With a crowd of past, present and future BMX stars proudly looking on, USA Cycling CEO Steve Johnson and Steve Roush of the U.S. Olympic Committee officially opened the Olympic BMX training track on January 21 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, four members of the U.S. BMX Olympic talent pool sped down the 19-foot-high starting ramp and onto the 370-meter course, which is dotted with berms and sizable jumps. The USOC track dwarfs regional BMX courses because both elite and amateur riders compete on the same course at national and regional-level races. Understandably, regional courses feature shorter starting ramps and smaller jumps to accommodate riders of different levels. But with only elite athletes competing in the Olympics, organizers have decided to test athletes' skills with tougher courses. (source: velonews.com)

I want to give props to SixSixOne. They make helmets and protective gear. I've been wearing their Pressure Suit body armor for about six months now and it paid off. I had a wreck last weekend in which I separated my shoulder. The ER doctor said I would most definately have broken something if I was'nt wearing my Pressure Suit. I'll take a separation and a few weeks in a sling over a breakage any day.



Check out their web site. They have great equipment at great prices.

SixSixOne

Here are the results of the elite men final at the indoor in Zwolle. The Czech Michal Prokop takes the first place followed by Ivo Lakucs and Martijn Scherpen.

Elite men:
1. Michal Prokop CZE
2. Ivo Lakucs LAT
3. Martijn Scherpen NED
4. Thomas Allier FRA
5. Sebastian Kartfjord NOR
6. Thomas Hamon FRA
7. Pablo Gutierrez FRA
8. Rob van den Wildenberg NED

Today round three of the UCI European BMX championships took place at the IJsselhallen in Zwolle, The Netherlands. It seems the Latvians are in good shape and took the first and second place, followed by the french rider Moana Moo Caille.

Elite men:
1. Maris Strombergs LAT
2. Arturs Matisons LAT
3. Moana Moo Caille FRA
4. Michal Prokop CZE
5. Sifiso Nhlapo RSA
6. Martijn Scherpen NED
7. Rob van den Wildenberg NED
8. Arnoud Dubois BEL

Kuwahara BMX has expanded the BMX Line for 2008. They introduce the Nova Series, a new economical BMX Racing line as well as the Bravo Series, a new Street/Dirt line. In addition to this they have taken the Laserlite Team frame design and incorporated it into the new Laserlite Series of performance level BMX Racing bikes that replaces the 2007 2KZ line.



As Kuwahara BMX says “The Nova series of BMX Racing bikes offer quality at an affordable price. Built around our lightweight and race proven 6061 Aluminum 2KZ frame design and utilizing the same geometry as our Laserlite Series, the Nova series features Sealed Bearing Flip-Flip Alloy Hubs, Cr-Mo Forks, Aluminum and Cr-mo Cranks, Alloy Rims, Alloy Seatposts and Alloy platform pedals. So whether you're a first time racer, weekend warrior or just simply working to a budget, the Kuwahara Nova Series has you covered from Mini through to Pro Cruiser with product that will last.”

FRAME 6061Aluminum FORK Full Cr-Mo Fork 1-1/8" BARS Cr-Mo Pro Handlebars CRANKS Cr-Mo 3-Piece Tubular 175mm Cranks HUBS Sealed Bearing Hubs Front & Flip Flop Rear PEDALS Alloy Platform TIRES Kenda Small Block 20 x 1.75"

On 2 and 3 february 2008 Fredericia will host the fifth and sixth round of the European Championship BMX Indoor. Check out the following links for more information.

Information of EC Fredericia
Official Website of the Indoor Fredericia

Check out this alternative to clipless pedals! They use magnets to hold you in and are supposed to be safer and easier to get out of than clipless pedals. This is a really cool concept and could be an option for all of us oldschoolers that don't want to make the leap to clipless but still want the edge that they give.



Click on the photo and it will take you to their site.

As many of you that ride in the NBL racing sanction already know, the NBL has adopted a random gate cadence to put an end to slingshoting. It places a random pause between "watch the gate" and the beeps. I didn't think it would affect us non-slingshoters but I found out quickly that there was some major adapting to do.

There was a great article in one of the recent issues of BMX Today, the magazine that the NBL puts out.
In the article it states that we are now having to "react instead of anticipate". The old cadense was engrained in our brains and it was just second nature.

The article had a few tips on how to overcome this. I have misplaced the article so I am going off of memory here. These are the two tips that stuck out to me.

One is to lower your starting crank by a click or so. This helps you to get on top of your crank quicker to make up for having to react. I personally have been using this method and it has helped my gates greatly.

The second tip is to position your body a little further forward than before. This helps you to react quicker.

This is just what I got out of the article. If you race NBL and are having issues adapting to the new system, I would suggest digging out your last issue of BMX Today and find the Coaches Corner section.

The website of the European Championship Indoor BMX in Douai is online. Also check out the 3D track layout on your right. Nice work!

The website of the BMX Worlds 2008 is online.

The BMX Track is build at the beautiful bank of Fenhe River, which is the first in China. The Track Field consists of three parts of race tracks, comprehensive hall and racing facilities. The field is 330 meters long from south to north, 70 meters wide from east to west, with the total area of 23,000 square meters. The length of the race track is 360 meters in length and 10 meters in width, taking a shape of an open ring, with 3 curves and 32 slopes and jumps at various levels. The start platform is 4 meters in height. The tracks are built according to the superior highway standards; and the start gates are globally advanced made in USA, as recommended by UCI. More info at bmxworlds2008.com