May08

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May 2008

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Today's BMX Racing News - Saturday, May 31, 2008

Championship Results From 2008 UCI World Championships

Elite Men - Maris Strombergs/Latvia

Elite Women - Shanaze Reade/Great Britain

Junior Men - Sam Willoughby/AUS

Junior Women - Manon Valentino/FRA

Complete Results posted on the BMx Mania

UCI Worlds Race Report Page

CISAR TAKES SILVER MEDAL FOR TEAM USA AT UCI BMX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Kintner Top Women's Performer in Sixth, Stein Grabs Bronze in Junior Men's Division

Taiyuan, China (May 31, 2008)--Steven Cisar (Altadena, Calif.) led the United States Cycling Team on Saturday with a silver medal in the elite men's contest at the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships. As one of two Americans to qualify for the final eight-man main, Cisar finished just 0.384 seconds off the pace of winner Maris Strombergs (LAT), while Stifiso Nhlapo (RUS) took the bronze and American Donny Robinson (Napa, Calif.) placed fourth.

For Cisar, it was his second trip to the podium this season in a major international event. In February he captured a bronze medal in the opening round of the 2008 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup series.

Cisar and Robinson were the only two U.S. athletes to advance out of the quarterfinals as other notable Americans such as defending world champion Kyle Bennett (Conroe, Texas), David Herman (Wheat Ridge, Colo.), Randy Stumpfhauser (Sanger, Calif.) and Danny Caluag (Chino, Calif.) all qualified for the round of 32 but failed to advance to the semifinals, leaving only Cisar and Robinson as medal contenders.

In the elite women's event, Jill Kintner (Seattle, Wash.) was the top U.S. finisher in sixth place as the only American to advance to the main. Shanaze Reade (GBR), Ann-Caroline Chausson (FRA) and Sarah Walker (NZL) earned the top three spots respectively.

Entering the world championships, the U.S. was on the fringe of securing a second women's start position for the Olympic Games. Needing a top-four overall nation's ranking following the event, the U.S. entered the world championships ranked fifth - just one point behind New Zealand, seven points behind Argentina and 13 points off the pace of Australia. Entering the event, France had a commanding hold on the number-one spot. Based on its performance in Taiyuan, the U.S. is expected to retain its fifth-place ranking when the UCI issues its official standings next week.

Arielle Martin (Pleasant Grove, Utah) crashed out in her quarterfinal heat, while Kim Hayashi (Chandler, Ariz.) and Stephanie Barragan (Montclair, Calif.) also failed to advance out of the round of 32, leaving Kintner as the only U.S. athlete amongst the final 16 contenders.

Also on Saturday, the U.S. turned in strong performances in the junior championship categories as Denzel Stein (Desoto, Texas) earned a bronze medal in the junior men's event and compatriot Travis Ohrazda (Garden Grove, Calif.) finished sixth.

For the U.S. men's field, the next major competition will be the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on June 14 in Chula Vista, Calif. where the winner will earn an automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.

Juniors star for Australia at BMX World Championships

team camp optimistic of two places in women's competition in Beijing.

South Australian Sam Willoughby has snared the gold medal in the junior men's final at the UCI BMX World Championships in Taiyuan, China while in the junior women's final Lauren Reynolds scored silver and Rachael Bracken the bronze medal.

In the elite women's competition Tanya Bailey's semi final berth should be enough to give Australia two starting places for women in the BMX at the Olympic Games.

Bailey lined up as Australia's only starter in the elite women's competition after a major knee injury during training put Melissa Mankowski out of the team and out of contention for Olympic selection. Nicole Callisto suffered an elbow fracture in yesterday's training session in Taiyuan and was forced to withdraw.

"We don't know how serious it is yet but the initial doctor's report is that it's not so bad," said Sharples. "We'll get her to a specialist when we get back to Australia and take it from there."

Bailey's sole representative status put added pressure on her with Australia needing points to ensure two starting places for women in Beijing.

"The pressure was on her because we had one rider to earn points and other countries had three to start with," said Sharples. "However her racing was really good and by getting into the semi finals I think she's done enough to give us the two places but we'll have to wait for confirmation from the UCI."

Jared Graves was the best placed of the elite men and the only one to make it through to the final where he finished in seventh place.

"I won my eighth, my quarter and my semi final and was really feeling good for the win," said Graves. "But it pretty much came down to who came over the first jump smoothest and i really didn't do it.

