariz.).......
Amanda Geving (Largo, Fla.) ........
Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.) ..........
Kyle Bennett Wins BMX World
Championships Victoria BC Canada
Victoria BC Canada -- 07/29/2007
Only one year away from the debut of BMX racing at the Olympic Games in Beijing,
Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas) captured a world title on Saturday in the elite men’s
race at the
2007 UCI BMX World Championships while teammate Randy Stumpfhauser
(Sanger, Calif.) won the bronze medal.
Bennett led a deep United States team that placed five riders in the eight-man
main despite losing three of its top competitors in the quarterfinals. Bennett and
Stumpfhauser were joined by Americans Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.), Danny
Caluag (Chino, Calif.) and Jarrett Kolich (Santa Barbara, Calif.) in the final.
The U.S. was the only country that sent multiple representatives to the final which
also included Khalen Young (AUS), Pablo Gutierrez (FRA) and Augusto Castro (COL).
After the gate dropped, Bennett and Young entered the first turn neck-and-neck, but
Bennett took a slim advantage into the third and final turn and held off Young to win
his third career world title. Bennett also won in 2002 and 2003.
Its a year off from the Olympics, so there is a lot more on the line this year, Bennett explained. This is the first race in which points count toward Olympic
qualifying and everyone who has the potential to compete in Beijing was here and
peaking specifically for this race. -- SEE THE FULL PRESS RELEASE AT:
(
http://www.olympic-usa.org/11796_53115.htm )
U.S. Olympic, Paralympic Hopefuls To Visit Beijing
Los Angeles, CA -- 07/23/2007
The U.S. Olympics Committee (USOC) announced on Monday that five
U.S. Olympic hopefuls and one U.S. Paralympic hopeful will travel to
Beijing for the USOC Beijing Goodwill Tour.
The trip, on Aug. 1-5, commemorates the one-year-out date of the 2008
Olympic Games, which begin Aug. 8, 2008, with the Opening Ceremonies
in Beijing, the USOC said in a statement e-mailed to Xinhua.
The athletes participating in the tour include three Olympians and one
Paralympian, and all six are training to qualify for the 2008 Olympic
and Paralympic Games. In addition, three have Chinese ancestry.
They represent the sports of archery, badminton, BMX cycling
(making its Olympic debut in Beijing), fencing, table tennis and
Paralympic swimming.
Their visit include press conferences, broadcast sessions,
photo opportunities and public appearances, the statement said.
The athletes include:
-- Howard Bach, badminton. Bach, together with his partner Tony Gunawan,
won the 2005 World Championships doubles title, the first world title ever won
by U.S. badminton athletes. Bach was born in Saigon, Vietnam, and moved to
San Francisco when he was 3 years old.
-- Gao Jun, Table Tennis. After winning a silver medal at the 1992 Olympic
Games in Barcelona, Spain, for her native country of China, Gao became a U.S.
citizen and will train to compete for theUnited States in 2008. She is a three-time Olympian (1992, 2000, 2004) and has been a member of the U.S. National Team
since 1997. She is the top female table tennis athlete in the United States, currently
ranked 16th in the world. She studies economic trade at the East China University
of Science and Technology in Shanghai, China.
-- Lindsay Pian, Archery. Pian is ranked No. 3 in the United States and is attending
the 2007 Pan American Games and World Archery Championships. Her father, Robert,
is a first generation Chinese-American and both of her grandparents are from the
Beijing
Tianjin area. Her grandfather was a civil engineer and worked on the Yangtze
River Three
Gorges dam during its conceptual stages.
-- Erin Popovich, Paralympic Swimming. In her first Paralympic Games in 2000, Popovich won a whopping six medals - three gold and three silver -and set
four world records in the process. She put together what may have been the
most impressive performance of any athlete at the 2004 Paralympic Games in
Athens, Greece, where she competed in seven events and came home with seven
gold medals. Popovich was born with achondroplasia, a genetic disorder of
bone growth that is evident at birth.
-- Donny Robinson, BMX Cycling. Robinson turned pro in 2002 and has since become
the top BMX rider in the world. His latest career victory was winning the 2006
National Bicycle League (NBL) pro title. He has transcended physical stereotypes
to become a BMX superstar. At 5'5" and 150 lbs, he dominates a sport full of 6'0",
200 lbs athletes.
-- Iris Zimmerman, Fencing. Zimmerman competed at the 2000 Olympic Games,
finishing fourth in the team foil event and 11th in individual foil. She had
all but hung up her sword until the IOC brought back the women's team foil
event for 2008 after its absence in 2004. She was a campaign worker for
California Democratic candidate Steve Westly, but put her career on hold
to train to compete in China, her mother's homeland.
U.S. athletes top from left to right, fencer Iris Zimmermann, archer
Lindsay Pian, table tennis player Gao Jun. Bottom from left to right,
badminton player Howard Bach, paralympic swimmer Erin Popovich and
BMX cycler Donny Robinson pose for a group photo at a press conference
in Beijing, China Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007.
Four of the American athletes that toured Beijing on Thursday,
have Chinese connections. China-born Gao Jun won an Olympic
silver medal in table tennis for China in '92, before moving to the United
States. Three others have China-born parents or grandparents: Howard
Bach (badminton), Lindsay Pian (archery) and Iris Zimmermann (fencing).
Top L-R: US Olympic hopefuls Iris Zimmerman of fencing,
archer Lindsay Pian and Gao Jun of Table Tennis. Bottom L-R:
Howard Bach of Badminton, paralympic swimmer Erin Popovich and
Don Robinson of BMX cycling pose in Beijing as part of a US Olympic
goodwill delegation. China and Russia will be challenging the United
States for top spot at next year's Beijing Olympics, a senior US
Olympic Committee official said Thursday.
XV Pan American Games - BMX
Richardson (USA) Wins BMX Gold
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- 07/15/2007
The 2007 Pan American Games Competition BMX:
The BMX Competition Was On - July 15th, 2007
Jason Richardson (L) of the U.S and Jonathan Suarez of Venezuela
ride their bikes to win the gold and silver medal respectively in the BMX
competition of the Pan American Games of Rio de Janeiro July 15, 2007.
******* (
Click Here! For More Photos From The BMX Event. ) *******
~~~~ Jason Richardson (USA) Surprises And Takes The BMX Gold ~~~~
American Jason Richardson surprised everyone and got the gold. In the end,
he overcame Venezuelan Jonathan Suarez and won the gold medal in 33s714.
Venezuelan Johnatan Suarez, 8th place in the UCI ranking, got the silver
medal finishing the event in 33s932.
Jason who had broken his leg prior to the beginning of the Rio
2007 Games, said he could not believe it when he won the gold medal.
"Its unbelievable! I didn't win any of the qualifying races, but I
knew if did my best I'd finish the race well. After all I went through,
I dedicate this victory to my country. They gave me all the support
when I most needed it", said Richardson.
Jose Primera finished third and took the bronze.
He completed the circuit in 34s976.
Pan American Games BMX Venue -
Outeiro Hill
In the vicinity of the City of Sports Complex and the Riocentro Convention
Center Sports Complex, the Morro do Outeiro holds the temporary venue to
stage the Mountain Bike and BMX Cycling competitions. In BMX, the Cycling
version of Motocross is included in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games program,
mens and womens events are planned in courses with jumps and obstacles.
Information about Pan American Games (
CYCLING ) =
www.rio2007.org.br
The Youth Olympic Games will become a reality.
The main milestones for the first Youth Olympic Games in 2010:::
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved a proposal to
create a Youth Olympic Games for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18.
The youth competition will begin in 2010 and will be held every two years.
The host of the 2010 youth summer games will be named next February, the
IOC said, after unanimously approving the idea.
The number of participants will be limited to 3,000 athletes for summer games
and 1,000 for winter games and the cost will be capped at $40 million to prevent
the event from becoming too large.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said he hoped the games would
help to fight inactivity and obesity among children.
The International Olympic Committee must adapt to changing
attitudes of young people if it wants to stay relevant and battle
falling interest among youths for the Olympic Games, its president
said on Tuesday.
With the average age of Olympics viewers increasing in recent
years and youngsters turning fast to other sports competitions
like the X Games, the IOC has to change, Jacques Rogge said.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the IOC's 119th session
in Guatemala City, Rogge said staging Youth Olympics, an event
designed to raise the level of enthusiasm and participation of
teenagers, was a step in the right direction.
"Just as the IOC has known, over our 100-plus years of existence,
how to move with the times ... so we must now adapt to meet the
taste of today's young generation," Rogge said.
The IOC has tried to counter the current trend by introducing
disciplines in the winter and summer Olympic programme that
are popular with young people, including BMX-cross cycling,
skicross and snowboarding.
It has taken a blow with the rising popularity of the annual summer
and winter X Games, their 13th summer edition coming up next month,
offering such sports as BMX freestyle, surfing and Moto X racing.
"The Youth Olympic Games project is also on our agenda this
week," Rogge told an audience that included IOC members,
heads of internation sports federations and the president of
Guatemala Oscar Berger.
"For our movement, and all that it stands for, to remain relevant
into the next decade and beyond, we must find ways to keep the
appeal of our event," he said.
The IOC though is not expected to limit itself to the Youth Olympics,
should they be approved by the session as a project to pursue.
