BMX racing: a rider’s perspective

From the March, 2008 issue
Filed under: BMX, Racing, Youth Articles

by Beau Poling, age 15

It was an average day at Eugene Bicycle Works, the bike shop where I volunteer on Saturdays. I was working on bikes with my dad when Tom popped in. Tom is the ad rep for Oregon Cycling. We started to talk about BMX and I asked if he wanted to see my bike. It’s a misty purple Hoffman Instrument I powdercoated myself. He thought it was really cool, and he started to talk about ABA racing and asked if I race. I said no, but I’d like to start, and he told me about some races that were going on down at the Lane County Fairgrounds.I was ready but my bike wasn’t. I needed a tire with good tread on my back wheel, but most importantly, I needed brakes. My bike didn’t even have mounts for brakes! I only had 30 minutes to get my bike together, so I had to drill a hole in the bridge for side-pull brakes. I felt bad drilling into my frame because I had just spent a lot of time taking the old mounts off and powdercoating it. Once the brake was installed, I was ready to go. There was only one problem: I didn’t have the $10 registration fee.Beau loves BMX My teacher Jan said that he would pay my registration but I would just have to work it off, on top of the new tire and the brakes. I was desperate to race, so I agreed. Now I had four minutes to ride 13 blocks in the pouring rain. I think we rode faster getting to the race than I did in the race.We got there six minutes after registration closed, but the lady sitting at the table was nice and said that I could still get in. She even had a helmet I could borrow, but I had to hurry because it was almost time to qualify. I was soaking wet, and though I had called my mom to ask her to bring me some dry clothes, she hadn’t come yet. I had to qualify, wet pants or not.The BMX track is inside the livestock building at the Lane County Fairgrounds. That place is huge. The track is made of packed dirt and laid out like a snake. There are a lot of hills and jumps that are one to five feet tall. There are lines painted on the dirt to keep you on track, and there are some stands for spectators. At the beginning of the track, there is a big gate that holds everyone back until the official start of the race.Before I could enter the main race I had to qualify. It was pretty easy, and when my mom finally arrived with my dry clothes and some food, I changed and ate like a pig until it was time for the main race. With dry clothes on and some food in me, I felt like a new man.bmx-feb-2008-050-cmyk.jpgI went up to the start with my heart racing as five other guys and I waited for the gate to open. If the crowd was cheering, I couldn’t tell because I was so focused. Then, boom! The gate was open. I was in third place, close behind another rider by the time I hit the second berm, then I gave the guy the rail and grabbed second. I started feeling the rhythms of the track, but the guy shot ahead and got second back. Before I knew it, the race was over. I look back now and think that was the best 28 seconds in my life. When the race was over, I knew I had to have more. I begged my mom to let me come back the next day. My dad looked so proud of me. I don’t get to spend time with him that much, so I gave him a big hug and asked him to be there tomorrow.The next day there was a foot of snow on the ground and we needed chains to get out of the driveway, but nothing was going to stop me from racing again. I called my friend Tyler and told him he had to come with me. When we got to the fairgrounds and went to the table to register, they said that my year’s membership was already paid up. Somebody had sponsored me, but they didn’t tell me who. It’s still a mystery to me, but at least I don’t have to pay up each week! My number now is 243. I’m really excited to have discovered the world of BMX racing right in my own backyard. I’ll be back every weekend if I can.

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