"Then I was annihilated in the first corner by guys going for broke which stopped my run but I'm still pretty happy with that" explained Graves who earned enough points to end the BMX season ranked number two in the world behind American Donny Robinson. "My strength is really good and I'm definitely capable of getting to the front of any race in the world so I'll keep that in mind when I'm training for Beijing."

Graves will now head to Europe to contest the 4Cross at the MTB World Cup round in Fort William, Scotland ahead of the MTB World Championships in Italy in mid June.

"I'll really be training through those races and using them as preparation for the Olympics," he said. But his first stop will be a dentist.

"I'm looking forward to root canal work on a tooth that has been troubling me for the past few weeks," said Graves.

Cycling Australia's National Performance Director for BMX, Scott Sharples says Graves' performance was better than the result shows.

"He had a really good competition but might have spent himself a little too much in the lead in rounds," said Sharples. "The first corner in the final was fierce with so much bombing and diving as riders looked to make up ground and he got hit from both sides at the same time.

"But he shouldn't have been there at that point," said Sharples. "He should have been in front and he knows that and next time he will be."

Kamakazi and Luke Madill made it through to the semi finals but Kamakazi scored a bad lane draw and Madill was pushed off the track when a rival came over the top and knocked his handlebars. Neither qualified for the final.

"The quality of competition was outstanding," said Sharples. "From the quarters (finals) onwards every race could have been the final."

While Beijing might be just around the corner the junior members of the Australian team are already planning their London assault for the 2012 Olympic Games.

"That's my big goal," said Willoughby who even after being presented with his gold medal was still finding it hard to absorb his win.

"It still seems like a bit of a dream," he said. "I still can't believe I'm a World Champion!"

"I won every run and going into the final I just knew I had to do one more and I did it," he said. "My main goal in the final was to nail the first jump and I knew if i got over the first jump smooth I'd win and that's how it worked out."

Cycling Australia's National Performance Director for BMX, Scott Sharples, says Willoughby was impressive throughout the day's competition not just in the way he rode but in how he dealt with the pressure.

"He's only a first year junior but he was poised and in control and that was the best thing about him," said Sharples. "He went into every race cool, calm and collected and knowing what he had to do."

The 16 year old is in Grade 11 at Brighton HIgh School and has been racing BMX since he was six years old. China is his fourth World Championships and the first time he was won gold.

In the junior women's competition Bunbury's Lauren Reynolds claimed silver ahead of team mate Rachael Bracken from Townsville.

"The day wasn't so good leading up to the final because I didn't get a good race in any of my three motos (qualifying rides)," explained Reynolds who already has a gold medal to her credit from the 2003 World Championships in Perth and in Canada last year claimed the bronze medal. "But I was expecting the final to be the race for the day.

"I got out of the gate all right, had a little bit of luck to miss a crash on my inside, rode a good second straight and was leading into the second corner but I made a bit of a wrong move there," she said. "I managed to hold on for second place though."

The Grade 12 student at Bunbury Catholic College turns 17 in June and has been racing BMX since she was eight years old. She her dream is to represent Australia at the Olympic Games in 2012.

"My goal is gold in London for sure," she said. "No other medal - gold."

Bronze medallist Bracken says she's thrilled she made the podium.

"I'm really happy, stoked.," said Bracken. "I only got seventh pick for the start order but I was pretty happy to get an outside lane because I thought it would be best for me so I wouldn't get boxed in and it worked out well."

For complete results visit www.uci.ch (Or BMXmania.com)

The team competing in Taiyuan is listed below for reference

Elite Women - Tanya Bailey (Mariginiup, WA - 15/03/1981)

Elite Men - Jared Graves (Toowoomba, Qld -16/12/1982) - Kamakazi (Jimboomba, QLD -08/03/1981) - Luke Madill (Cranebrook, NSW -28/05/1980) - Khalen Young (St Helens Park, NSW -20/11/1984)

Junior Men - Joshua Callan (Healesville, VIC - 08/04/1991) - Michael Chasteauneuf (Croydon, VIC - 15/01/1991) - Steven Janssen (Nerang, QLD -17/01/1990) - Sam Willoughby (Trott Park, SA - 15/08/1991)

Junior Women - Rachel Bracken (Aitkenvale, QLD - 30/06/1991) - Lauren Reynolds (Clifton Park, WA - 25/06/1991)

BMX Aruba 100% At UCI Worlds!

One of the smallest countries represented at the recent UCI Worlds, Aruba brought four riders and had some TREMENDOUS results.

We are proud to announce that BMX Aruba had some good results during the worlds in China.

We traveled to China with 4 athletes and managed to achieve 4 final spots.