It is also looking to bolster the popularity of the 2012 London
Olympics by squeezing skateboarding into the programme, not as
a new sport but potentially as a new discipline falling under the
control of the International Cycling Union.
BOCOG President Liu Qi toured the sites of the Olympic
venues on Tuesday, calling for excellent preparatory work
and quality venues for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Making his first stop at the Wukesong Baseball Field, he saw
a busy construction scene. In a report on the progress of the
project, the staff told him that a firefighting truck is on standby
at the site. Liu showed interest and praised the practice. "Safety
should be put first and fire prevention is a top priority at the
moment," he said.
At Laoshan Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) Venue, he inspected its
construction and the work of the venue operation team. The venue
covers a land of 2 hectares with a floor area of 3,399 square meters.
Its main structure has been completed and the workers are laying the
track. Liu asked them to pay attention to the quality of their work as
the Olympic competitions demand high-tech venues.
Hearing that the score-keeping facilities at the Beijing Shooting
Range Hall is among the most sophisticated in the world, Liu said
careful tests must be done to ensure the safe operation of the systems.
The president said first-class Olympic venues are not only to meet
the demand of the Olympic Games but also are the symbols of Beijing's
development. He called on the constructors to inspire the public by their
patriotism, spirit of unity and cooperation and to make efforts to build
fine architectural projects of our times.
Liu also urged a sense of responsibility and urgency to speed up the
construction and ensure excellent tail-up of the projects. He reminded
all workers of the importance to put safety first. Preparations for the
forthcoming "Good Luck Beijing" sports events need to be perfect to lay
the foundation for the success of next year's Olympics, he added.
The track project for the BMX (Bicycle Moto Cross) competitions
of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was completed on June 5th 2007.
Photo - The BMX Track.
Located at Shijingshan District in West Beijing, the bowl-shaped
Laoshan BMX Venue covers an area of 1.98 hectares, has a floor
space of 3,399 square meters and contains 3,396 seats.
It is the first time in the history of the Olympic Games that the BMX
is part of the Olympic sport program. The Laoshan Venue is the first
standard Olympic BMX venue.
The workers used a total of 6,000-8,000 cubic meters of soil to lay
the track. After comparing as many as 14 soil samples, the UCI experts
found the best one in the soil of Dong'erqi Village, Changping District
of Beijing. It has the right proportion of sand and excellent permeability,
they concluded.
The UCI (International Cycling Union) dispatched a group of experts to the
site to guide the project. As a result of close cooperation with the local
constructors, the project was finished on schedule.
Construction of the venue started in December 2006 and it is expected to
be completed in July 2007. On August 20 this year, it will host its maiden
international event the
UCI BMX World Cup as a test event for the Olympics.
Will BMX Racing Have A Chance
After The 2008 Beijing Olympics?
Gene`s BMX News -- 06/12/2007
Some questions are shaking in the air after last Fridays June 8th 2007
announcement of Skateboarding Might Be Added Into The 2012 Olympics.
When BMX racing was added back in 2003 the IOC said that another cycling
event ( the kilo & 500m ) had to be dropped to make way for the BMX racing.
Therefore BMX racing was added to the 2008 Beijing, China Olympic Games.
Something interesting now, If the UCI is putting forward the plan to add the
Skateboarding into the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Just what will have
to get dropped to make way for it? Will BMX racing get the axe after 2008?
Will BMX have a Racing chance in the Olympic Games After Beijing 2008?
Wow, - The BMXing Online Community is a day late and a
buck short I guess. - (
Hello, Is Anyone Out There Looking? )
Link = Forum Post, - Sound It Off With Some Feed Back.
Robinson, Hime Capture Elite Titles At
USA Cycling BMX National Championships
Waterford Oaks, Mich. -- 06/09/2007
USA Cycling awarded its first-ever national championships in the discipline of
BMX racing on Saturday as Olympic hopefuls Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.)
and Krystal Hime (San Antonio, Texas) captured elite titles in a sport that will
make its Olympic debut in Beijing next summer.
Ranked number one in the world entering Saturdays contest, Robinson
overtook Matt Pohlkamp (Cincinnati, Ohio) midway through the eightman
final and held off a hard-charging Bubba Harris (Goodyear, Ariz.) to
claim the stars-and-stripes jersey in the elite mens event.
Pedal Power Olympic BMX In Depth
+ Skateboarding To Be Added In 2012
Gene`s BMX News -- 06/08/2007
Pedal Power - Olympic BMX In Depth
Beijing, China --
Photo - Sketch of the Laoshan BMX venue.
Imagine a pack of racers tearing down a BMX course
with a UFO-shaped velodrome and Beijing in the back
ground, as remote-control cameras catch all the action
from wires overhead.
Crowds will gather at both ends of the snaking course,
near the 8-m-high rolling start ramp and at the lower-
elevation finish line, as helicopters capture aerial
beauty shots.
"No one has ever seen a track like this before," said Mats
Notlind, a technical director with the International Cycling
Union (UCI), who was helping with the venue construction
in Beijing last week. -- (
CLICK HERE FOR MORE! )
Skateboarding To Make Olympic Debut At London 2012
London, UK --
Skateboarding is almost certain to make
its Olympic debut at the London Games.
Leaders of the Olympic movement are determined to help
the sport qualify for the 2012 event in an attempt to
broaden the Games' appeal to younger people.
The International Olympic Committee held talks with
skateboard officials in Switzerland this week to agree
a timetable for the sport's inclusion.
London Games organisers have already earmarked the cycling
velodrome in the Olympic Park as a venue for the inaugural
Olympic skateboarding event. -- (
CLICK HERE FOR MORE! )
NBC Sports Has Launched A Preview Video Of The 2008
Olympic Games In Beijing, China.
(
This NBC Preview Video Has Been 404ed )
About in the middle of the video, shows a small clip of BMX Coverage.
The NBC Preview Video is well worth you time to watch, Check it out!
NBC Is The Official Television Coverage Of The 2008 Olympics Games.
~ Quoted from the video:
Pulse live from Beijing, NBC brings you the sports allotment test,
the men's and women's marathon's. In the 21st century games we
will welcome more 21st century athletes - New to the Olympics,
The furies intensity of BMX Racing. - The TV event of the decade
is coming to NBC August 8th 2008, The games of the XXIX-29th
Olympiad, coming to Beijing China.
NBC has also announced that it may stream most of the 08 Olympic Game
events live online, Whether NBC will offer live stream for free is unknown.
China will also be streaming all the events over the internet on China Next.
ADDED NEWS: CCTV will offer some free channels
during the Games, so people can basically enjoy the Olympics for free.
*** CCTV5 To Become Olympic Channel In 2008 ***
Beijing, China ( chinadaily ) -- 07/19/2007
China's CCTV5, the country's main sport channel, will become a
24-hour Olympics channel from January 1st, 2008, China Central
Television (CCTV) President, Zhao Huayong has said.
Zhao said preparation works including promotion, technical upgrades,
logistics, multimedia and marketing has almost finished for the CCTV5
Olympic reporting group.
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will open in August 8th and close on
August 24th. During the 17 days of competition, 2500 hours of sport
programmes will air. That is 1,000 more hours of broadcasting than
during the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Other CCTV channels and digital TV channels will cooperate with
CCTV5 to provide a colourful sport broadcast to the world.
BMX Western Series # 3 (uci race) #4
May 26th & 27th 2007 Victoria BC Canada
The BMX Western National Series #3 & 4 in Victoria BC Canada
was the first race on the newly build 2007 BMX World's Track, at
the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre and is set to take place in July.
The Continental Cup is significant because points earned at the
races play an important role in both an individuals overall UCI
ranking and Canadas and the United States ranking as a nation,
which determines the number of start positions at the 2008
Olympic Games in Beijing.
Samantha Cools of Calgary won the silver medal on Sunday at the
Victoria International BMX cycling competition in Victoria, B.C.
With the performance, - Cools gained more valuable International
Cycling Union ranking points. -- See the report page for more.....
Olympic BMX Training Track
Opens At UCI Headquarters
UCI BMX News -- 05/16/2007
The UCI are pleased to announce the opening of the newly reconstructed
BMX track at the World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI
track construction team, under the leadership of official UCI track builder
Tom Ritzenthaler, has created a replica track of the 2008 Olympic Games
track at the World Cycling Centre.
This BMX track is truly unique and the only one of its kind in the world,
with its 8 meter high start ramp and same track design that will be used
in the 2008 Olympic Games says Johan Lindstrom, UCI BMX Sports
Coordinator. Any teams or riders that are serious about the Olympic
Games, needs to have spend time on this track, no question about it
continues Lindstrom.
The track is as close as you can get to the design of the Olympic BMX
track, although with some jumps being designed more for training
purposes than for racing says Tom Ritzenthaler, UCI track builder.
To see some of the best riders on this track just put a smile to my
face, it is that cool finishes Ritzenthaler.
The track is app. 300 meters long, featuring an 8 meter high start
ramp followed by two individual straight-aways (for Men and Women).
We are especially proud of the start ramp construction, which has been
designed first and foremost with riders performance in mind says UCI
project leader Matti Notlind. This design will now become the standard
for upcoming UCI BMX Supercross World Cups and obviously the
Olympic Games continues Notlind.
