Tuesday, July 1

BMX Heads to Beijing in 2008

By Alyssa Roenigk
EXPN.com

The Olympics will include BMX in the 2008 lineup. When we heard, we were stunned. We were thrilled. We were high-fivin'. And we were booking our plane tickets. Beijing … here we come.

But what discipline would it be? Vert? Where's that Brit Jamie Bestwick? Should we call and tell him it's time to start working on a double tailwhip flair?
Park? Do we track down Dave Mirra and tell him to make room in the trophy case for an Olympic gold medal?

Downhill, maybe? Someone had to know.

A close race in Evansville, Indiana.

Hello … IOC? USOC? UCI … bingo!

"We voted to add traditional BMX racing with eight-man heats," says Johan Lindstrom, BMX coordinator for the International Cycling Union.

"There will be a men's and a women's event, both for medals, and they will replace two track cycling events that haven't been determined," he says, and tells us the athletes must be 19 years old and the number of riders invited to the games will be limited. "Only 50-100 riders total, but the most successful national teams will be able to bring three or four athletes."

Wait, racing? Are you sure?

"Oh, yes. We're all very excited." Well, the IOC may be, but we needed to hear a freestyle rider thoughts ... and cancel our flights.

So we woke up Chad Kagy to find out if he'd heard. "Olympics? Nah, man. I didn't know."

What'd he think about their choice? "Well, it couldn't be freestyle. It's too hard to judge. There'd have to be strict rules and then we'd end up like figure skating, with everyone doing the exact same thing. That's not freestyle. That's boring."

So racing's the way to go?

"Nah. I wish it were downhill, it's a much livelier way to look at racing. On a regular track, you have 5-year-olds and 60-year-olds racing the same track as the pros. With downhill BMX, there's a 40-foot chasm on the track. There sure as hell isn't any 10-year-old with balls enough to clear that."

True. But the Olympics are going younger. Mountain biking ... snowboarding. They're obviously trying to appeal to a younger generation.

"Yeah, but crowds and TV audiences want to see something spectacular and see carnage. They either want to see you go upside down a few times and spin around a bunch, or land on your head.You don't get that in traditional racing.

"But thanks for the info. I gotta go to Woodward now, though."

Off to ride, huh? Only five years till Beijing ... starting your Olympic training? Chad ... Hello?