BMX
Worlds Legacy Track Unveiled in Victoria, BC
The official track for the 2007 UCI BMX World Championships
received rave reviews from the Canadian National BMX team
today. Six of Canada’s top BMX riders were the first
to hit the track at today’s unveiling ceremony at the
Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre.
“We’re excited to have the track open,” said
David Richardson, President of the Victoria BMX 2007
World Championships Society. “Feedback on the track
has been fantastic,” said Richardson. “It’s
a great facility that will allow us to send a strong BMX
contingent to the Olympics in 2008.”
Victoria will host the 2007 UCI BMX World Championship,
the last world-class event before the BMX sport makes its
debut at the 2008 Olympics. Over 2500 athletes from 40 nations
will compete at the UCI BMX World Championships July 26-29,
2007. The development and unveiling of a world-class track
in Victoria is a great opportunity for Victoria and the
Canadian athletes. The event will showcase both Victoria
and the sport of BMX and will potentially generate $16 million
in direct and indirect economic activity.
According to Samantha Cools, five-time UCI BMX World
champion, the new track is world class and will be a good
learning tool for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. “It’s
hard and challenging, but it’s going to be fun,”
said Cools.
Riding the track today was a bit nerve racking, said Christine
Miller. “It’s a hard track, but we need to
step up and prove that we’re World’s material.”
Miller, 19, is confident about the upcoming World Championships
because the Canadian team has a home track advantage. “It’s
pretty cool. This is our track for training for the Worlds.”
Tanya Dubnicoff, Canada’s national BMX coach,
said riding the track today gave the team a huge advantage.
“There’s not enough money in the world that could
give the team this kind of advantage,” she said. Pre-riding
the track mentally prepares the team and allows them to
get their bearings. The team will take advantage of the
track by training on it every other week.
Overall the team was impressed with the layout and quality
of the track. It’s smooth, fairly large and has nice
short jumps. Although construction of the track began in
October and recommenced two months ago after a wet winter
delay, the design has been in the works for almost two years,
said Daryll Michell, the track’s contractor
and a previous BMX World participant. The track consists
of 5000 yards of material and 200 tons of asphalt.
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