The World Cycling Centre can now offer one of the most complete training
facilities in the world to National Teams and Trade teams. In addition to
the BMX track, the World Cycling Centre has gym facilities, velodrome
track, indoor BMX start gate, restaurant and accommodation near by.
Interested teams are asked to contact UCI, to receive all necessary details.
Donny Robinson Top American UCI BMX
Supecross World Cup Opener In Madrid
Madrid, Spain -- 04/16/2007
The 2007 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series began Saturday in Madrid where
Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) led a 12-man U.S. contingent with a fourth-place effort.
Robinson was one of three Americans to advance to the eight-man final, along with
Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.) and Derek Betcher (Boulder, City, Nev.), who placed
sixth and seventh respectively. The U.S. was the only country to advance multiple
riders to the finals, illustrating the depth of the American BMX program just 16
months away from the sports Olympic debut in Beijing.
The opening event of the four-race series was won by Khalen Young
(AUS) ahead of Robert DeWilde (NED) and Cristian Becerine (ARG).
After advancing all 12 of its entries to the 64-rider 1/8 finals with strong
performances in the qualifying time trials, the U.S. still had five riders in
contention in the semifinal round Robinson, Day, Betcher, Brandon Meadows
(Sacramento, Calif.) and Jason Rogers (Mesquite, Texas). The only other country
that sent more than one rider to the semifinals was Latvia, which advanced two.
In the first semifinal heat, Robinson took the win to advance to the final while
Rogers narrowly missed an invitation to the final moto with a fifth-place finish.
In the second semifinal heat, Betcher and Day placed second and fourth
respectively to move on, while Meadows was eliminated from contention.
Of the 84 riders that began the day, Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.) secured the top
seed by clocking a time of 27.023 seconds in his second of two qualifying runs, but
was eliminated in his quarterfinal run when he and two other competitors crashed.
The U.S. entered the World Cup opener ranked number one in the world and the four
events on this years calendar weigh heavily into a nations qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games and also provides individual competitors with valuable international ranking points.
The next UCI BMX Supercross World Cup will serve as the Olympic Test Event on the
Olympic course in Beijing, August 20-21 and will also include a womens competition.
The Supercross then continues in Salt Lake City, Sept. 21-22 and concludes in Frejus, France, October 13-14.
2007 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup #1 Madrid, Spain April 14th 2007
Final Results
1. Khalen Young (AUS)......
2. Robert DeWilde (NED)...
3. Cristian Becerine (ARG)..
4. Donny Robinson (USA)...
5. Damien Godet (FRA)......
6. Mike Day (USA).............
7. Darren Betcher (USA).....
8. Roger Rinderknecht (SUI)
Twelve Americans Set For 2007 UCI
BMX Supercross World Cup Opener
Colorado Springs, Colo. (USA Cycling) -- 04/10/2007
The opening round of the 2007 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup is set to commence
in Madrid, Spain April 13-14 where several U.S. Olympic hopefuls will compete against
the worlds top athletes.
One of four Supercross World Cup races this season, the event in Madrid provides significant international ranking points vital to the United States maximum participation
in the 2008 Games in Beijing. It also gives individual athletes the opportunity to
bolster
their individual ranking.
The United States will be sending 12 athletes:
Nathan Berkheimer of Boulder City, Nev.....
Derek Betcher of Boulder City, Nev.............
Tyler Brown of San Clemente, Calif.............
Steven Cisar of Altadena, Calif....................
Mike Day of Santa Clarita, Calif..................
Aaron Johnson of Murrieta, Calif..................
Jarrett Kolich of Santa Barbara, Calif...........
Brandon Meadows of Sacramento, Calif.......
Jason Richardson of Carlsbad, Calif..............
Donny Robinson of Napa, Calif....................
Jason Rogers of Mesquite, Texas..................
Randy Stumpfhauser of Sanger, Calif.............
Olympic hopeful Bubba Harris (Goodyear, Ariz.) will not compete because of an elbow injury.
With the exception of the UCI BMX World Championships as the only UCI category-1 event, the four category-2 Supercross World Cups are the most heavily weighted events and offer significant points towards a nations ranking the primary factor in determining the number of start positions countries receive at the Olympic Games.
Madrid will host one of four World Cups in 2007 along with Beijing August 20-21,
Salt Lake City Sept. 21-22 and Frejus, France October 13-14.
The United States enters the Supercross opener with the first- and second-ranked
riders in the world. Day is ranked number one, while Robinson is ranked number two.
Their efforts, along with those of the 11th-ranked Stumpfhauser, currently have the
U.S. ranked number one in the world as a nation in mens BMX racing.
After practice sessions on Friday, competition begins at
11:00 a.m. local time on Saturday with time trial qualifications.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) -- 03/27/2007
The medals for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing 2008
have been unveiled to the world on the occasion of the 500
day countdown to the opening of the Beijing Games, during a
ceremony held today at the Capital Museum in Beijing. (
More )
UCI is pleased to announce the BMX track layout, which will be
used for the XXIX Beijing Olympic Games 20-21 August 2008.
With the inclusion of BMX racing in the Olympic Games, UCI has
been determined to present BMX racing in a new exciting format,
with a unique purpose build track for the very best BMX athletes
in the world.
The track features a massive 8 meter high starting ramp, including two
separate straight-aways for Men and Women. The track will be slightly
downhill with a length of app. 370 meter for Men and 350 meters for
Women. Rider will complete one run in less than 35 seconds.
BMX track design these days has become a science, in order to create tracks
that are spectacular and challenging yet in a safe manner. This track has it
all says Johan Lindstrom, UCI Technical Delegate for the Olympic Games.
The Olympic track has the perfect mix between sprinting pedaling parts,
highly technical rhythm sections and the high speed big, burly jumps.
The track will definitely be the perfect canvas to select an Olympic
Champion among the very best continues Lindstrom.
The actual track construction will commence in May 2007 with
UCI track builder, Tom Ritzenthaler (USA) leading the construction.
Potential Olympic participants will be able to get acquainted to the track during
the
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, 20-21 August 2007. This will be the
official test event and the only opportunity to ride on the track prior to the
Olympic Games.
One of our goals is to create a track that the BMX riders have fun riding with a
lot of flow and rhythm, yet a track where they are being challenged. says UCI official track builder Tom Ritzenthaler (USA).
The track looks like a lot of fun, and I cant wait to try it out.
I think most of the top riders will say the same. You need to be
a complete BMX rider to win on this track says Roger Rinderknecht
(Switzerland) top elite rider and member of the UCI BMX Commission.
Beijing 2008 is thrilled to be the first Olympic Games featuring BMX racing,
and with this magnificent track is will certainly make a great impact in the
Games says Zhang Kai, BMX Cycling Deputy Sports Manager of BOCOG
(Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games).
UCI has created several 3D images to showcase what the track
will eventually look like. Please click on the links below;
Accompanied by staff of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the
Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), Mr. Johan Lindstrom,
technical delegate of the International Cycling Union (UCI) paid an
on-site tour of the Olympic BMX venue at Laoshan in west Beijing.
Receiving updates on the construction progress of the project, he took
a measurement of key positions and asked the constructor to specify the
details of the venue. He selected two soil samples from the six varieties
the constructor had provided.
"The samples I chose are good in terms of viscosity and color and
I will take them back to Switzerland for research, with the final
choice expected to be defined very soon," he said.
Construction of the 1.98 hectare Laoshan BMX venue started at the
end of last year. When completed, it will have a floor space of 3,399
square meters and 3,396 seats. Currently, earthworks have completed
and the project is expected to be inaugurated on June 30 this year.
Afton Schrimpf won the women's Elite Division in the
National Bicycle League's Lake Mead Nationals on
Sunday, earning 12 world ranking points for Team
USA's BMX squad.
This was the second of six qualifying races to determine
three male and two female riders to compete in the inaugural
BMX competition in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"We're all ecstatic to have an opportunity at the Olympics,"
Schrimpf said. "Its going to bring our sport to the next level,
especially with attracting sponsors."
The 23-year-old Schrimpf, a student at the University of
Minnesota, sits atop the qualifying leaderboard with 22
points, including 10 for a third-place finish Saturday.
Samantha Cools of Canada won Saturday's race and was second
Sunday for 23 points. Kelly Hutto added a third-place finish Sunday.
Another non-American won the men's Elite race Sunday,
with France's Cristian Becerine coming on late from the
third lane to nip Donny Robinson at the finish.
California's Mike Day was third. At 21 points, sparked by a
third-place finish Saturday, Robinson leads the men in qualifying.
The next qualifying race is March 31 in Sarasota, Fla.
USA Cycling Selection Procedures For 2008 Olympic Games
USA Cycling News -- 02/12/2007
USA Cycling released today the selection procedures that will be used to determine
the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. The procedures outline the selection process across
all four Olympic disciplines Road, Mountain Bike, Track and BMX.
The 2008 Games are scheduled for August 8-24 in Beijing, China.
To view the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team selection procedures,
click on the links below:
USA Cycling formally announced today that former BMX World Champion
Mike King has been selected to lead American BMX athletes to Beijing
as USA Cyclings Director of BMX Programs.
In his new role, one of Kings missions will be to develop a top-notch BMX squad
to represent the U.S. at the sports Olympic debut next summer. His history as a
world-class athlete makes him the ideal candidate to prepare riders who until now
havent been exposed to the structured environment of an Olympic sport.
