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BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a
cycle sport Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling s ...
performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.


History

BMX began during the early 1970s in the United States when children began racing their bicycles on dirt tracks in southern California, inspired by the motocross stars of the time. The size and availability of the
Schwinn Sting-Ray The Schwinn Bicycle Company is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets bicycles under the eponymous brand name. The company was originally founded by Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1948) in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manuf ...
and other wheelie bikes made them the natural bike of choice for these races, since they were easily customized for better handling and performance. BMX racing was a phenomenon by the mid-1970s. Children were racing standard road bikes off road around purpose-built tracks in California. The motorcycle racing documentary ''
On Any Sunday ''On Any Sunday'' is a 1971 American documentary film about motorcycle sport, directed by Bruce Brown. It was nominated for a 1972 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
'' (1971) is generally credited with inspiring the movement nationally in the United States; its opening scene shows kids riding their Sting-Rays off road. By the middle of that decade, the sport achieved critical mass, and manufacturers began creating bicycles designed especially for the sport.


US timeline

In 1974, George E. Esser founded the National Bicycle League as a non-profit bicycle motocross sanctioning organization. Before they set up the NBL, Esser and his wife, Mary, sanctioned motorcycle races with the American Motocross Association (AMA). Their two sons, Greg and Brian, raced motorcycles, but also enjoyed riding and racing BMX with their friends. It was their sons' interest, and the lack of BMX organizations in the East, which prompted Esser to start the NBL in Florida. By 1977, the
American Bicycle Association The American Bicycle Association (ABA) was a US-based BMX sports governing body in Gilbert, Arizona. In 2011, the ABA merged with the former National Bicycle League and became the current USA BMX. The organization was founded by Merl Mennenga ...
(ABA) was organized as a national sanctioning body for the growing sport. Freestyle BMX is now one of the staple events at the annual
Summer X Games The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...
Extreme Sports competition and the Etnies Backyard Jam, held primarily on the East and West coasts of the United States. The popularity of the sport has increased due to its relative ease and availability of places to ride and do tricks.


UK BMX explosion

In the UK, BMX was a craze which took off in the early 1980s, specifically 1982 and 1983, when the BMX bike became the must-have bicycle for children and teenagers. Previously a small niche area, BMX exploded at this time into the dominant bicycle for the younger rider, with older teenagers and even adults becoming known names through publications like ''BMX Bi-Weekly'', featuring big names like Tim March and Andy Ruffell. The shift to freestyle from racing came in 1985 with popular styling moving from chrome frames and contrasting components in black blue or red being the norm, to brightly coloured bikes in one colour only, including their magnesium alloy wheels and even matching tyres. Because BMX exploded into Britain's streets so suddenly, it was perhaps inevitable that it would implode with similar speed, when the children who rode the bikes left school and went to work. By 1986–1987 sales in the UK had dropped off dramatically, with the new all-terrain bike or
mountain bike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
(another trend from mid-1970s California) taking off, soon to become the most popular adult bicycle. In 1980, the first BMX track in the UK was founded in
Landseer Park Landseer Park is a large open green space north of Landseer Road, in the eastern suburbs of Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It is home to the Ipswich BMX Club. National Cycle Route 51 passes through the park. It is designated a County Wildlife Site. H ...
, Ipswich, by the Ipswich BMX Club, which still provides coaching and races on a regular basis.


International development

In April 1981, the International BMX Federation was founded, and the first world championships were held in 1982. Since January 1993, BMX has been integrated into the Union Cycliste Internationale. In 2003, the International Olympic Committee made BMX a full medal Olympic sport for the
2008 Summer Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...
in Beijing,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and Māris Štrombergs (male, for
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
) and Anne-Caroline Chausson (female, for France) became the first Olympic champions. Many talented BMX riders go on to other cycling sports like
downhill Downhill may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock * ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse * ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...
, including Australian Olympian Jared Graves, Eric Carter and youth BMX racer Aaron Gwin. Multiple world and Olympic champion track sprinter
Chris Hoy Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy MBE (born 23 March 1976) is a former track cyclist and Racing driver from Scotland who represented Great Britain at the Olympic and World Championships and Scotland at the Commonwealth Games. Hoy is eleven-times a wor ...
also began as a BMX rider.


See also

* BMX bike * BMX racing * Dirt jumping * Freestyle BMX * Glossary of cycling *
List of BMX bicycle manufacturers List of BMX bicycles is a list of former and current manufacturers of BMX bicycles. BMX bicycles A * C * *Colony BMX – Australian BMX Bicycle manufacturer *Cortina Cycles is a bicycle frame manufacturer in Santa Barbara, California *CW Ra ...
* Pump track


Notes


References

*


External links

* {{Authority control Cycle sport Cycling California culture