Krt Schmidt.com

Let me start by saying that I’ve pretty jazzed to see BMX in the Olympics but I’m sick and tired of reading these articles in the press and hearing others complain about it. Don’t get me wrong. I love that BMX is getting any mainstream press but as a former professional rider and fan of racing I sit and wonder about how it’s being presented to the public. Many seem to be comparing it to “Trampoline”. Let’s start with USAToday’s little piece.

Read more at USAToday.

“BEIJING - The International Olympic Committee and NBC are betting viewers are going to fall in love with a sport that features big people riding little bikes.

It’s called BMX, which is short for bicycle motocross, and it does resemble motorcycle racing without the motors.

In Beijing, they won’t need motors because the cyclists will get all the speed they can handle from a scary starting drop down a 30-foot ramp into a series of dirt jumps, bumps, berms and gaps.
It’s been called “NASCAR on two wheels,” but for the Summer Games, it’s an attempt to catch some of the excitement snowboarding has brought to the Winter Games.”

Yep. You read that right… “NASCAR on two wheels”.

I find it fascinating that the mainstream media is referring to BMX Racing in the Olympics as something that just dropped out of the sky. All the stories I read lately refer to BMX Racing in the same way as this article. It “resembles motorcycle racing without the motors”. Really? Is BMX Racing that foreign in popular culture? I mean come on? Didn’t BMX burst into the mainstream as soon as it was featured on C.H.i.P.s? OK I’m dating myself here but in all seriousness I’m finding the coverage a bit annoying.

This is from Scientific American

BMX racing is different from other Olympic cycling events in several key ways: the races last less than a minute, the bikes are small and low to the ground, and the racers must wear protective gear over their faces, heads and joints to protect against likely collisions. It introduces an element of “extreme sports” to the summer games expected to appeal to younger viewers, much the way snowboarding did when it debuted in 1998 at the Nagano, Japan, Winter Olympics, according to Bob Tedesco, managing director of the National Bicycle League in Hilliard, Ohio.

A person can’t go in a Target or Wal-Mart without seen “BMX” and “E/Xtreme” plastered all over every 20″ bike (and a lot of 26″ bikes for that matter). How would this escape an average person’s eye?

From NBC Olympics

“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.”

OK. So that’s not really relevant but what is this Helltrack? Who was crying? Mike King? There’s no crying in BMX!

Well at least TVGuide asks an expert.

“‘Sometimes the race is won in that first straightaway,’ says BMX vet Kenan Harkin, who is covering the event for NBC.”

BMX Vet?

Even Time Magazine takes a shot at explaining.

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 inevitable. It’s a summer version of snowboard cross, the frenzied, TV-friendly race that debuted in Torino in which racers zip down the mountain while navigating tricky jumps and each other. Remember Lindsey Jacobellis, the American who was inches from a gold before she hot-dogged it off a ramp and fell?

No I don’t!! You explain BMX by comparing it to Snowcross? Have more people seen Snowcross? Really?

Robinson is the rider to watch. Besides biking for gold, he’s shooting to shift the stereotype of extreme sport athletes. “I hope we can bring some edge,” he says. “But we’re not a bunch of punk kids riding around town vandalizing stuff.” That’s nice to know. “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.”

Umm…

Besides all that nonsense BMX has really upset others just for being in the Olympics. Read through this forum and see what the hub-bub is all about.

“So, what about the BMX? Well, sorry guys, but it’s a kids’ bike. It was designed to appeal to the 10 to 13 age bracket. It is proportioned to the smaller body. In fact, the BMX is a good kids’ bike - safe, efficient and adaptable, unlike its short-lived predecessor, the fatuous Chopper machine. But there’s something ridiculous, almost pathetic, in the spectacle of a grown man, often a superb athlete, perched on his silly toy and performing circus tricks in a purpose built arena, supposedly in the name of sport. Come on lads. If you think you can cycle, buy a proper bike and let’s see if you can hack it with the big boys in the Alps or Pyrenees.”

Ouch! Pyrenees?

Do you think there are more people out there that understand why Fencing is in the Olympics than can grasp our “little” and “pathetic” “NASCAR on wheels”. Do you think more people have watched an equestrian event than seen the movie RAD? What are your thoughts? What about the haters?

MATHIEU DUBOIS, originally uploaded by Brice Gelot.

Another great Flickr find.

Brian’s Summer Slam BMX BBQ IV, originally uploaded by Guav.

A great photoset I stumbled upon through Flickr.

Serious old school.

Rick Allison competes to be 1 in a BMX competition with teammate Rich Avella. Flatland tricks and freestyle moves. Rick and Rich road their BMX a long the coast of California just to get to this show. Also featured in the BMX DVD Rollin Back BMX. Produced by First On Board. www.Firstonboard.com

Posting for my friend Mikko.

Next week the Faction will decend on Champions Sports Bar & Grill for some BMX Action, Grain Belt Premiums (drink specials for the Faction!) and some good times!

The Details

The Time: Wednesday, August 20th, 6:30-9pmish or whenever we leave.

The Location: Champions Sports Bar & Grill (right off 35w) 105 W Lake St Minneapolis, MN 55408 612-827-4765

• Bunnyhop contest w/ some swag from RetroBMX thrown in
• Big screens
• Premium in bottles
• Full menu
• Rocking time
• Pictures with Steef ($6.00)
• Factionites going nuts as BMXers haul major ice in China
• Ideal time to discuss your plans for the 4th Annual Faction BBQ!