As a very small Island with about 100 riders and 2 BMX tracks we are proud of the results our riders have achieved in the last few years.

A special thanks to all that helped us out over the years to achieve this success.

Results:

Men 25-29 Jobert Reyes 3th

Boys 15 Ishwar Martijn 8^th

Boys 7 Jay-z Scott 7^th

Girls 9 Shanayah Howell 3th

Regards, Joseph Everon - BMX Aruba

Today's BMX Racing News - Friday, May 30, 2008

Dale Holmes Wins First Championship level Title of the UCI Worlds Weekend

Here're the Top Spot winners from Day Two of Challenge Racing,

along with the Masters Championships class

17-24 Men/Weston Pope/USA - 15 Boys/Connor McCormack/CAN - 16 Boys/Sylvain Andre/FRA - 17 & Over Women/Angelique Van Gemert/NED

25-29 Men/Jonnathan Chislett/RSA - 30 & Over Men/Jean Ducos De Lahitte/FRA - 15 Girls/Melinda McLeod/AUS - 16 Girls/Merle Van Benthem/NED

Look for complete results and insane UCI Worlds Photo Gallery, Friday on the BMX Mania Race Report Page!

Kosman Launches!

Photo Gunslinger, Justin Kosman has a hot new web site, and if you love BMX photography, or just good photography, you'll want to cruise on over and check it out.

According to an official release, Justin had this to say about his new efforts.....

"The justinkosman.com website launch party went over well last night. It included me taking my car to the dealership to get the valve covers fixed and swatting moths into the wee hours of the night with an old issue of Ride magazine (Mike Parenti cover). "

"With the re-design, I'm most psyched about the news blog section and how easy it will be to post photos of the stray cats I trap in my garage. Right now there is an interview up with the guy who designed my site, Derek Balmer. Check it out and spam me some comments."

All kidding aside, friends and neighbors, you'll drool all over yourself to see Justin's art, he really is an artist, and his photos show it.

justinkosman.com

UCI BMX World Championships Gearing up for the Olympics on Freecaster.tv

Freecaster, the largest online video media for action sports will webcast live the UCI BMX World Championships from Taiyuan, China.

The sport of BMX is now in the Olympics.That's great news for BMX fans and great news for Freecaster.tv who just this year began covering UCI BMX racing events. The webcasts from Madrid, Adelaide and Copenhagen attracted thousands of viewers from all over the world. Now, in anticipation of the Beijing Olympics in August, riders and fans alike will have the chance to experience the racing in China.

Top riders competing on the men's side include Kyle Bennett (USA), Luke Madill (AUS), Michal Prokop, (CZ), Donny Robinson (USA) and Yvan Lapraz, (CH) and in the women's Sarah Walker (NZ) and Shanaze Reade (UK). The riders who finish with the top 12 scores on the men's side and top eight scores on the women's side will qualify to compete in the Beijing Olympics. The remaining spots will be decided by the International Cycling Union on June 6.

Freecaster.tv was the first on H.264 and now the first to stream live in h.264, what can be called web HD. To get the best from Freecaster make sure you have the latest version of Flash 9 and a minimum ADSL 1.2 mbit/s or cable Internet connection.

The Live stream will begin Saturday, May 31 at 9:30AM (CET) with the 1/8th finals. Go to http://www.freecaster.tv/1000002_1004661 to watch the Live.

More good BMX Racing stuff on the "TV"

Well, not really the TV, but they'll be moving pictures, people'll be on bikes and you KNOW that Go211 will be on the gas when it comes to shootin' good BMX Race Footage.

From ABA BMX.....ABA BMX Spring Nationals from Duke City BMX in Albuquerque, NM. Videos are posted up on GO211.com. In case you were one of the few that missed this "Most Excellent Weekend", you can catch up and watch the weekends festivities at: www.go211.com/u/springnationals08

AA Pro video group: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/AA%20Pro%20Men

A Pro video group: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/A%20Pro%20Men

Women's Pro video group: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/Women%20Pro

Vet Pro video group: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/Vet%20Pro%20Men

Pro Cru is located in the Cruiser video group: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/Cruiser

Class: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/Class

Girls: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/Girls

Cruiser: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/Cruiser

Girls Cruiser: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/Girls%20Cruiser

Expert Open: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/Expert%20Open

Mixed Open: http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/group/Mixed%20Open

All videos are now organized in alphabetic order, at http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08/videos/ locate your video much easier then before.

Today's BMX Racing News - Thursday, May 29, 2008

Racing Is Underway At The UCI Worlds In Taiyuan, China

Howdy, Folks! We're jammin' in China and here are the Top Spot Finishers in Thursday's Challenge Class Racing!

