What do Stingrays, Strombergs and elephants have in common?

With Great Britain’s Liam Phillips about to defend his UCI BMX Supercross world title, find out with five killer facts about BMX racing.

1. BMX stands for Bicycle Moto-X and began as the bicycle equivalent of motocross.

2. BMX racing was born in Palms Park, Los Angeles in the 1969, when motocross rider and park attendant Ronald Mackler met a group of children who wanted to race their Schwinn Stingrays bikes. The rest is history.

3. BMX bikes come in a huge variety of sizes. The smallest are known as ‘micro’, with 18 inch wheels, for riders from 7 and up, while the largest are 24 inch wheeled cruisers.

 

4. BMX racing first became an Olympic medal sport at Beijing in 2008, when Maris Strombergs of Latvia and Anne-Caroline Chausson of France became the first Olympic champions.

5. The start ramp of a BMX supercross track is eight metres high – that’s the height of two male African elephants!