Were extremely excited to have Mike on board, commented Pat McDonough,
director of athletics for USA Cycling. As a former elite athlete himself, Mike has the
experience, knowledge and passion for the sport necessary to motivate our BMX
athletes and guide them to consistent success. With BMX now on the Olympic program,
it was imperative to add someone of Mikes caliber to ensure our athletes receive the
same level of service and opportunity that we provide to our athletes in other
disciplines."
One of Kings first tasks since he started with USA Cycling in November was to hold a
BMX training camp for thirteen of the nations top BMX riders and to demonstrate what resources are available to them as Olympic-caliber athletes through USA Cycling.
It was the first true BMX camp for Americas elite group of BMX athletes, and allowing
them to see the resources available to them up close and talk to experienced staff was very rewarding, King explained about the camp which took place last month.
King turned pro in 1988 after winning back-to-back amateur BMX national titles.
That same year, he became only the third rider in BMX history to win the Pro National title in his rookie year. His BMX accolades include the 1987 Supercross World Title and membership in the BMX Hall of Fame. In 1993, he decided to test his skills on a downhill mountain bike and placed second in his first-ever pro event. King ended that first season
atop the podium at the UCI World Championships in Metabief, France and continued to compete at the disciplines highest level for the next decade.
Now, aside from racing in a few select events, King is retired from professional competition
and looks forward to grooming the next generation of World and Olympic BMX champs.
I am very excited to be a part of USA Cycling as we head toward Beijing, King said.
I feel confident about our medal chances, which makes this job very rewarding.
Photo - BMX racers Kim Hayashi, left, and Amanda Geving showed
off their skills Wednesday at the Norris-Penrose Event Center. The
athletes are participating in a camp organized by USA Cycling. BMX
will be introduced as an Olympic sport at the 2008 Games in Beijing.
As a little girl, Kim Hayashi dreamed of being an Olympian.
But she figured her dream was over eight years ago when she
traded in a basketball for a BMX bike.
On June 29, 2003, the International Olympic Committee
gave the 20-year-old Hayashi another chance. The IOC
voted to include BMX racing in the 2008 Beijing Games.
I kind of thought that when I got into BMX and eliminated
basketball my chances of going to the Olympics were slim
and none, she said. When they announced that it was going
to be in the Olympics I didnt even know what to do.
I was like, `Wow.' Maybe this is my time and my chance
so Im going to grab it and ride it out as long as I can.
Hayashi was one of several elite BMX racers assembled
at the Norris-Penrose Event Center this week for a camp
organized by USA Cycling. Pikes Peak BMX also will hold
an indoor event there Friday through Sunday.
This is our first camp with the best BMX riders in this
country so we’re getting some baseline information, said
Steve Johnson, the CEO of USA Cycling. Were introducing
them to us and our resources. Were just learning as much
as we can about the riders and this sport and how we can
impact and improve their performance.
Preparing for a new Olympic sport introduces a lot of challenges.
They are actually substantial, Johnson said. Once you bring a
new sport into the Olympic family, you have more obligations on
the sport that didnt exist before, like the anti-doping efforts and
the issues related to access to events like the Amateur Sports Act.
Johnson said athlete involvement has made the process easier.
They are all tremendously enthusiastic about it, he said.
I think they see it as a wonderful opportunity to take a sport
that is already relevant, especially in this country, and put it
on the international stage. We see the impact the Olympics had on
snowboarding, I would expect a similar effect will happen in 2008.”
One athlete who is very excited about the Olympics is Bubba Harris.
Harris, 21, is the 2005 American Bicycle Association world champion
and the ABAs No. 1 ranked pro for the past three years.
Its awesome, Harris said. I dont think I thought BMX would
ever make it to the Olympics. Weve always wondered why it wasnt
in the Olympics but now it finally is, so its going to be amazing.
There will be a maximum of three male spots and two female spots
for Team USA and the BMX pool is deep. Qualifying is no easy task
in a sport where worthy challengers are found around every turn
and fortunes can change in the blink of an eye.
Harris know this better than anyone after injuring his
hand in a crash on a lap organized as a photo opportunity.
He said he may have broken the hand but should
be back in action in time to realize his dream.
American Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) rode to a win Saturday at the Fréjus Roc d Azur
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in France. One of the hopefuls to represent the United States in the newest Olympic sport at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing,
Robinson
led wire to wire in his victory over top-seeded Michal Prokop of the Czech Republic
and
Damien Godet of France.
Robinson began the weekend Friday by earning the fourth seed with a 39.569-second
run in the time trial qualifier. On Saturday, he advanced to the eight-man main
where he
faced teammate Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.), reigning 4-cross world champion and
San Jose BMX Supercross World Cup winner, Prokop, Robert DeWilde (NED),
Arturs Matisons (LAT), Roy Wildenberg (NED), Roger Rinderknecht (SUI) and Godet.
In the main, Robinson led from start to finish to win the UCI category-two event.
His win secured significant points for the United States a factor in determining
the number of start positions a country receives in Beijing. The UCI Supercross
World Cup series is second to only the world championships in terms of prestige
and available points. -- Day placed fifth for the U.S.
One of only two UCI Supercross World Cup events in 2006, the Roc d Azur event
along with Septembers San Jose, Calif. race mirrored the format that will be
used in the Olympic Games.
Of the 91 riders entered in the event, nine were Americans. Four of those riders
Robinson, Day, Jason Rogers (Mesquite, Texas) and Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas)
landed in the same semifinal together. Robinson and Day advanced while Rogers
and Bennett were ousted after placing sixth and eighth respectively. Still, their
efforts
also contributed to the point count for the United States.
Solid performances in 2006 have put to rest fears that American cycling couldn’t
survive in a post-Lance Armstrong era. With Sarah Hammer bringing home the first
world championship in track cycling in 10 years and 2005 World Champion BMX
rider Bubba Harris, 2006 World Championship silver medalist Randy Stumpfhauser
and bronze medalist Mike Day set to make their Olympic debuts in 2008,
U.S. Cycling may be stronger than ever.
With the introduction of BMX at the 2008 Olympic Games, the U.S. should
perform well on the dirt track with fresh faces Harris, Stumpfhauser, Day
and UCI points leader Donny Robinson leading the way.
But USA Cycling will also rely on its veterans for strength in its other disciplines.
At just 22, Hammer looks to be Americas golden girl after a World Championship in
the 3000-meter individual pursuit and World Cup gold in the scratch and points races.
On the road, the U.S. has several medal contenders in pro riders George Hincapie,
David Zabriskie, Christopher Horner, Levi Leipheimer and Christian Vande Velde.
The U.S. team looks to be just as strong on its womens side with 2004 Olympian and
road and time trial national champion Kristin Armstrong and two-time Tour de Aude
winner Amber Neben. The Tour de l Aude is considered by many to be the Tour de
France for women. 2004 Olympian and fourth-place finisher in the time trial Christine
Thorburn should also be expected to make another Olympic appearance.
In the mountains, several U.S. mountain bikers have performed well on the
international stage, with 2004 Olympians Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Mary
McConneloug making appearances atop the World Cup podium.
Storylines
Sarah Hammer (track): Sarah Hammer won the first American World Championship
on the track in 10 years this April in Bordeaux, France. She took 2004 off from
racing because of illness and just not wanting to look at a bike anymore.
BMX: The sport will make its debut in 2008 and Bubba Harris is the current world
champion at just 20 years old. Mike Day (his training partner, buddy, as well as another
American Olympic prospect) won the silver and bronze at the 2005 and 2006 BMX World Championships, respectively. Randy Stumpfhauser also won the silver medal at the 2006
BMX World Championships to declare himself a contender for Olympic gold in 08.
David Zabriskie (road): In 05 he rode the fastest time trial in Tour de France history.
Zabriskie became the third American to wear the yellow leaders jersey (for three stages)
at the Tour. He is the only American to win a stage at each of the Grand Tours. Zabriskie
also won this years Dauphine prologue.
George Hincapie (road): Hincapie won stages 2 and 5 of the Tour of California,
took second in the Tour de France prologue and became the fourth American to
ever wear the yellow leaders jersey at the 2006 Tour de France (after stage 1)
- A new leader on the Discovery Channel professional team.
Amber Neben (road): Neben won this years Tour de l Aude; considered by many as the
Tour de France for women. She won the title for the second year in a row in 2006.
Kristin Armstrong (road): Armstrong won two national championships in 2006
in the time trial and road race. She became the third elite women's world time
trial champion in American history at the 2006 UCI Road World Championships.
Donny Robinson (BMX): Robinson was first in the UCI series points and in the
final for World Championships last year. He is also the 2006 UCI/NBL North
American Ranking Series winner.
Jennie Reed and Becky Quinn (track): Reed and Quinn both finished
fourth at this years World Championships. Reed was a 2004 Olympian.
Levi Leipheimer (road): Leipheimer won the overall title at the 2006 Criterium
du Dauphine Libere, the biggest win of his career, in June. He also won the
prologue and took the leaders jersey after Stage 1 at the inaugural Amgen
Tour of California.
Kim Hayashi (BMX): Hayashi finished eighth overall at 2005 World Championships,
but
she was the top American finisher for women. In 2004, she was the junior world champion.
USA Cycling announced today selection procedures for the 2007 Pan American Games. Scheduled for July 13-29, 2007 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Pan American Games
happen
every four years the year before a Summer Olympic Games.
