Yeah, You! No, don't turn your head around, you dirtbag. I'm looking at you, that's right, with your saggy pants, dirty-word- (and just plain dirt-) covered T-shirt, with two pegs on your thirty-nine-pound dirt-jumpa bike. What? You got a problem? You want to settle this? You want to... race?
Sure you do. I know you sit around the trails and parks with your pals, making fun of racers, laughing at our aluminum soda-can frames, fruity-flavored neon pants, and full-face helmets... but haven't you ever wondered how you would do out there against us? I bet you have... and I also bet that you would give racing a try if you didn't think terrible things would happen. Well, guess what? They won't. In this column, we are going to turn you from dirt-jumper to all-'round BMX rider, and it will be easier than you think.
You won't see people bragging about it in Ride any time soon, but the fact is that many of today's top dirt and park riders got started in neon pants. I don't like to name names, but if you insist... Foster. LeVan. Moliterno. Lyons. Heck, even Chris Moeller raced. Some of them are still racing today, especially when they think nobody's looking.
Do you like to jump? You will like racing. If you think your local trail section is tough, try pulling for a roller and then boosting a twenty-foot double with seven other riders clustered around you. Do you like to style a bit? Nobody ever got kicked out of a race for doing a turndown.
Here's a tougher question. Do you like competition? When I was a kid, I wanted to be better and faster than any other rider in the world. Maybe you don't feel that way. It's okay - I don't feel that way anymore, either. I do, however, enjoy getting out to race with friends and foes. Win or lose, at least I got out there and tried it. And if you aren't the most competition-oriented person out there right now, maybe a few gates will show you something about yourself you didn't suspect - that you would really like to win. Weird, huh?
Okay, enough with the questions. Let's talk about what you need, both inside and out. We'll start with your bike. You know you have to take the pegs off, so go ahead and do it. If your axles are really long, you might want to use electrical tape to cover the ends. If you are running a Gyro, you might want to chat with your local track operator about it. There's nothing in the NBL or ABA rulebook which prevents Gyros, but some of the older T.O.s out there might need reminding of that fact.
You will want to borrow some pads from someone, or make your own using some foam insulation if you are really cheap, and if you are racing NBL you will need a number plate. (The ABA will give you one.) So, let's go over it again: pegs off, check on the gyro, pads and plate on.
What about your front brakes? They're legal. Your big sofa seat? No problem. Your 24" handlebars? Cool. Some tracks might want you to either run bar ends or have grips with ends on them, but really, that's about it.
But that's not the problem, is it? Your problem is inside. You're afraid that you are going to show up on your forty-pound bike with weird gearing and the neon losers are going to POUND you around the track. Well, guess what? It doesn't matter what you show up with - you are probably not going to win your first race, or the one after it, or the one after that. But look on the bright side. You have bike handling skills most new racers haven't even thought about learning. And a heavy bike is stable over the jumps. I think you will be fine...
...and I have put my money where my mouth is. Last year I raced several local events on my thirty-seven-pound MOSH Bagley Four Star with U-brakes, and I don't think it hurt me at all. In fact, I can recall one bad landing which I think was much easier to deal with thanks to my Bagley's additional stability.
Your bike will be fine. What about you? Well, like anyone else, you will need long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, decent shoes, and a helmet. NBL riders need either a full-face helmet or a snap-on mouthguard; ABA racers can and do use Pro-Tecs and TSG-style open-face helmets. Speaking personally, I like to have a full-face helmet when I race but I have done a lot of races in Pro-Tecs.
You will also need about forty bucks, give or take a couple, to get started, and you will need a copy of your birth certificate on your first race day. If you're under 18, bring a parent or guardian.
The rest of my usual advice to new riders applies. Don't be too nervous or scared. After a while, you will feel right at home. Don't be afraid to talk to riders, even if they are in neon pants. If they see you are sincere and not just there to make fun of them, chances are you will make some useful friends.
I don't think you will ever forget your first race. Racing is a world apart from trail-jumping, skatepark riding, or even practicing at a racetrack. It's a state of mental oblivion where you focus on one thing: going as fast as you can. Like ordering extra butter on your filet at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, it's so wonderfully addicting that a lot of people never quit doing it no matter what their friends, family, or physicians tell them. There's nothing like going full-bore against someone for forty-five seconds and then shaking their hand when you are done.
Plus, this isn't some school sport where a muscle-bound old man in too-short shorts is screaming at you to "do it for the team." There isn't any team. You are the team. Do it for yourself. Do it because you want to see if you have what it takes to compete and, eventually, to win. Don't worry, you're not going to get all weird and quit riding trails or park... but when you do ride those places, the skills you learn in one place will make you better in the others. Maybe someday you will decide to get a "race bike", but don't wait to race until you get your race bike. Try being a racer first, on the bike you have, and see if you are interested enough to buy a race bike. I have spoken to many, many riders at skateparks who tell me they will "get around" to racing. "Get around" to it? This isn't brain surgery! Pegs: off. Pads and plate: on. Get out there and give it a shot. Good things are going to happen. And when you've crossed the finish line for the last time of the day, go home and let me know you did it. I guess I'll see you around the park... and the track... and the trails... but not at my favorite steakhouse. Don't bother me while I'm eating!