BOYS

5&6 Boys/Wyatt Bell/USA - 7 Boys/Ehtan Wolthers/USA - 8 Boys/Quentin Crowley/USA - 9 Boys/Tyler Fuller/USA - 10 Boys/Karlten Wollsey/AUS

11 Boys/Brock Heffrom/USA - 12 Boys/Alden Volle/USA - 13 Boys/Hernan Santillan/ARG - 14 Boys/David Baptiste/FRA

GIRLS

5, 7 & 8 Girls/Kanami Tanno/JPN - 9 Girls/Saya Sakakibara/JPN - 10 Girls/Ruby Huisman/NED

11&12 Girls/Hannah Sarten/NZL - 13 Girls/Shayona Glynn/USA - 14 Girls/Elis Ligtlee/NED

OFFICIAL THURSDAY, CHALLENGE RESULTS AND PHOTOS POSTED ON THE BMX MANIA RACE REPORT PAGE!

BMX World Mag Is On The Prowl

The coolest all BMX Racing mag in the world, BMX World issue 14 is out and available.

In the U.S., it's a Borders and Barnes and Nobles all across the country and for those of you in other countries,

you can get YOUR subscription by clicking here, it's worth the price of admission!

What' You don't get it' Well, you should! DO IT NOW!

Today's BMX Racing News - Tuesday, May 27, 2008

BMX Mania In The Air.....China Bound!

We've been spending more time on the road lately, going to BMX Races than at home.....shame, shame, shame, but that's OK, they're BMX races, SOMEONE has to go to them, might as well be US!

This week, we're off to China for the UCI BMX World Championships.

Fun stuff.

So, if you experience a gap here and there over the next couple weeks in our BMX racing coverage, forgive us, we're watching people race bikes.....One of our FAVORITE things to do!

Don't worry, though, we'll be there for ya, bringin' you all of the BMX racing news we can dig up. Thanks for visiting BMX Mania and Ride Hard!!!!!

Today's BMX Racing News - Monday, May 26, 2008

Team France/"Europorter" Worlds Report

"Fast French Kids Photo" by Jerry Landrum/BMXmania.com

Our "Europorter" Filed this from his secret BMX Spy Station in France, on the powerful French team, as they make their way to the UCI Worlds in China. This year's UCI Worlds has a LOT riding on it due to the upcoming Olympics and the first ever BMX Olympic Event, so how teams/nations do at The Worlds is a BIG deal, and the French team is a Big Deal in it's own right, loaded with superfast talent and sporting the Fastest Women's Team In The World. Read on for the scoopage.

Official Team France :
Elite Men: Thomas Allier, in great shape the past weeks ..... Quentin Caleyron, winner of the Elite French Cup 2008 ..... Damien Godet, 2007 UCI Worlds finalist and SX specialist ..... Pablo Gutierrez, under a new MBK sponsorship ..... Thomas Hamon, often up front in the Euro rounds ..... Moana Moo Caille, coming back from his SX crash

Elite Women: Anne Caroline Chausson, 2008 Euro #2, 2007 Euro #1, 2007 UCI Worlds finalist ..... Amélie Despeaux 2008 Euro# 6, 2007 UCI Worlds finalist ..... Laëtitia Le Corguillé 2008 European champion, 2007 UCI Worlds finalist ..... Magalie Pottier 2008 Euro #3, 2007 UCI Worlds Junior champion 20" + Cruiser

Junior Men : Vincent Pelluard, 2008 Euro# 2 Junior, 2008 #3 at the Elite French Cup while still Junior ..... Joris Daudet ,2008 Euro# 4

Junior Women : Eva Ailloud , 2008 Junior Euro Champion

That's the roster of the Official French National Team coached by Fabrice Vettoretti which is on the plane to Taijuan...

The rest of the french delegation should not be far behind if they keep rowing at a good pace... Keep an eye out for "PH Sauze coached" Aurelia DON and One's Blandine Cottereau in Elite and , as usual, the rest of the ever successful French Junior line up : This year, Manon Valentino, Gaëlle Charpentier, Florian Duhamel who is "PH Sauze coached" again- Emilien Chiron and Jordan Lajmi ...

Today's BMX Racing News - Saturday, May 24, 2008

Australian BMX National Champion out of Olympic contention

A bad landing in practice has eliminated 19 year old Queenslander, Melissa Mankowski, from her first chance of making the first ever BMX Olympic team at this year's Beijing Olympics. The newly crowned National Champion hurt her left knee at training on Thursday just one week away from competing in the final Olympic selection event, the World Championships in Taiyuan, China.