The 2007 Pan Am Games will feature all four disciplines of cycling that will be
included in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing Road, Track, Mountain Bike,
and the latest addition to the Olympic program, BMX.
World-class BMX racing hits the United States today with the finals of the
UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in San Jose, Calif. as part of the Dew Action
Sports Tour. The San Jose stop is one of just two UCI Supercross World Cup
events on the calendar this year and has implications of Olympic proportions.
Along with the Roc d Azur Frejus event in France October 6-7, the San Jose
event gives competitors the opportunity to compete in what will be the Olympic format
at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Outside of the UCI World Championships, the
UCI Supercross World Cup series offers up the most UCI points to athletes making
it a significant factor in Olympic qualification for both nations and individuals.
Recognized by the UCI as a category 2 event, the two Supercross World Cups
fall in between the World Championships (category 1) and the Continental
Calendars (category 3) in terms of offering the most international ranking points.
As one of the most prestigious international BMX events on the calendar, the field includes a deep start list of riders who are expected to be key players in 2008.
Of the 56 Americans entered, some of the notable riders representing the
United States are UCI World Championship silver medalist Randy Stumpfhauser
(Sanger, Calif.), bronze medalist Mike Day (Santa Clarita, Calif.), sixth-place
finisher Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.), and Bubba Harris (Palmdale, Calif.).
Recent cruiser class world champion Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) and silver
medalist Danny Caluag (Chino, Calif.) are also on the mens roster for the U.S.
International competitors that will challenge for the win include world champion
Javier Luciano Colombo of Argentina, recent 4-cross mountain bike world champion
Michal Prokop of the Czech Republic and Florent Boutte of France.
This could conceivably be a preview to the Olympic Games, commented
Pat McDonough, USA Cycling director of athletics. All of the top talent
from across the globe is here and will be competing in the Olympic format
against a strong field of Americans. This particular event is significant for
several reasons and will give the United States a clear picture on where it
stands heading into Beijing.
As part of Mountain Dews Dew Action Sports Tour, BMX will he highlighted
amongst other action sports including skateboarding and freestyle motocross.
The San Jose BMX Supercross World Cup will also air on NBC.
For more information, check local listings or visit
dewactionsportstour.com.
U.S.A. National BMX Team Wins Medals At BMX Worlds
Sao Paolo, Brazil -- 07/31/2006
~~ Team USA Concludes BMX Worlds ~~
Sao Paolo, Brazil -- 07/30/2006
The United States Cycling Team closed out competition at the 2006 UCI
BMX World Championships Sunday, adding several more podium finishes
in the non-championship Challenge Classes to bring the total number of
wins for Americans to 14 and the total medal count to 36. For More See:
(
http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=2437 )
~~ U.S. Claims Three World Titles At BMX worlds ~~
Sao Paolo, Brazil -- 07/29/2006
The United States Cycling Team captured three world championships and
added four more medals to its medal count Saturday as the 2006 UCI BMX
World Championships continued with cruiser class competition. For More See:
(
http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=2436 )
~~ Americans Win Silver, Bronze At BMX Worlds ~~
Sao Paolo, Brazil -- 07/28/2006
In the newest Olympic sport, the U.S. National Team captured two medals
Friday at the 2006 UCI BMX World Championships, narrowly missing a world
title in the elite mens race by a matter of inches. For More See:
(
http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=2434 )
The National Bicycle League, in conjunction with USA Cycling will host
eight UCI BMX Continental races for the upcoming 2006-07 season.
The UCI Junior (17-18) and Elite (19+) classes will be featured at
these races. Riders must have a USA Cycling BMX International License
to compete in these events.
The UCI Junior and Elite classes will be run directly within the NBL
race program, allowing athletes to earn both UCI and NBL series points
and prize money at the same time.
USA Cycling is further developing criteria to qualify Challenge class
riders for the 2007 UCI World Championship in Victoria, BC, Canada.
Expect to see an announcement after the 2006 UCI World Championships.
The NBL is excited to be a part of the Olympic and World Championship
qualification process for the USA and we look forward to an exciting year.
With the recent announcement of USA Cyclings Podium Program for BMX
Athletes, NBL's commitment to further developing the top athletes in our
country will be centered on the NBL National Series.
2006-07 UCI BMX Continental Calendar
9-23-06 NBL Woodward National .. Woodward, PA.....................
11-4-06 NBL Silver State National .. Las Vegas, NV.......................
12-28-06 NBL Christmas Classic .. Columbus, OH .........................
2-24-07 NBL National .. Location TBD...........................................
3-24-07 NBL National .. Location TBD...........................................
4-7-07 NBL Gator National .. Location TBD...................................
5-19-07 NBL Golden State National .. Prunedale, CA......................
5-26-07 NBL National .. Location TBD USA...................................
6-9-07 USA Cycling BMX National Championships .. Location TBD
On the eighth month in 2008, the Summer Olympics will kick off
in Beijing, China, and BMX racing will make its Olympic debut.
The number eight is associated with prosperity in Chinese culture,
and many in the industry are hoping it's a good omen for them, too.
"I think the Olympics has the potential to generate a great deal of
interest in BMX in China," said Mo Moorman, director of marketing
and public relations at
Pacific Cycle. "Of course, we'd like to see more
cycling events in the Olympics, but we're excited to see BMX racing
as a new sport for 2008."
The
International Olympic Committee decides on which new disciplines to
add years before the games actually begin. The 2008 games will feature
BMX racing in men's and women's categories.
"There is no question there is quite a bit of attention being paid to BMX
from a new Olympic sport standpoint. It is already being spoken of as the
snow boarding of cycling and whenever the U.S. has the potential to do well
in something, America pays attention," said Doug Martin,
BMX programs
director of
USA Cycling. "I expect participation at all levels will definitely grow.
"It is no secret that within the 20-inch segment, BMX racing bikes and equipment
has been flat for a while. That said, we also know that categories ebb and flow
in this business and even before the Olympic announcement, that trend was shifting.
In addition, it is not just the 20-inch segment that will likely benefit. These things usually have a nice ripple effect and can absolutely impact the business
as a whole.
The more bike racing appears in print media and in America's living rooms,
the better for everyone," Martin added.
~ Curb Your Enthusiasm. ~
For Craig "Gork" Barrette, marketing director for
Redline Bicycles,
the addition of BMX racing to the Olympic games adds legitimacy to
a sport long perceived as being for kids.
"For Redline, with us sponsoring the current national and
world champion, it is a big bonus. It has the potential to
put our brand and our star rider in the national limelight,"
Barrette added.
Potential is the operative word. He's cautious to get overly
excited about the visibility when so much control is in the
hands of the TV networks.
"In my perfect dream scenario, the networks will realize that
BMX racing and its high speeds, big air and wild crashes is the
most exciting event in China. They'll air it on prime time and make
a big deal out of this American kid-made sport. Of course, we're
banking that Bubba Harris will be the USA's golden child and our
nation will take a liking to him as much as they did with Shaun
White during the winter games.
"But then, we also realize that BMX racing could be aired at 2 am.
and get as much media exposure as handball and synchronized swimming.
It's a roll of the dice. It could get mediocre coverage like mountain biking
has the last two times. But we're hoping not.
"Much of it also depends on how the TV networks portray or hype it.
With the right camera angles, a color commentator who knows the sport,
and good slow-motion and replays, BMX racing can be extremely exciting,"
Barrette said.
~ Finding The Angles. ~
While there's no guarantee the Olympic momentum will usher in a new golden
age of BMX sales, companies like
Shimano are positioning themselves to take
full advantage of the exposure that BMX in Beijing will bring to the sport.
After a seven-year absence, Shimano will bounce back into the BMX market
later this year with the DXR group, its third incarnation since the 70`s.
The company plans to release it this October, but hopes to
get final product out to sponsored riders by this summer's
BMX World Challenge Championships in Brazil.
"The Olympics is the purest form of competition. The best athletes
in the world take part in the Olympics. We want to be there for then
and help give them the technical edge to bring home the ultimate medal,"
said Dustin Brady, who handles marketing promotions at
Shimano.
"DXR is about going fast and looking good. We want DXR to win the
Olympics and we are making products that will make it happen," he added.
New sponsorship opportunities are also becoming available.
Many believe that the United States, the birthplace of BMX,
is home to the best BMX athletes, but Barrette warns that
USA Cycling may be "resting on their laurels."
"They're taking American BMX for granted. Meanwhile, right
now Australia, Great Britain, Belgium, New Zealand, Germany,
the Netherlands, Argentina, Japan and even China have their
BMX programs in place with coaches and riders already picked.
They've begun preparation and are working toward their goals
of Olympic domination.
So far,
USAC has talked with Bubba Harris and Mike Day,
but that's about it," Barrette said.
In an effort to not put "all their eggs in the USA basket,"
Redline Bicycles recently inked a deal with the German national BMX team,
and expects to sign sponsorships with other teams in the near future.
Mongoose, which already sponsors several top freestyle BMX riders
in China, recently signed a deal with the Chinese national BMX team.
~ Lingering Reservations. ~
Jim Ford, principal at
Mirraco, said there is no downside to any
additional exposure that keeps BMX in the public consciousness.
Still, Ford tempers his excitement.
"More exposure is always better; however I think events
like the
X-Games and the
Dew Tour already do a great
job of promoting dirt jumping, street, park and vert,"
said Ford.
