Putting Mettle to the Pedal

VENTURA — It’s been one week since a new BMX track opened in Ventura, and it’s already had a tremendous effect on the youngsters who hang out at Ray’s Bicycle Shop.

“More than half of these kids have not been out on a track before. Now they can’t wait to get over there,” said Ray Schultz, owner of the shop on East Telephone Road. “Now that the track is open, they can’t get enough. They crash and they get bruised, and they get out there and do it again.”

They endure the pain and the bruises and the scrapes because they want in on a sport that is growing more popular every day. New tracks are springing up across the country, and more and more teenagers are begging their parents for the bikes, clothing and accessories that go with it. Many adults are also joining in the craze.

The American Bicycle Assn., the largest BMX-sanctioning body in the U.S., has a membership of more than 60,000, and officials say there is no indication that the number of people involved in BMX racing will do anything but increase.

The Ventura BMX is located on a quarter-acre of federal government property at the National Guard armory on Arundell Avenue. It opened May 17 with a clinic on safe riding, put on by SE Racing, a bicycle and accessories manufacturer. About 30 riders age 6 and up watched three SE pros demonstrate the do’s and don’ts of BMX racing.

Among them were boys like 12-year-old Mike Eubanks of Ventura, who said the best part of BMX is the competition.

“If I wasn’t doing BMX, I would just be riding my bike on the street. I like BMX racing a lot,” he said.

Bicycle motocross, or BMX, is a pedal-power version of arena-style motorcycle racing. The similarities of the two sports are numerous: Both use dirt tracks; jumps and banked turns ensure an exciting race for participant and spectator; and racers compete in qualifying heats or “motos” as they advance to the main event and a shot at the championship trophy.

Attitude makes for a great show--crossing the finish line is one thing; crossing the finish line in the air, one hand off the handlebars flashing a No. 1 sign is entirely another.

California is likely the birthplace of the sport. With 36 tracks from Eureka to San Diego, the state leads the nation in BMX raceways, according to the American Bicycle Assn.

Ventura BMX raceway is the second in Ventura County. The other, Sycamore BMX Raceway in Simi Valley, has been open since 1982. Both are operated by nonprofit corporations.

The Ventura track is a dream come true for 45-year-old Rob Wyse, owner of Rob’s Bikes in Ventura. Wyse and his wife, Barbara, have a yearlong lease with the National Guard, but it will not cost them any money. Instead, they will pay their way through a series of cleanup and weed abatement projects at the armory.

Planning and design of the track took about two months, then after a week of construction and several tons of sand, it was ready to open. The riders say the Wyses did a good job.

“I like the track a lot,” said 11-year-old Kory Hofmeister of Ojai. “It’s got a lot of jumps I can do. And it’s a lot closer to my home.”

Parents of riders also have praise for the work the Wyses have done.

“This is a very much appreciated track and a very much needed track,” said 36-year-old Stacy Mattox of Ventura, who brought her son, Allen, 11, to see the opening day.

Bike shop owner Schultz, a former Olympic cyclist who now races BMX, said the track is getting better each day.

“Compared to Santa Barbara and Simi, it’s way up there, it’s way up there. And that’s what’s going to keep people coming,” he said.

“Some of these kids have been practicing for a year, and now they can do it in a legal way, and a safer way. This is great for them.”

The west end of Ventura County has not had a BMX track in 10 years, since the closing of a track in Saticoy. About the same time, Sycamore BMX Raceway opened, and there has been a track in Santa Barbara for five years.

Joan Nigro, 43, and her husband Anthony, 42, took over operation of the Sycamore BMX Raceway in 1995. Located at the Rancho Simi Parks and Recreation Department headquarters on Sycamore Drive, the track hosts 22 races, attracting more than 100 riders each week, and the number of people taking up the sport just keeps growing, according to Joan Nigro, the bookkeeper. When he’s not at the track, Anthony Nigro works as a plumber.

