Kids Still Like to Spin in Dirt : In the ‘80s it was all the rage to execute spectacular leaps around an S-shaped track. Now adult mountain bikers are adding to the sport’s resurgence.
Bicycling in the dirt can be fun--a fact that kids knew long before adults discovered mountain biking a few years ago.
It all started with the introduction of the low-slung Schwinn Sting-Ray in the ‘60s, which added curb-jumping and wheelies to a youngster’s repertory of biking skills. Soon they were zooming along dirt trails and building jumps, and by the late ‘70s, the sport of BMX was born.
In BMX, kids emulated their motocross heroes on human-powered machines (BMX stands for bicycle motocross), spraying dirt and executing spectacular leaps around an S-shaped dirt track. The boom in BMX lasted through about 1988 before hitting a bit of a slump, but appears to be ready for another growth spell.
“Right now, we’re in the midst of another surge,” said Dan Hubbard, head of the Orange-based Vans Bicycle Stunt Team, which demonstrates BMX skills at schools and festivals across the country. To Hubbard, it’s no surprise that many of the top professional mountain bikers today, particularly downhill specialists, are former BMX riders.
Although BMX is primarily a sprint sport, the bike-handling skills translate well to mountain biking, giving experienced BMX riders an edge. “Basically, what mountain biking is to me is grown-up BMX,” Hubbard said.
Actually, more than a few grown-ups opt for BMX over mountain biking. Most of the top pros are 23 to 29 years old, Hubbard said, although BMX manufacturers sponsor riders as young as 7 in national competition.
At the Orange YMCA BMX track, there is a cruiser division for riders 45 and older.
The track in Orange is the most popular sanctioned BMX facility in the country, in terms of sign-ups, according to track director Ray Rohm. Races are held at the facility three nights a week. Because Southern California is a hotbed of BMX racing, the track can attract some of the best riders in the country on a Friday or Sunday night if there are no national competitions on the schedule.
Some of those riders grew up on the Orange track, including Larry Cambra, who last year won an international championship for 11-year-olds in Salvador, Brazil. Some of the young riders are better-traveled than most adults.
On a recent Wednesday night, as young riders powered their way around the snaking track, Orange resident Terry Ruddy talked about his son, Sean, who has been traveling the national circuit since he was 7. Now 10, Sean will travel in the coming weeks to Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Toledo, Eugene, Santa Clara, and Tennessee.
While Sean’s sponsor, a division of bicycle manufacturer GT, provides him with entry fees and bicycles, the family pays travel expenses, which Ruddy estimated at $8,000 to $10,000 annually.
Only a few riders go on to the national level, however. “There’s plenty of fun to be had if you want to stay local,” Ruddy said.
At the thrice-weekly Orange races, riders are divided into age and skill classes, and ride against each other in three qualifying “motos” before the finalists meet in the main event. Up to eight riders race at a time.
In addition to competing for trophies at each race, the riders accumulate points throughout the year. The better the performance over the long haul, the lower the number plate awarded to the rider, with the No. 1 plate reserved for the top cyclist.
Rohm announces the races from atop a wooden observation tower at the track, naming riders and their position as they negotiate the hairpin turns and jumps. Good riders can make spectacular leaps, but during a race it’s best to keep the back wheel on the ground as much as possible, to keep the pedaling power going.
The races involve strategy as well as speed. While spills are common, serious injuries are rare, although there is an occasional broken wrist or collarbone, Rohm said. Riders wear full, motorcycle-style helmets, long pants and long-sleeve shirts.
BMX racing bikes range from about $250 for an average model to as much as $1,000 for elite racers. Track membership at Orange is $35, with an additional $8 fee for each race (a one-month, $5 trial membership is available for first-time members).
In the ‘80s BMX heyday, some offshoots of the sport evolved. In flatland freestyle, riders negotiate spins, handstands and other acrobatic maneuvers on a specially-designed bicycle.
Riders take flight in half-pipe and quarter-pipe riding, sailing as much as 11 feet over the top of an eight-foot vertical ramp. The jumps can include mid-air spins and other stunts.
Hubbard started with curb-jumping and slowly graduated to more and more skilled riding and racing. Now 23, he put the Vans team together four years ago.
One of his goals is to encourage kids to consider BMX or other physical activities as “healthy alternatives to alcohol and drug abuse,” Hubbard said.
“We want to take what we had learned (as cyclists) and present it as a positive activity to kids.”
* For information on Orange YMCA BMX, call (714) 738-7195. The track is at 2241 E. Palmyra Ave. in Orange.