"They deserve our continued support as an industry because
they have played a major role in the growth of our sport.
"The politics and bureaucracy that is often associated with the
Olympics makes me wonder whether they can successfully pull
this off to the satisfaction of both the athletes and the viewers,"
Ford added.
Shortly, USA Cycling will release detailed information on
the US Olympic BMX Team Selection Process including the how,
when and what it will take to make the US Olympic BMX Team
in 2008. In the meantime, what should be clarified now is how
Olympic start positions are earned.
In Beijing, there are a total of forty-eight (48) BMX start positions:
thirty-two (32) for men and sixteen (16) for women.
Olympic start positions are not guaranteed - they must be earned.
The process described below was established
by the UCI and is the same for every country.
It is important to understand that the Olympic Games represent
a global ideal based on the world coming together once every
four years to watch the best from every country compete.
Every country in the world gets a chance to compete in every
sport, however because there are approximately 175 (give or take)
countries on earth and only a finite amount of space for each sport,
the process of whittling things down begins 2-3 years out.
This same process also limits the number of start positions
any one country can have in order to keep the event the global
ideal it is designed to be. It is the same for every sport.
For BMX in 2008, there are a maximum of three (3) men and two (2)
women start positions available for any one country, including the
US. Positions are earned through a worldwide formula that the UCI
has established in their role as cyclings global governing body.
In broad form it is simple, but it does have some complexities and caveats.
UCI points earned by US riders between Jan 1, 2006 and May 31, 2008
all go into a US points bucket called UCI Nations Ranking. They still
belong to the individual that earned them, but for the sake
of determining start positions, they live in this bucket.
Riders from other countries are doing the same with their points.
On May 31, 2008, Olympic start positions will be awarded based
on countries total points in the UCI Nations Ranking.
Only points from the top three (3) riders in UCI points are used when
it comes time to tally for Olympic start positions. This keeps it
fair for all countries, especially those that do not have great depth.
Currently, the top five (5) countries in mens UCI Nations Ranking will
earn the maximum of three (3) Olympic mens start positions. The top four
(4) countries in womens UCI Nations Ranking will earn the maximum of two
(2) Olympic womens start positions. The process tapers from there to also
include both World Championship results and invitational places. However,
for the US to earn the maximum available start positions, UCI points and
Nations Ranking are all that matter.
For US teams and athletes, it is critical that any and all UCI designated
events are a priority on race schedules from this point forward. It is also
critical that we all work towards filling UCI race fields and finishing UCI
races strong, even if not racing for the win. It is the collective efforts of
all that will drive us towards securing the maximum number of Olympic
start positions in 2008.
If you have any questions on this or any other,
please feel free to contact me anytime.
With two-and-a-half years to go until the start of the Games of the XXIX
Olympiad - Beijing 2008, the Olympic programme for these Games has now been
finalised. A total of 28 sports will feature on the programme for the Beijing
Games. These 28 sports are made up of 302 events, comprising 165 mens events,
127 womens events and 10 mixed events.
Increase In Womens Events
For many years now, the IOC has made increasing the participation of women
in the Olympic Games one of its priorities. The changes approved by the IOCs
Executive Board (EB) concerning the events on the 2008 programme are in line
with this philosophy. In Beijing, the number of womens events will be 127,
an increase of two events, compared to the 125 events held in Athens, and this
will see approximately 130 additional female athletes competing in China in 2008.
New Events On The Programme
There have been several new events added to the programme for the Beijing
2008 Games as well as one new discipline - BMX. These new events include
the womens 3,000 metre steeplechase, mens and womens BMX, womens foil
and sabre team events, mens and womens marathon swimming 10km events and
the replacement of the doubles events in table tennis by team events.
Beijing 2008
The Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing 2008 will take place from 8 August
2008 until 24 August 2008. The Games in Beijing will play host to the 28
summer sports currently on the Olympic programme. Approximately 10,500 athletes
are expected to participate in the Games with around 20,000 accredited media
bringing the Games to the world.
Doug Martin has been hired as the new Director of BMX Programs at USA Cycling.
The Director of BMX Programs position was created to help clarify and communicate processes and guidelines by which BMX athletes and teams qualify for competitions.
BMX will make its debut as a full-medal sport at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Martin brings to USA Cycling more than 14 years of professional team management experience, including work with GT Bicycles, Nirve Sports, as well as World
Championship and Olympic teams.
In addition to an intimate knowledge of the BMX industry and community,
Doug brings a tremendous amount of experience organizing and managing international programs and teams, said Director of Athletics Steve Johnson. The addition of BMX
to the Olympic Games is an incredible opportunity for both the sport of BMX racing
and American cycling in general.
Doug Martin can be reached via email at dmartin(-AT-)usacycling.org
GB BMX Team plan for golden future with Staff and Shooter
British Cycling News -- 02/11/2006
The GB Team's BMX programme has received a major boost this week with
the announcement that former world BMX champion and current Track World
Champion Jamie Staff is to head up a new support staff structure.
Staff, who is currently based in the USA, will be returning to the UK
to take up his new post in time for the 2006 season. Track racing's recent
move towards a winter season means that Staff can devote the BMX closed
season to is own racing ambitions, whilst spending his summers driving forward
the Team's ambitious BMX programme. He intends to continue his Track
Racing career up to the Beijing Olympics.
Staff will be joined by four-times national BMX champion, Geth Shooter,
who will handle the day-to-day running of the
GB Team's BMX programme.
Jeremy Hayes, who has overseen the first year of BMX as an integral
part of the lottery-funded GB Team, will head up the BMX strand of the
GB Team's Olympic Talent Team, which is devoted to finding young
riders in their mid-teens with the potential to compete at the highest
level. He will be joined by a team of five part-time coaches, including
Nigel Page, Richard Townsend and Mike Pusey.
GB Team Performance Director Dave Brailsford
explained the thinking behind the new structure:
"We've had a year to look at the sport of BMX and we now know a
lot more about its current state and the way the UCI intend to take it
as a global sport. We also know a lot more about the level we need
to be at if we are to qualify for and be competitive at the Olympics
in 2008. I believe that the new structure we are putting in place will
enable us to take the squad to the higher levels of performance necessary
to compete in 2008 and 2012.
"We're obviously excited to have secured the services of Jamie,
a star of both Track and BMX, and he understands our system and
how we operate. He's incredibly committed to BMX and I believe
his input on the overall direction of the team and on the riders'
conditioning will be crucial to our future success.
"Geth Shooter is an ideal person to deal with the day-to-day running of
the programme. The thing I like about him is that he's passionate about
winning and will offer a great deal of technical and tactical input.
"Jeremy has an exciting new challenge. BMX has so much potential:
it's facility based; it's ideal for families and it attracts young riders.
The BMX strand of the Olympic Talent Team can open up a way into the Team
for so many young people as well as underpinning the broader sport of cycling.
Jeremy's coaching looks set to make a major contribution to that process."
USA Cycling Statement Regarding 2008 Olympic
Team Selection for BMX and MTB athletes.
USA Cycling and the United States Olympic Committee are
currently reviewing the selection procedures that will be used
to make nominations to both the 2007 Pan American Games
and 2008 Olympic Games Teams.
As these procedures are not finalized nor approved, they are not
ready for publication; however, we are announcing that potential
qualifying events for the proposed Olympic Games selection events
may commence with the first 2006 UCI Supercross event for BMX
athletes (Date and Location TBA by the UCI) through the accumulation
of UCI points earned at this and all subsequent UCI Supercross and
World Championship events; and as early as August 2006 for MTB
athletes through UCI points earned at the 2006 UCI Cross Country
World Championships (Aug 22 -27, Rotorua, NZL).
It is strongly recommended that cyclists plan and train accordingly.
This Article Published 2006-02-07 17:20:55
For more information contact:
sjohnson@usacycling.org
TURIN, Italy (AP) -- 02/05/2006
The number of women in the summer Olympics continues to grow.
The International Olympic Committee executive board approved
new quotas Sunday for the 2008 Beijing Games, bringing the
organization closer to reaching its goal of gender equity.
The board accepted fencing's request for 12 additional athletes;
eight more (four men, four women) in modern pentathlon; four more
(two men, two women) in taekwondo; 10 more (five men, five women)
in triathlon; and 20 more in cycling for two new BMX events.
Taking into account earlier increases in women's soccer, field
hockey and handball, there will be 128 more female athletes in
Beijing than in Athens.
In Greece, 42 percent of the 10,500 competitors were women.
"We are getting closer to the 50-50 ratio in Beijing,"
IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said.
LAUSANNE OUT: The Swiss city of Lausanne - home of the IOC -
withdrew Sunday as a candidate to host the Olympic congress
and IOC session in 2009, leaving seven cities in the running.
At the 2009 meeting, the IOC will address the future of the
Olympic movement, hold a presidential election and select
the host city for the 2016 Summer Games.
Lausanne announced its late withdrawal in a letter to IOC
officials meeting in Turin on the eve of the Winter Olympics.
IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies provided no explanation for
the decision.
Still in the running to host the meetings are Busan, South Korea;
Copenhagen, Denmark; Athens, Greece; Cairo, Egypt; Singapore; Taipei,
Taiwan, and Riga, Latvia.
