August 18, 2008

Beijing Gives BMX a Ride

The action-packed sport debuts at the Games

BY SEAN GREGORY/BEIJING

America's pastime, baseball, and its sister sport, softball, will be banished from the Olympic program after Beijing. But flag-waving Americans shouldn't lose heart. For on August 20, a new event will debut at the Olympics. It is a U.S endeavor that will make all the red, white, and blue-blooded citizens proud. America, meet BMX cycling. Or more simply, dudes on dirt bikes.

TIM JOHNSON—LANDOV Get ready for a bumpy ride! Bikers practice on Beijing’s BMX track.

In BMX cycling, eight bikers are lumped together on a narrow, twisting dirt track. First to the finish wins. Period. The bikes fly off jumps, and mid-air collisions are common. It's a summer version of snowboard cross, the frenzied race that debuted at the Olympics in Torino, Italy, in which racers zip down the mountain while navigating tricky jumps and each other.

Like a Roller Coaster

The fun will begin at the start when eight riders bunch up atop a three-story hill. At "go," expect a show. "You go five feet, then 'kink,' it drops almost straight down, about 60 degrees," says Donny Robinson, the top-ranked rider for the U.S. men. "It's like going down a roller coaster." They'll all be moving at 40 miles per hour, jostling for inside position. Spills are commonplace: face it, that's part of the appeal. "Anyone here who tells you they haven't crashed is a liar," says fellow American Kyle Bennett.

Robinson is the rider to watch. Besides biking for gold, he's shooting to shift the stereotype of extreme sport athletes. "I'm not the typical action sport athlete," he says. "I like to sing and dance. That's who I am, that's my personality."

The Action Sport Craze

Sports like BMX are the future of the Games. The Olympics are trying to get younger, and hipper. Over the last decade, the Winter Olympics have cashed in on the action sports craze. With interest sparked by ESPN's popular X-Games, snowboarders and freestyle skiers have snatched medals, and more importantly, fans.

And BMX fits the bill perfectly. It's fast, it's dangerous, it's fan friendly, what's not to like? BMX also offers genuine international competition. European countries like Latvia field strong teams, so the U.S. is not assured a sweep. And it's not like these guys aren't athletic. In fact, given the strength they need for speed, and technical skill required to stay on their bikes, they're some of the best athletes at the Olympics. Says Robinson: "People are going to be shocked at what we can do on a bike."

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