PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 

Renthal V2 MOTO BMX Handlebar …

Follow Renthal on Instagram | Website

Renthal V2 MOTO BMX Handlebar …

Follow Renthal on Instagram | Website

The legendary modular Renthal handlebars are back with a long-awaited update … the ‘V2 MOTO’, for all intents and purposes, look like the iconic Renthal bars from the time of Liam Phillips, but the update brings them into the realm of current day BMX.

Visually the bars have a more modern feel with the new graphics and colour scheme, but it’s the new geometry that will attract most attention.

The previous incarnation had a massive back sweep of 12 degrees, while the ‘V2 MOTO’ has much straighter geometry of 6 degrees. With this simple change we expect to see a lot more of these bars on the gate going forward.

The bars are constructed from high strength ‘7 Series aluminium’, weighing in at a featherweight 611g for the 7.5” rise version. There is also an 8.25” rise option weighting in at 639g, while the cruiser bars with a rise of 5.5” tip the scales at only 566g. Both shorter options have a width of 710mm while the 8.25” rise has a width of 730mm. All three versions have a 2 degree up-sweep. The ‘V2 MOTO’ bars have an anodised, corrosion resistant finish with the central set-up grid graphic now a permanent pad print, leaving the anodised layer intact.

Find out more on the new Renthal V2 Moto Bars on their site HERE.

Subscribe to Fifteen >> HERE

Advertise on Fifteen BMX >> advertise@15.ie

Alans BMX Grand Prix Invitational presented by Supercross BMX

Co-sponsored by Alans BMX | PWR Motors | Junction 4 Sports Village

Written by Alans BMX

Photo’s by Adam Livesey (Track) | Fans (Freestyle)

Alans BMX Grand Prix Invitational presented by Supercross BMX

Co-sponsored by Alans BMX | PWR Motors | Junction 4 Sports Village

Written by Alans BMX

Photo’s by Adam Livesey (Track) | Fans (Freestyle)

Last weekend Alans BMX partnered up with Preston Pirates for something completely new, a Pro/Am invitational race with a difference! 16 of the finest and fastest men and women from all over the UK, were invited down for a format they aren’t used to – a four final Grand Prix. The top-secret reasoning behind this was that Alans BMX are making a film, being in the business for 45 years they wanted to shoot scenes to replicate where we started with BMX back in 1981 versus where we are now. This event would show just how fast the riders are today in both male and female categories, and they didn’t disappoint. 

Alans BMX race team manager, John Bentley, sent out the invites and attempted to carefully balance the in-form riders from the recent National Series and from some of the BC riders too. Unfortunately, at the eleventh-hour, British Olympians Ross Cullen and Kye Whyte had to pull out due so as not to risk injury ahead of flying to China this week in a bid to gain key Olympic qualifying points. Despite this, it was nice to see both riders attending the event to show their support – with Ross even serving coffee to the spectators at his local track and Kye making himself available to chat to the hordes of kids wanting selfies with the Prince of Peckham. The males were chosen from a mix of National Categories like the current Superclass No. 1, George Hunt, and the 19-29 No. 1, Tyreese Bradshaw (Benters’ tip to pull Ross down the first straight). Also in the mix, consistent annual world plate holder Brynley Savage, Theo Perterkin from Peckham and also a few local legends like recently crowned British Champ Cal Strickland and multi title winner Alex Brookes.  Alex is never afraid to throw in a berm move! Jared Hill made the trip up from East Anglia despite being on his way back from injury and rounding out the field was wildcard entry, Ross Sharp. Ross was on the cusp of success around 10 years ago and fancied a little comeback ride.

For the ladies it was a little easier, Benters reached out to multi world champion Bethany Shriever, and she rallied round the girls herself, bringing fellow BC riders along. The line up looked mega for the ladies: Emily Hutt, Sienna Harvey, Lily Chiziwa, Emie Seward, Megan Gerrard, Betsy Bax, Megan Roy and of course Bethany herself.

Onto The Racing …

THE LADIES!

With the new Grand Prix format and Sqorz doing the random gate picks, the riders had to be prepared to get tactical. They were all going to get outside gates at some point, and the ladies were up first. As expected, Beth blasted her way out of the gate and into the lead, but we all know that the Preston track is a great leveler. Hard on Beth’s heels were the rest of the pack. A notable rider showing real promise, was Sienna Harvey; she wasn’t afraid to knuckle in and get aggressive going into the turns. No way was she pulling back, and this was rewarded in finals one and two with superb 2nd places in the opening finals. Sienna ended up 5th when riding from gate 8 in final three but fought back in final four to 3rd, rounding the day off on the podium in 2nd place. Emily Hutt was showing real promise in what is quickly becoming her trademark – riding through the pack for good podium finishes. Emily is still on the recovery trail back to full fitness but certainly didn’t disappoint.