According to Mankowski’s coach, Sean Dwight, it was not a fall but just an unfortunate incident. “She went over a jump and for some reason she unclipped and her foot came off the pedal. Her foot hit the ground and took the weight of the landing,” explained Dwight.

As soon as she landed she was screaming. It only took a minute to figure out it was her knee.”

It was her training partner, Nicole Callisto who knew the familiar signs after suffering two knee injuries herself over the past few years. Mankowski will undergo surgery on Monday to discover the extent of the damage.

With Mankowski's elimination, Australia’s chance of taking the maximum number of riders, two women to the Beijing Olympics will now be on the shoulders of Callisto and Tanya Bailey both originally from Western Australia.

According to Australia's Assistant BMX Coach, Wade Bootes it's all down this World Championships."We’re really struggling now with one rider down for gaining those country points. It is unbelievable that even after the two year selection period it is down to the final selection race with four countries fighting for the third and fourth women’s ranking positions."

When asked how hopeful Australia could be Bootes pointed out that both Callisto and Bailey had made two finals at international level before.

Bailey and Callisto placed fourth and eight at the last month’s World Cup Supercross in Adelaide. At the Beijing test event last August Callisto claimed seventh and Bailey eighth.

With France looking confirmed of the top country ranking with a current lead of 77 points it is now a close points scramble between rival countries, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and the United States of America.

Australia’s elite men’s second ranking behind the United States of America and are 24 points clear of the Netherlands. Australia looks confident of remaining in the top five rankings for the men and as such should gain the maximum number of three riders. In the top spots are current National Champion, Jared Graves (Toowoomba) along with Luke Madill (Penrith), Kamakazi (Brisbane) and Khalen Young (Perth).

Riders depart on Monday for the flight to China where the World Championships get underway on Thursday 29^th May.

Stu Thomsen Interview On Old Skool UK BMX

oldskoolukbmx.co.uk has posted a cool interview with BMX Racing Legend, "Stompin" Stu Thomsen.

If you don't know who Stu is, take a few and check it out, cuz, BMX would not be the first without the "Awesome One".

He gained fame in the early days of the sport beginning in 1974.

His prime competitive years were from 1976-1985.

He can be rightly called the Babe Ruth of BMX for his prolific and domination of BMX during its early days from the mid 1970's into the mid 1980's.

Even today, many of the current sports superstars are compared to him as a standard of achievement.

Stay Strong Stephen Murray Fund

Marco's on a mission for Stephen!

Stephen Murray Fund

REDMAN PIT BIKES ARE IN

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Today's BMX Racing News - Friday, May 23, 2008

EVENT SCHEDULE FOR 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Cycling (BMX)

Eight Competitors to Compete for Spot on 2008 U.S. Olympic Team June 14

Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 23, 2008)—USA Cycling and the United States Olympic Committee announced today the schedule of events for next month’s 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the sport of BMX.

Scheduled for Saturday, June 14 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will feature eight riders with the overall winner earning an automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. Earlier this week, USA Cycling announced the five-race competition format that will be utilized to determine the overall event winner.

2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Cycling (BMX)

U.S. Olympic Training Center

Chula Vista, Calif.

Saturday, June 14

Event Schedule:

FRIDAY, JUNE 13

2:00 p.m.

Pre-Race Press Conference - *Accredited Media Only

SATURDAY, JUNE 14

9:00 a.m.	Doors Open to Public; Expo Opens
10:00 a.m.	Athlete Warm-up
11:00 a.m.	Time Trial (8 heats)
11:40 a.m.	Moto 1
12:10 p.m.	Moto 2
12:30 p.m.	Moto 3
1:05 p.m.	Finals
1:15 p.m.	Award Ceremony
1:30 p.m.	Post-Race Press Conference - *Accredited Media Only
2:00 p.m.	Athlete Autograph Session
5:00 p.m.	Expo Closes

Tickets are now available for purchase by the general public online at www.usolympicshops.com, charge-by-phone at 619-482-6120 or in person at the U.S. Olympic Shop at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. Adult tickets are $10.00. Children and senior citizen tickets are $5.00. Visa accepted.

Today's BMX Racing News - Thursday, May 22, 2008

FREE AGENT ANNOUNCES “PRO PASS” PROGRAM TO GIVE OUT FREE BICYCLES TO UP-AND-COMING RACERS

(DOMINGUEZ HILLS, CA) - Free Agent, reigning world champion BMX team and a leading brand of BMX bicycles, announced a new program call “Pro Pass” that will begin this racing season. The program lets World Champions on the Free Agent racing team give away bicycles to young racers they see at local and national events.