As track operators, they could not be having more fun, Since taking over the raceway, both have taken up racing.

“We wish we would have done this 20 years ago. It is great,” she said.

Talk to parents of BMX racers and one thing all seem to have in common is a sense of family.

“My kids have met such a diverse group of people, and have made hundreds of new friends,” said Van Larimore, of Ventura, whose daughter and two sons all race BMX.

Larimore said he likes that his children are part of a sport in which the individual is responsible for his or her own success.

“Football and baseball are team sports, and it takes the whole team to win, which is OK. But my kids are at that level where they have to do it on their own,” he said.

His 10-year-old daughter, Allissa, said BMX racing, besides being fun, keeps kids off the street.

“It keeps people from doing bad things . . . things they’re not supposed to do,” she said.

To enter American Bicycle Assn. tracks, riders must join the ABA. A 30-day membership is $15 and an annual membership runs $35. Members may ride any ABA-sanctioned track in the country. Admission on practice days is about $3, race days is about $8.

Bicycles range in price from $200 to the thousands.

Riders risk injury, but their chance of getting injured depends on their skill and how aggressively they ride, said Joan Nigro.

Officials from MedTrans/AMR Ambulance in Thousand Oaks said they have responded to the track once in last three months, when a rider fell and sustained a minor head injury.

Nigro’s daughter, Courtney, said the track brings in emergency medical technicians for the bigger events. At a recent “Ride for Life” benefit, two EMT’s were standing by to provide treatment, she said. They were not needed that day.

At minimum, racers are required to wear a helmet, long pants, long-sleeved shirt and tennis shoes. They also must have padding on the bike. Body armor such as shin and elbow guards is optional, and goggles are recommended on windy days.

Racers don’t compete for money at the local level, but once they begin riding in any of the 24 national professional competitions, the only thing standing in the way of a cash purse is ability. Some BMX racers earn more than $80,000 annually, including purse money and sponsorships.

One of the more successful racers is 22-year-old Travis Turesson, of Brisbane, Australia. He was one of three SE pros conducting the opening-day clinic at Ventura BMX.

“I want to be the best in the world,” Turesson said between runs. “I’m chasing my dream.”

While most of the BMX riders are young, there are races for everyone. As long as you can stay up on a bike and don’t need training wheels, there is a division for you.

At 32, Tony Appel, of Ventura, was the oldest rider to participate in the opening day clinic at Ventura BMX.

His bike is called the O.M. Flyer. Appel, an inspector for a local pest-control company, swears the initials stand for “Old Man.”

Appel and his “cruiser”-style bicycle dwarf many of the younger riders, the majority of them riding much smaller bikes. His appearance is sedate compared to the younger riders with bleached or green hair, or even bleached with green polka dots.

Resting between laps, the “old man,” who only recently joined the growing number of BMX riders worldwide, said he came to the raceway for one reason: to have fun.

“I’m just a big kid,” Appel said, sweat beads on his brow. “This is my first time on a track. My friends are all doing it, so I figured I should try it.”

As the day went on, Appel and the others learned how to take corners and fly over triple jumps with ease. He was feeling pretty good by late afternoon.

“I think I’m getting better. But I was so bad to begin with, there was a lot of room for improvement,” he said.

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Local BMX Racing

* Ventura BMX, 1270 Arundell Ave., Ventura. (805) 643-3BMX. Practice: Monday and Thursday, 3:30 to 7 p.m. Admission: $4. Racing: Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission: $8.

* Sycamore BMX Raceway, 1692 Sycamore Drive, Simi Valley. (805) 581-BMX2. Practice: Wednesday 5 to 8 p.m. Admission: $3. Racing sign-ups: Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., races begin ASAP; Sunday, 11 a.m. to noon, racing begins ASAP. Admission: $8.

* All riders must be members of the American Bicycle Assn. Fess can be paid at raceways; $15 for one month, $35 annually.