The winner will be selected in the next
few days by secret ballot at the IOC session.
TV TALK: Viewers in sub-Saharan Africa will get a chance
to watch the Winter Olympics on TV for the first time.
The IOC said Sunday it has reached agreement with Canal France
Internationale to provide coverage of the Turin Games to 40 countries
in the region, including a daily highlights package and features on
African athletes.
In a separate deal, Olympic broadcasts will be available in 18
countries and territories in the Middle East, including Iraq and
the Palestinian authority. In Asia, North Korea, Laos, Indonesia
and islands in the Pacific will also have access.
Overall, the Olympics will be broadcast to a record 200
countries, up from 160 in Salt Lake City four years ago.
GLOVES OFF: The IOC is keeping up pressure
on boxing to reform its judging system.
The IOC froze more than $1 million in payments to the International
Amateur Boxing Association after the 2004 Athens Games, citing concerns
over the judging and selection of judges.
Sports Director Kelly Fairweather said Sunday that discussions with
the federation are continuing, but that much more needs to be done.
"We've made some good steps forward but there is still
a lot of work to be taken in this area," he said.
If boxing fails to meet the IOC's conditions,
its place on the Olympic program could come under threat.
The U.S. Olympic Committee has mandated that USA Cycling more closely and
effectively manage the BMX discipline now that it is part of the Olympic Games.
As such, USA Cycling has been and will continue to be the sole governing body for
BMX in the United States that is recognized by the USOC, the UCI and the various
anti-doping agencies (World Anti-Doping Agency and U.S. Anti-Doping Agency).
Attached is the document that summarizes the requirements
to become a BMX affiliated organization of USA Cycling.
Below you will find an outline for how the sport of BMX will be managed by
USA Cycling as we approach the sports inclusion in the 2008 Olympic Games.
It is vitally important that we get this information to you and the entire
body of interested
athletes who desire to compete in UCI-sanctioned events including World Championships,
Continental Championships, National Championships and the Olympic Games.
(1).......................................................................................................................................
Beginning January 1, 2006 all athletes who wish to be eligible for World
Championship qualification and consideration for the Olympic Team will be
required to have an International License issued by USA Cycling.
Elite athletes (elite men and women and junior men and women 17 and 18 years old)
will need a USA Cycling issued International License to compete in all UCI calendar
events within and outside of the U.S., including World Championships.
A BMX athlete will be able to apply for a license by visiting the USA Cycling
website at
www.usacycling.org or request a paper application from USA Cycling.
(2).......................................................................................................................................
[Anti-doping] USA Cycling International licensees will be subject to all
USA Cycling, UCI, USOC, IOC, WADA and USADA rules pertaining to
anti-doping ( see
www.usantidoping.org ) . Athletes will receive information
regarding anti-doping and their responsibilities at the time that they receive their
USA Cycling license.
All athletes who attain a UCI ranking of 150 or above will be submitted
to USADA for inclusion in the No Advance Notification list for out of
competition testing. Those athletes will be responsible to keep USADA
informed of their whereabouts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
(3).......................................................................................................................................
[National Championship] USA Cycling will sanction one National Championship
event that may be used to select some athletes for participation in the Challenge
Classes at the 2006 BMX World Championships.
Athletes will be permitted to participate in the National Championship if they have
USA Cycling issued International Licenses or a USAC BMX Affiliated Organization
issued license. However, athletes will be required to purchase a USA Cycling issued International License in order to participate at the World Championships in either the
Elite or Challenge classes. The National Championships will be run under UCI rules.
(4).......................................................................................................................................
[National Championship Bids] – USA Cycling will send a request for
proposals to host the 2006 USA Cycling BMX National Championships.
You will be receiving shortly a bid package from Justin Rogers.
(5).......................................................................................................................................
[UCI Sanctioned Events] - Beginning January 1, 2006, all athletes will
be required to have a valid USA Cycling issued International License in
order to compete at and earn UCI points at all UCI sanctioned events.
(6).......................................................................................................................................
[2006 International License Fees] For riders age 17 and older (elite and challenge classes),
the USA Cycling international license will be $150 and for BMX challenge class
riders age
16 and younger, the international license fee will be $75. For 2006, USA
Cycling will refund
a portion of eachinternational license fee to the affiliate organization(s).
See the attached
proposal for details on the license refund.
(7).......................................................................................................................................
[Rules, Regulations and Officials] Beginning January 1, 2006 USA Cycling will
oversee the officials training and assignments and will assure that UCI rules are
being enforced at all UCI calendar events in the United States and any other events
in the United States that may lead to selection of World Championships or other protected events, which are defined by the USOC Bylaws.
As of January 1, 2006, officials will be required to hold a USA Cycling Officials
License for any USA Cycling sanctioned event such as National Championships,
UCI calendar events and any other protected events.
(8).......................................................................................................................................
[Selection Procedures] - You will receive when they are completed under separate
cover the selection procedures for 2006 BMX World Championship Team selection,
Pan American Games Team selection (if applicable to BMX) and U.S. Olympic Team
selection. The selection procedures will also be posted on the USA Cycling website.
(
www.usacycling.org )
(9).......................................................................................................................................
[Governance] BMX will continue to be represented on the USA Cycling board of directors.
You will be receiving separately the following:
A. The bid package for the 2006 USA Cycling National Championships.................
B. Information regarding requirements for becoming a USA Cycling certified official
C. The current UCI rules and regulations................................................................
D. Current literature and USADA/WADA anti-doping requirements.......................
E. Selection Procedures when available...............................................................
We look forward to working with all of you to continue
the U.S. dominance in BMX as we prepare for Beijing.
Please feel free to contact me at any time.
Sincerely, Gerard Bisceglia, CEO USA Cycling
BMX racing makes its Olympic debut as a medal sport at the 2008 Olympic Games
in Beijing, China. USA Cycling has received preliminary information from the
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the international governing body for the
sport of cycling, with regards to start positions and qualifying procedures as
they relate to the 2008 Olympic Games.
Under the provided guidelines, the road to Beijing begins on August 1, 2005.
The significance of this date refers to the new UCI requirement that stipulates
that any rider wishing to compete at the 2006 BMX World Championships must
have at least one UCI point to be eligible. Points that allow a rider to compete at
the 2006 World Championships can begin to be accumulated on August 1, 2005.
The 2006 UCI BMX World Championships are important because a nations
ranking that determines the number of start positions at the 2008 Olympic Games
is determined by the placing of each nations highest three riders in the UCI
BMX World Rankings between January 1, 2006 and May 31, 2008.
It is USA Cyclings understanding at this time that points accumulated after
January 1, 2006 directly influence start positions at the 2008 Olympic Games.
In any case, points earned after August 1, 2005 since they allow riders to
compete at the 2006 World Championships cannot negatively affect a rider
as they relate to the pursuit of his or her Olympic quest.
The UCI Management Committee recently approved the BMX Olympic
selection criterias, which will be included in part 11 of the UCI rule book.
The Olympic selection criterias determines the qualified Nations,
while the individual athletes will be selected by each countrys
National Olympic Committee.
Nations will qualify on the basis of the UCI Nations rankings and
the 2008 UCI World Championships, where a total of 48 athletes
(32 Men & 16 Women) will qualify to the XXIX Olympic Games in
Beijing, China 8th-24th August 2008
To view the detailed criterias and quotas, please
click here ( .pdf file )
Listed below is the detailed criterias and quotas coppy from the .pdf file.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2008 BMX Olympic Qualification Criteria 48 athletes
(32 men and 16 women) shall qualify on the basis of the following criteria:
MEN
UCI NATIONS RANKING (a)
Nations Ranking - Qualified Athletes - Total Number
Ranked 1 to 5 - 3 - 15
Ranked 6 to 8 - 2 - 6
Ranked 9 to 11 - 1 - 3
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (b)
Nations Ranking - Qualified Athletes - Total Number
6 best nations ranked outside (a) - 1 - 6
Places by invitation (e) - 2 - 2
TOTAL MEN 32
WOMEN
UCI NATIONS RANKING (c)
Nations Ranking - Qualified Athletes - Total Number
Ranked 1 to 4 - 2 - 8
Ranked 5 to 8 - 1 - 4
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (d)
Nations Ranking - Qualified Athletes - Total Number
3 best nations ranked outside (c) - 1 - 3
Places by invitation - 1 - 1
TOTAL WOMEN 16
GENERAL TOTAL 48
SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
a) Nations rankings are determined by the placing of each nations
highest 3 riders in the UCI BMX World Rankings 01/01/06 - 31/05/08
b) The Nations rankings in the World Championships are determined by
the placing of their riders in the Elite Men class in the 2008 UCI
BMX World Championships 31/05/08
c) Nations rankings are determined by the placing of each nations
highest 3 riders in the UCI BMX World Rankings 01/01/06 - 31/05/08
d) The Nations rankings in the World Championships are determined by
the placing of their riders in the Elite Women class in the 2008 UCI
BMX World Championships 31/05/08
e) Places by invitation done by the tripartite commission (IOC-ANOC-UCI).
UCI BMX RANKING
The following 20" classes are eligible to race for ranking points:
Elite Men
Elite Women
Junior Men
Junior Women
Each Continent will have their own rankings, and those riders with
continental ranking points will bring them to the World Championships.
Each continent will have a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 10 races counting
for the rankings. The riders are eligible to count the best 7 races.