“Now Kyle Bennett, Cristian Becerine, and other members of the team will be keeping their eyes open for young racers with a great potential,” said Dale Holmes, team manager and former World Champion himself. “When the guys see someone they think has a great future, they’ll give them a Pro Pass, which the rider can turn in for a free Free Agent Team BMX bike and official accessories.”

The program is designed as a way of fostering interest and excitement in young riders. Rather than just raffle off bikes, though, Free Agent will use the talents of some of the world’s top racers to spot the champions of tomorrow. The team will not necessarily be announcing where or when the bikes will be given away. Instead, the team members will be given passes to award as they see fit throughout the season.

NBL to launch National BMX Recruiting Program in late May to boost grassroots

- Phase 1 – A Challenge to all NBL Members -

Hilliard, Ohio, (May 20) - Imagine if every NBL (National Bicycle League) member recruited just one new BMX rider this year. Local race programs would get a huge boost and tens of thousands of new riders would be hitting the track, raising the level of competition across the nation. To kick start the Olympic year, NBL has completely revamped the Bring-A-Buddy Program and is proud to launch Phase 1. It’s simple

A challenge to all NBL members to recruit ONE new rider. Any NBL member who recruits one full NBL member by June 30 gets a Free T-shirt*. It’s that simple. See the Challenge ad in the May issue of BMX Today Magazine for details and go for it. (*One T-shirt per member)

The full summer Bring-A-Buddy program, Phase 2, features a new 'points' system and more than $40,000 in prizes – Sweet! It will be launched later this month and promises to drive recruiting to a new level. The NBL is working overtime to build a network of programs that will help capture the interest generated by the sport’s debut at the 2008 Olympic Games and ultimately turn that excitement into more competition. For more information about the program, check out the May issue of BMX Today Magazine and contact your local NBL BMX track to get started today. Visit www.nbl.org for additional details.

The 2008 NBL Bring-A-Buddy Program is proudly sponsored by Intense BMX (www.intensebmx.com), Free Agent BMX (www.freeagentbmx.com), Kenda Tires (www.kendausa.com), UGP (www.undergroundproducts.com), Sinz Racing (www.sinz-racing.com), THE Industries (www.bmxthe.com) and Camp Woodward (www.campwoodward.com).

GO211.COM BRINGS YOU "FREE" LIVE WEBCAST COVERAGE OF THE ABA’S SPRING NATIONALS

Albuquerque, New Mexico – GO211.com, in conjunction with the American Bicycle Association, is proud to bring you the LIVE "FREE" webcast of the ABA’s SPRING Nationals, a ABA BMX PRO Series event hosted by the Duke City BMX in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Tune in for all the race action starting Saturday, May 24th, through Sunday, May 25th. This weekend will be another great one for sure!

It all starts on the May, 24th at 10:00am mountain time with a pre-show for the SPRING Nationals. GO211.com will then go right into the "LIVE" action packed event coverage starting at 11:00am mountain time for the duration of the days event.

GO211.com will kick things off again at 7:30 mountain time with another pre-show webcast, followed by the "LIVE" action feed at 8:00am sharp on the May, 25th.

The SPRING National in Albuquerque, New Mexico is always noted as one of the best BMX events of the year, and this year will not be a disappointment.

The facility, the track, the dirt, the PRO Section, the racers, and the fans all seem to come together to make this a can't miss event!

Click here for all this weekends action! - http://www.go211.com/u/springnationals08

Remember, if you can't make it out to this awesome event or you can't get to a computer this weekend and miss all of the race action.

GO211.com will have all the Main Events (plus Pro Quarters, Semis, and Motos), interviews, and shows posted on GO211.com the week following the event.

Be sure to check out www.GO211.com and www.ababmx.com for more details.

About GO211.com: Go211.com is the leading community and video site for lifestyle sports created by and for action sports athletes and enthusiasts.

It's the place to hang with the Pros and friends to get behind-the-scenes video, blogs, photos, webcasts and podcasts from featured contributors along with other action sports fans.

Go211.com offers a broad range of exclusive content submitted directly from the athletes.

The Go211 Pro Team roster includes Danny Kass, Jeremy Jones, CJ Hobgood, Christian Hosoi, Hannah Teter, Ross Powers, Donny Robinson, Alise Post, Kyle Bennett, Randy Stumpfhauser, Mike Losness, Seth Wescott and Kelly Clark, among others.

