For the Abbotsford BMX Club, it’s hard to fathom how massive the next month will be.
This weekend, the track at Exhibition Park will play host to the Canadian BMX Championships, an event would mark the peak of the local season any other year.
But it’s the UCI World Cup supercross two weeks later (Sept. 14-15) which represents the true highlight. That event is expected to feature male and female riders from more than 30 countries – many of whom will have competed at the London Summer Olympics.
“It’s kind of amazing to think that a national championship is almost anticlimactic,” Abbotsford BMX president Steve Baxter marveled with a chuckle.
“We’re a little overwhelmed, I think, but we have a lot of good help and support. The city has been fantastic, the parks department has been amazing, and the support from Cycling BC is really driving things ahead and put us where we are as far as the facility goes.”
For this weekend’s national championship, the field will feature roughly 250 athletes from across Canada.
Registration and practice are on Thursday, and the competition runs Friday through Sunday. For detailed schedule information, visit cyclingbc.net.
“Because it’s shouldering off of the World Cup, it’s going to be a great event,” Baxter noted. “We’ve already got trailers on-site for the World Cup, and we’ll have that available to make the Canadian championships that much better.
“We already had the biggest practice of our season (on Monday). There was one kid from California practicing for the World Cup, and there were athletes from Quebec and Alberta here already for nationals.”