She wasn’t afraid, consistent all day and had two 3rd places, a 2nd and a 4th – just missing out on 2nd place overall on count back. Unfortunately, we had transponder issues with Bethany and Betsy, and times were not recorded for them, but the places were kept correct with Betsy coming home just off the podium in 4th with some major promise – particularly in final four finishing 2nd. Next up were the challengers for the future. I was blown away by the sheer speed of Emie Seward and Megan Roy, times do not lie and they were both right on it. Rounding out the places were both Lily Chiziwa and Megan Gerrard who certainly did not get left behind and were both right on the pack – proving that female racing is right where it needs to be in the UK, it’s fast, competitive and aggressive. All the girls certainly put themselves in the frame for what we were trying to achieve with the film, no more so than our queen of BMX, Bethany … long may she rule! Four outstanding wins, she wasn’t just consistently rapid, she’s inspiring, and just a pleasure to be around. If you’re involved in BMX right now take note of how blessed you are to be riding in the same era as Bethany Shriever, only one word can sum her up ‘class’.

THE BOYS!

As we said with the boys, a late pull out from local Coffee boy Ross Cullen left the field wide open for victory. Some points to prove from riders who may or may not have messed up their gate at the recent Brits Event in Manchester! Of course this was Tyreese Bradshaw, the powerhouse from the midlands who was secretly still seething from the Brits, where local Preston legend, Cal Strickland, took the title. Final one gate dropped and although it looked like Brynley Savage got the drop on the field, Tyreese just turned up the afterburners and blasted his way around the track to finish first. George Hunt was doing what he does best; he rides aggressively and is always ready to pop a move in when it matters. It certainly wasn’t a case of ‘follow the leader’ and George epitomises that quote; he made moves all day and finished consistently on the podium with two 2nds and two 3rds to take overall 2nd on the day. Brynley Savage will rue final 3 where he backed off and rested the lap to finish 8th. Up until then he had had a 3rd and a 1st – but by his own admission he hadn’t rode his bike since the world championships in Australia and his fitness was lacking. He was feeling the burn, but he regrouped for the final run and finished 3rd, placing him in the money for the day and in a position to buy Beth her evening meal. Fourth place went to local legend Cal Strickland, still proving that age doesn’t matter. He showed he deserved his Brits glory, despite being in an age category that he should really be well out of. To finish 5th place was amazing and he completely justified his inclusion – being able to flick a switch when it matters and even managing a great move in final 3 to swoop two riders in the 2nd berm to grab second place. 5th overall and a big thumbs up from dad watching goes to Ross Sharp. Get the bike out for 2027 Ross; you’re way too fast to just disappear. 6th place overall went to Jared Hill. Jared took a spill in final 4 or else we think he would have been right up there. The Hill family and Alans BMX go way back, so it was a proud moment to see Jared battling it out as a GB rider at this event. Theo Peterkin, one of my ‘ones to watch’ riders – I don’t know what they put in the water down there in Peckham, but I want a couple of bottles of Peckham Spring Water. I messaged Theo about the event, and he immediately sorted himself a return train to Preston. He just blew me away with his effort and consistency. It was so good to have someone representing London and his dedication was brilliant, what a rider, he never gave up and its notable that in final 4 he stuck in a 29 second lap! Amazing Theo.  

Last and by no means least, was Alex Brookes. Alex took a bit of a knock to the head in final 2 whilst pushing himself right into the mix in true Brookes style – it was bad enough for the medic on duty to stop filming for a sec and say, “do you need me”. Seriously though, props to Alex for continuing through – although the lap times were showing he took the foot off the gas for the final couple of races. Finally, a big congratulations to Tyreese Bradshaw who brought his ‘A’ game to the event. Although he had a wobble in final 2, finishing 4th, he powered through from gate 8 in final 3 to finish 1st. He grabbed the win again in final 4 to take the top step, and the £500 prize money from Bill Ryan at Supercross BMX. Tyreese was on it and even had Ross Cullen worried about his lap record, although I do need to explain to Ross that weather conditions on the day make lap records outdoor difficult to achieve accuracy.

I’d like to invite Tyreese up on a dry summer evening next year to put that to the test. Well done to Tyreese and all the riders attending the event, it was amazing.

SIDEHACKS!

