BMX Olympic Coverage

by Softie on Aug 22, 2008 8:37 AM EDT Comment 7 comments

So NBC aired, or re-aired, the BMX (supercross?) finals last night. For those who didn't see it, Latvia and France won gold, and crashes occured early and often.

The big question on everyone's mind, including Chris Hoy's, is whether adding BMX was worth cutting the 500m and kilo time trials from track. That was controversial because it apparently makes it much less interesting to be a female sprinter, due to a lack of events. (And no Tammy Thomas comments allowed, folks.)

What is the opinion of the cafe on BMX afterwards? Is it a sport worthy of a medal ceremony? Or is it, like chess or ballroom dancing, best performed without laurels, ribbons, and Bob Costas?

Poll

Would you rather watch the kilo/half-kilo or BMX at the Olympics?

BMX---cool!

6 votes

Kilo/Half-kilo---taking it away was unfair to the trackies

11 votes

Neither---cycling should be road and MTB only

1 votes

Don't care---events that short aren't really cycling to me

2 votes

20 votes | Poll has closed

1 recs | Comment 7 comments

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Comments

in my hometown i have a bmx track

and also gave me some falls a few years ago :)

About BMX, i think they have to do at least 2 a 3 lap.

I saw only the semi-finals, because i hadn’t pacience to saw the finals.
For what i saw, the decisive moment is the start. The first rider in the first turn, i think never lost his position?!! And only the crashs and one or two overcome happen to change the places , the rest is about the start? With 2 or 3 laps will be more changes positions and some more exciting. Basicly who have more body or sprint (for the beggining) win, the rest is try hold the place.

by semprenaroda on Aug 22, 2008 9:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Having never seen BMX racing before, I was

curious, open-minded, even, and then decidedly underimpressed. IMHO, it’s not cycling, and it was unfair to the trackies.

by Ruthann on Aug 22, 2008 10:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

BMX was cool! but..

pulling the kil.half kilo was unfair. Still was fun to watch the pageantry of BMX even if the first guy into the turn won almost every race. Now a couple times 2nd and 3rd changed after the first turn. The whole first into the corner = first on the podium didn’t sit well with me, but watching those bikes fly and and bounce was a blast.

Just spinning the pedals in the hills of Western Maryland

by natbla on Aug 22, 2008 12:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

BMX plays an important developmental role

in the US and apparently in other non-traditional biking cultures. Witness Robbie… More so than the kilo and 1/2 kilo, I’d say. Does this make them worth y to replace those races… I don’t know.

I do know that my son, who has raced BMX (and who has won more races in his 9 years than I have in 45) was absolutely fired up to see BMX in the Olympics. In fact, BMX is the ONLY event he has really even paid any attention to at the games. I’m sure the 1/2 kilo would not elicit such a response from what is someone with a future stake in the sport.

"I won! I won! I don't have to go to school anymore." -- Eddy Merckx, after winning his first bike race

by ELVISGOAT on Aug 22, 2008 5:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Great Point

It is a feeder into mainstream cycling as we know it. I race with lots of people who got their start racing BMX bikes and wanted to continue racing. I really enjoyed getting to watch it at an olympic level but would have liked to see the kilo remain in as well.

by australopithecine on Aug 22, 2008 8:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It was my start in cycling

In the late 70s and early 80s, a bmx bike was about the only ride a kid could find. Whats not to like: pure speed, crashes, and nerves of steel. I don’t get the anti-bmx snobs… cycling is big and beautiful enough to embrace it all.

"Race radios in Cat 4?"

by gravel road on Aug 22, 2008 9:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think BMX needs to be in the Oly's but . . . .

. . . . it is real bike racing, and it is interesting to see, but it requires another venue and that adds a lot of extra cost to the games. Besides, who said every sport needs to be an Olympic event, as if it is not a real sport unless it is in the Olympics?

I would rather have the Ominium added to the track then BMX.
I think that would have really been great to watch and I feel it would have really shown a new dimension to things.
Note: The Omnium consists of the following disciplines:

A 200m flying start time trial (what the sprinters do to qualify for their heats, but times and points will be recorded).
A 5km scratch race (or the number of laps closest to 5km).
A 3km individual pursuit with the riders seeded on how they finished in the scratch race.
A 15km points race with a minimum of five intermediate and the sixth final sprint.
A 1km time trial (In the Omnium, the riders ride off in pairs, pursuit-style).
- info via Wiki

by Ryan_Liles on Aug 23, 2008 2:18 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs