To some people, using a bicycle is merely a method of getting from point A to point B. For a certain subset of riders, however, bicycles are all about reaching new heights of speed and agility. It was riders like these that created the sport of BMX, and their thrill-seeking counterparts continue to drive the sport's popularity in 2010.
Origins
The term BMX comes from the term "bicycle motocross." In the late 1960s and early 1970s, bicycle enthusiasts tested the limits of new bike designs by racing them on dirt motorcycle tracks. At first, park owners simply allowed the BMXers to race on existing tracks between motocross events, but the popularity of these races quickly outstripped the capacity of these borrowed venues. Promoters then began to construct dedicated BMX tracks, which were shorter than motocross tracks to compensate for the lack of engines.
History
BMX graduated from a hobby to an actual sport in the mid-1970s. In 1973, a motocross promoter named Ernie Alexander founded the National Bicycle Association, the first sanctioning body of BMX racing. In July of 1974, Yamaha put up $100,000 for a racing series to promote their new line of bikes, and the NBA held the sport's first national event in the following year. Other competing organizations sprang up to take advantage of BMX's popularity, and they oversee thousands of racers participating in events throughout the country in 2010.
BMX Bikes
The precursor to the BMX bike was the Schwinn Sting-Ray, a popular model introduced in 1963. As the sport grew, manufacturers began creating bikes specifically designed for BMX racing. BMX bike frames became lighter and sturdier to take the stress of repeated jumps (and the occasional crash). High "ape hanger" handlebars gave way to a sturdy, flatter "Y-shaped" design, and manufacturers added more spokes to the wheels to increase their strength and make them less likely to collapse on hard landings.
Extreme BMX
As time went by, BMX riders took advantage of the agility offered by newer bicycle designs and began to look beyond the race course. Performing aerial tricks during or after races to show off for the crowds was commonplace, but the growth of "extreme" sports shifted the focus away from BMX racing and towards trick events. BMX bikes became a common sight on half-pipes and in empty swimming pools, and extreme sport competitions like the X Games began hosting many different types of BMX trick events.
Olympics
In 2003, the International Olympic Committee voted to include the sport of BMX in the Olympic Games, beginning with the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The inaugural event took the sport back to its roots, with racers competing on a dirt track. Despite the sport's American origin, the first gold medals went to Latvia and France, with the United States taking silver and bronze medals in the two races.
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