Today's BMX Racing News - Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Morphine Industries’ Riders Dominate Podium

The Florida State Championship Series came to an end this past weekend at the St. Cloud BMX Track.

The track was fast, the weather hot and humid, and the riders were eager to get down to business.

Morphine Rider Rundown:

Barry Nobles wrapped up the day capturing #1 in both the Money Series and the Plate Series for Elite Men.

Tyler Faoro finished with a #5 in the Money Series and a #6 in the Plate Series for Elite Men.

“Big Bad” Benny Wright cruised to a perfect day slamming the door shut on the 19-24 Expert State title once again. Benny was also honored with the Florida State “Rider of the Year” Award. It couldn’t go to a more deserving guy. Congrats!

Jonathan Reeves took home the #1 Plate in the 41 and Over class.

Noah Reeves stood on the podium to claim the #2 State Plate in the 11 -12 Cruiser class.

Tyler Daw ended the series with a #10 Plate in the hard bangin’ 11 Expert class.

Props go out to the riders for a great Florida State Series.

Stay tuned as these riders keep the train rollin’ as the national NBL and ABA seasons move forward. You will see these riders on the National podiums.

Morphine Industries Riders:

Tyler Daw Benny Wright Barry Nobles Noah Reeves Tyler Faoro Jonathan Reeves

RACE FORMAT FOR 2008 U.S. Olympic BMX Team Trials

Eight Competitors to Compete for Spot on 2008 U.S. Olympic Team June 14

Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 21, 2008)—USA Cycling and the United States Olympic Committee today released a detailed description of the event format that will be utilized at next month’s 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the sport of BMX.

Scheduled for Saturday, June 14 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., the U.S. Olympic Team Trials will feature eight competitors with the overall winner earning an automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.

Following the completion of the 2008 UCI BMX World Championships in Taiyuan, China on June 1, USA Cycling will announce the eight-man roster of invitees for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

At the Trials, participants will compete in a series of five races and accumulate points throughout the day in order to determine an overall winner. The following guidelines illustrate the format that will be used at the Olympic Trials to determine one men’s automatic nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team:

1. The Field: Eight (8) riders selected to the U.S. Olympic Long Team for BMX will be competing for an automatic position to the final U.S. Olympic Team. These riders will be announced on June 8.

2. Basics: The riders will compete in a total of five races – one Time Trial, three Motos and a Final. Points will be awarded to the top 3 finishers in the Time Trial, the top 4 finishers in each Moto and the top 5 finishers in the Final. The rider with the greatest number of points at the end of the event will be declared the winner and will be named to the U.S. Olympic Team.

3. Time Trial (Seeding): Riders will be seeded in the Time Trial event based upon the final standings of the 2008 USA Cycling BMX Rankings. The rider with the lowest ranking among the starters will ride first, followed by the next highest and so on. The top-ranked rider among the starters will ride last in the Time Trial.

4. Time Trial (Placing): The top 3 riders in the Time Trial will be awarded 5, 3, and 1 point (s) respectively. In the case of a tie in the top 3 riders, the riders tied will both be awarded points for that placing, although it may preclude other riders from scoring. (Example: if two riders tie for second place, they will both receive 3 points, but the next rider would be fourth and receive no points.) If there is a tie for riders outside of the top 3, the riders who tie will draw lots (or flip a coin) to determine placing.

5. Motos (Lane Choice): There will be 3 Motos. Lane choice for start positions for the first Moto will be determined by the time trial, with the rider finishing first getting lane choice, followed by the second rider in the time trial and so on. In the case of a tie in the time trial, the riders who tie will draw lots (or flip a coin) to determine position for lane choice. Choice for start position in the subsequent Motos will be determined by the current points standings. In the case of a tie in the points standings, the placing in the previous Moto will be used as a tiebreaker.

6. Motos (Placing): There will be two photo-finish cameras to determine order of finish. The top 4 riders in each Moto will be awarded 10, 7, 5 and 3 points respectively. In the case of a dead heat (tie) for a position among the top 4 riders, the riders tied will both be awarded points for that placing, although it may preclude other riders from scoring. (Example: if two riders tie for third place, they will both receive 5 points, but the next rider would be fifth and receive no points.) If there is a tie for riders outside the top 4, the riders who tie will draw lots (or flip a coin) to determine placing.

7. Final (Lane Choice): Lane choice for start position in the Final will be determined by current points standings. In the case of a tie, the placing of the previous Moto will be used as a tiebreaker. Only riders who are in contention for the win will be allowed to start the final.