A rider can compete on more than one continent, but the rider
can not transfer his points from one continent to another.
Continent - Countries - Code
European Ranking - All European Countries - EU
North American Ranking - North America, Canada - NA
Latin American Ranking - All Latin American countries - LA
Oceanic Ranking - Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Japan - OC
Riders can gain points in three different categories of BMX competitions,
and the rider's points total is subject to the following restrictions:
Category 1 World Championships :
All points in the semi-finals and main final.
Category 2 BMX Supercross World Cup :
All points in the semi-finals and main final.
Category 3 Continental Races :
Best 7 scores (of 10 races) in semi-finals and main finals.
Riders are allowed to compete in different continents, but
points earned in a certain continent cannot transfer to another.
Elite & Junior shall have individual rankings (for each continent).
If a class is combined with Junior and Elite riders (Category 3 event),
the Junior points schedule shall be used.
Nations ranking
Nations ranking should be made up of each countries top 3 ranked riders points
in MEN and WOMEN category, including both Elite & Junior ranked riders.
Tiebreaker
In case of a tie in the final World Ranking standings after the main finals
of the BMX World Championships, the tie will be resolved as follows:
a) First in favour of the rider who earned
most points at the BMX World Championships;
b) Then, if a tie still remains, in favour of the rider
who earned most points at the BMX Supercross series.
In case of a tie in the Continental Ranking standings
after the 10 rounds, the tie will be resolved as follows:
a) First in favour of the rider who earned most first
place finishes in the Continental ranking series.
b) Then, if a tie still remains, in favour of the rider who earned most
second place finishes in the Continental ranking series - and so on.
Hilliard, Ohio ( NBL Web Site ) -- 07/01/2003
Late yesterday afternoon the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
announced that two BMX (bicycle motocross) racing events will be added to the
Olympic program at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games XXIX in Beijing, China.
The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced early this morning that
Elite Men (19 & Over) and Elite Women (19 & Over) will be added to the
Olympic program. The UCI BMX World Rankings system will be used to
determine the nations ranking and the number of athletes for each country
eligible to compete for Olympic Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals in 2008.
The
NBL,
USA Cycling, and the
UCI have spent years working towards
Olympic recognition. NBL Director of Competition Bob Tedesco commented
on this groundbreaking decision by the IOC for the future of BMX racing:
This is a dream come true for our sport. As the only recognized BMX
sanctioning body in North America the NBL will serve as the gateway to
the 2008 Olympic Games. The NBL, USA Cycling, and UCI have spent
years working hard to attain Olympic recognition. This move by the IOC
finally recognizes BMX racing as a legitimate sport.
Adding BMX racing to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games XXIX opens a
door full of opportunities for BMX racing athletes. Tedesco further commented:
The NBL, USA Cycling and UCI have taken steps in the past few years to
help take BMX racing to the next level. All of our hard work has not gone
unnoticed The introduction of BMX racing in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games
XXIX will only continue to help to grow our sport for future generations to come.
The NBL, USA Cycling, and the UCI have been responsible for providing Americas
BMXers with the only true BMX World Championships for many years now.
After years of progression the NBL is proud to proclaim that BMX is finally getting
the recognition it deserves. NBL is known by its riders as the BEST IN BMX
Now NBL can be known as the gateway to BMX racing in the Olympic Games!
UCI Press Release -- 07/01/2003
The IOC Executive Committee decided on 29th June 2003, during their
meeting in Prague, to include BMX (Bicycle Motocross) in the XXIX
Olympics in Beijing, will be held from 8 to 24 August 2008.
IOC President Rogge was pleased to inform UCI President Verbruggen
about this decision. President Rogge further stated that "we believe
that this introduction will definitely enhance the Olympic program".
One Elite Men (19 Years and older) and one Elite Women (19 Years and older)
event will be included in the Olympic program.
The UCI BMX World Ranking will determine the nations ranking and the number
of athletes for each country, although the total number of BMX athletes has not
yet been decided.
BMX to replace two cycling events in 2008 Olympics
PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) -- 07/01/2003
Bike Moto Cross, otherwise known as BMX cycling,
will be added to the program for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
One women's and one men's BMX race will replace two track cycling
events, yet to be determined, in a bid to attract younger audiences.
IOC president Jacques Rogge called it a ''new, spectacular event.''
''We believe that this introduction will definitely
enhance the Olympic program,'' he said.
The two new races won't increase the number
of events or athletes in Beijing, Rogge said.
Rogge said the International Cycling Union was studying which two
events in the current program were the least popular and would be
replaced by BMX.
Racing on small stunt bikes, four BMX riders start together and
negotiate a jumps-and-bumps obstacle course, built on dirt in
the center of the velodrome track.
An elimination process will see the fastest in each heat advancing to
the next round. The heats are expected to take less than a minute each.
The introduction of BMX is an attempt to attract the interest
of a younger generation, much like the addition of snowboarding
in 1998 and freestyle skiing in the early '90s.
Two sports, triathlon and taekwondo, were added for the
Sydney Olympics in 2000, but there is increasing pressure
to cut rather than add sports.
Since his election as IOC president in 2001, Rogge has been
pushing to contain spending and ''gigantism'' in the Olympics.
The official emblem of Beijing 2008 entitled "Chinese Seal-Dancing Beijing" cleverly combines the Chinese seal and the art of calligraphy with sporting features,
transforming
the elements into a human figure running forward and embracing triumph.
The figure resembles the Chinese character "Jing", which stands for the
name of the host city and represents a particularly significant Chinese style.
The artwork embodies four messages:
- Chinese culture,.................................................
- the color of red China.........................................
- Beijing welcomes friends from all over the world..
- to challenge the extreme and achieve the perfect..
and promote the Olympic motto of "Citius, Altius,
Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger)........................
~~ The Official
BMX Mascot of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: ~~
BMX Racing is a type of off-road bicycle racing. BMX bicycle races are sprint
races on purpose built off-road single lap racetracks. The track usually consists
of a starting gate for up to eight racers, a groomed serpentine dirt racecourse
made up of various jumps, banked and flat corners, and a finish line.
The organization of BMX racing is facilitated by a number of regional and
international sanctioning bodies. These sanctioning bodies provide a set
of rules governing the conduct of the races, specify age-group and skill
level classifications among the racers, and maintain some kind of points
accumulation system over a racing season. The sport is largely participant
-driven with the average racer age of approximately 13 years. Professional
ranks exist for both men and women, where the average age is higher.
A BMX bicycle is a strong, relatively quick-handling, lightweight deriviative
of the standard 20"-wheel single-speed youth bicycle. Variations include larger
24" wheel BMX bikes and occasional multi-speed bikes.
While BMX racing is an individual sport, racing teams are often formed
from racers in different classifications for camaraderie and often for
business exposure of a sponsoring organization or company. BMX racing
rewards strength, quickness, and bike handling skills. Many successful
BMX racers have gone on to leverage their skills in other forms of
bicycle and motorcycle competitions.
BMX Racing is a medal sport at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
~~~~~ The Olympic Oath ~~~~~
[The athlete]:
In the name of all the competitors I promise that we shall take part in
these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them,
committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true
spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams.
[The judge]:
In the name of all the judges and officials, I promise that we shall officiate in
these Olympic Games with complete impartiality, respecting and abiding by
the rules which govern them in the true spirit of sportsmanship.
Beijing 2008 Olympics KEY FACTS:
Opening date: 8 August 2008
Closing date: 24 August 2008
Official website:
beijing-2008.org
.
Question? Re: Linking To The 2008
BMX Olympics Information Page
Gene`s BMX News -- 08/13/2008
Thousands of people are looking at this page and a few questions from a few people.
Re: Can I add a link to this page on to my web site? = YES! you are welcome to link.
2008 BMX Olympics Information
http://www.genesbmx.com/2008-bmx-olympics.html
Re: Why don`t my favorite bicycling web site have a link to your Olympics page?
= I do not know why. Ask them to link to it if you want. They are welcome to link.
There are a few other BMX web sites that are linked up to this page and we thank
them for doing so. - In all, there realy is not to much support from with in the BMX
community it self that shows support of the Olympic Games. - A few, but not many.
Everyone is welcome to link in to this BMX Olympics Information Page at there will.
Geneb...Wenatchee,Washington-USA
***** Gene`s BMX *****
All Things Northwest in BMX!
http://www.genesbmx.com
Gene`s BMX launched the "2008 BMX Olympics Information" web page December 24th, 2005. (
PR ) Genes BMX.com is a independent webmasterd not-for-profit bmx bicycling
web site and is a lead focal point for free access to documentation on
bmx bicycling on the world wide web. "BMX Bicycling Knowlegment And
Internet Knowlegment Belongs To Everyone In The World" Please do NOT
repost contents of this page on any closed source, membership or pay web
sites.
( "Thanks Everyone from around the world for surfing in" )
Do You Like The 2008 BMX Olympics Information Page? How Are
We Doing? Please (
Click Here! ) And Leave Us Some Feedback.....
The Official "Olympic Theme" Music Of The 2008 Olympic Games.
-
http://www.genesbmx.com/2010-youth-olympic-games.html - 
BMX Cycling Press Conference 
U.S.A. BMXer, -
streaming video online
web cast on (
ADDED NEWS: CCTV will offer some free channels