8. Final (Placing): The top 5 riders in the Final will be awarded points: 15, 12, 10, 7, and 5 respectively. In the case of a dead heat (tie) for a position among the top 5 riders, the riders tied will both be awarded points for that placing.

9. Final Points Standings: The rider who finishes the event with the greatest number of points will be determined the winner. If there is a tie for first place overall, the tiebreakers will be utilized in the following order:

a. Most Victories. If still tied:

b. Most Top 3 Finishes. If still tied:

c. Order of Finish in Final. If still tied:

d. 2007-08 order of USA Cycling BMX Rankings

10. Final Team Announcement: The final 2008 U.S. Olympic BMX Team will be announced with all USA Cycling Olympic Teams on July 1, 2008.

11. Complete Selection Information: Complete information on the selection procedures for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team for BMX can be found on the USA Cycling website at the following link: http://www.usacycling.org/forms/selection/08-SOGBMX.pdf

Today's BMX Racing News - Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Urgent News For Team USA

Attention USA Riders attending the UCI BMX World Championships! - We are just a week away from one of the best races on the planet! We wanted to give you a little heads up as we prepare for the trip to China.

• Everyone needs to bring with them at least one water bottle. We will still be supplying water, but it will be much easier for keeping things neat and professional if we all have our own water bottles.

• You can bring prepackaged food (ie. Powerbars, Cliff Bars... etc.). The food situation is a lot different over there than we are used to. So come prepared!

• Bring extra tubes and any other parts you think that you may need! Parts will be very hard to come by over there.

• Plate and jersey distribution will be as normal at the USA Team meeting at the USA host hotel.

• Jeff Glynn, Jerry Bradford and myself will be the USA Challenge team coaches and Team Manager.

If you have any last minute questions send them over and I will try to get them answered as soon as possible. Please email me at bfellusatm@bellsouth.net.

Thank you! - Brian Fell/USA Challenge Team Manager

Czech BMX National Championships - Elite Men Final

1. Lukáš Tamme - Team Author ... 2. Štěpán Tumpach - Rock Machine ... 3. Michal Přibyl - Haro/Katmar ... 4. Petr Muhlhans - Mariánské Lázně
5. Jiří Holub - Team Olympus ... 6. Jan Švub - Kur Sport ... 7. Tomáš Slavík - Team GT ... 8. Radim Kvaček - Team GT

Photo by www.bmx.mysteria.cz

2008 Italian National Championships - Elite Men's Finals

1. Manuel De Vecchi (Ciclomania Racing); 2. Andrea Giovannelli (Team Creazzo); 3. Mauro Paiusco (Team Bmx Verona); 4. Norbert Marazzi (Bmx Ciclistica Olgiatese)

5. Federico Ravizzini (Team Scout); 6. Francesco Gargaglia (G.S. Testi Cicli Asd); 7. Manuel Schiavo (Team Creazzo); 8. Jacopo Giovanni Gianella (Bmx Ciclistica Olgiatese)

Pryme Factory team from the ABA Mid-America Nationals

The Pryme team had a great race weekend in Blue Springs. They just keep getting better and better.

Amy McIntyre (USAC Champ) kicked things off with two wins in mixed open. Doc sat out Saturday with a bum wing, but couldn't resist racing and taking the win on Sunday. Welcome back Joel House!! Whatever he did to win
cruiser on Sunday (and a 3rd in class) we hope he does it again at the next race.

Tiva Feltman is back and despite a birthday took two seconds in 15 girls. Kyle McArthur was the man in 10X; a second and third with good rider count went a long way towards the team sheet. Bridget Walter was all-podium all weekend long; including a season's best second in class. Kim Vanderpas finally had her own class and showed that she is one of the best; two thirds. Preston Barley, Cody McArthur, Ryan Macdonald, and Marc McArthur
all made it to some mains in the super stacked expert classes.

The team came away with two fourth places as well as two keeper scores. Look for the Pryme crew next in New Mexico.

Current NAG points look like this: Preston Barley: 12 class ... Kyle McArthur: 8 class & cruiser ... Cody McArthur: 12 class & 8 cruiser ... Joel House: 6 cruiser ... Doc Graham: 1 cruiser ... Amy McIntyre: 2 class & 7 cruiser ... Tiva Feltman: 6 class ... Bridget Walter: 9 class & 5 cruiser ... Kim Vanderpas: 7 cruiser

We are having one of our best years ever!

Thank you for your continued support, Carl Lein/Factory Pryme - www.factorybmx.com