Making a very special appearance we have a few gate of sidecar crews who travel all the way from the North East, again at short notice and they put on fierce display with one final being a dead heat photo finish. What a spectacle! Even Beth Shriever couldn’t help having go later.

80’S FREESTYLE DEMO!

To cap it all off, for a scene in the film, just like in the old days we had a retro freestyle demo set up on the finish straight starring the amazing Tom Justice, Tom Russell and Harry Gorman (joined by Tom’s 7-year-old son Jesse and 9-year-old Vitor Owens). Most BMX racers have never seen the likes of this, particularly not on a 1980’s BMX Action Trick Team 5-foot-wide quarter pipe and trick ramp. In fact, I don’t think the guys themselves have ever ridden anything like that before, so to see the BMX race community stand open mouthed watching these guys pull tricks out the bag was unbelievable! Bob Haro himself would have been speechless. It just goes to show it’s so important to pull these BMX disciplines together going forwards – to inspire the future generations that yes, it’s okay to have a full-on carbon race bike, but also nothing wrong with buying a nice park bike and mix it up and vice versa. Massive thanks to Neil Stewart for the MC duties and to Preston Pirates for allowing us to put the event on and to all of the PP volunteers that helped on the day. Ideas are flooding in about more of this type of thing to bring back the fun into BMX and put on a show. #BMXforever

RESULTS!

Women: HERE

Men: HERE

 Subscribe to Fifteen >> HERE

Advertise on Fifteen BMX >> advertise@15.ie

“It was a fun experience and I fully enjoyed myself. It was great to get involved with the BMX community and showcase some fast and interesting racing! Great vibes and great atmosphere ”
-Bethany Shriever
Olympic Gold Medalist, Toyko 2020 and World champion 2026, 2025, 2023, 2021

“It was a sick event, racing was fast paced and super close on a tight track. Having only short breaks throughout made it a super entertaining show.”
– George Hunt
UK Superclass #1 2026

“I absolutely loved the event — the race format was brilliant and made for some really exciting racing. I’d definitely love to see more events like this in the future!”
– Sienna Harvey
GB Olympic Development Rider

“It’s not often we get a chance to race in a format away from the norm. The event was a breath of fresh air with great prize money on the line too! I hope there’s more of the same next year.”
– Cal Strickland
Current Word plate holder, 2022 Masters World champion

“Absolute class event. Bringing the best out of BMX. Both great to compete and spectate”
– Tyreese Bradshaw
World #4 and current UK 17-29 #1

“Great event, enjoyed the racing definitely one of my favourite races of the year! Need more events like this!”
– Brynley Savage
Consistent World plate holder, current W5

“What an event! With almost no time to plan, I could not be prouder of what we achieved together. From the minute I caught wind of Alans idea, I was all in. I’d like to say a huge thanks to Alans BMX for trusting us to host their crazy idea, and an even bigger thanks to the incredible volunteers at Preston Pirates. The event could not have gone ahead without such incredible people as members of our club. The riders spoke for themselves on the day, the talent on our gate was world class, and I’m really proud to have had multiple Preston Pirates members up there battling with the best of the best. I’m not sure I have much to say about the sidehack racing… I’m still having terrifying flashbacks to barrelling out of the third berm with world number 7 James Cottrell as my co-pilot, heading straight for the grass no-mans land between the third and fourth straight, while hanging on for dear life to a bike that was definitely more hacked than side!”

– Romney Whybrow-Parker
Club Chairman, Preston Pirates BMX Club

“With only a month to put this together as part of the film we are making, Preston Pirates were absolutely amazing to work with and I must thank the riders who made a commitment at such short notice and at the end of a grilling season. So many people to thank in addition to the above… Dave Arnold who made the ramps and worked with me on the film, Benters and Leanne for everything, Sam Davies-Bate for transporting the ramps – and everyone who came!”
– Alan Woods
Alans BMX
UK BMX National #1 1981

Considering it was put together as a unique filming opportunity for the film, it ended up being a fantastic event inc it’s own right.
– David Arnold
Film Co-producer

Contacts:

 Alans BMX

01942 826598
www.alansbmx.com

sales@alansbmx.com

Preston BMX Club

www.prestonpiratesbmxclub.com
prestonpirates@outlook.com

Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifiers & World Youth Challenge | Sweden 2026

Text: Frida Berglund / Velosolutions Scandinavia 

Photos: Jan Szerling 

Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifiers & World Youth Challenge | Sweden 2026

Text: Frida Berglund / Velosolutions Scandinavia 

Photos: Jan Szerling 

What an intense weekend it was in Marma,Sweden! With the Pump Track World Youth Challenge and the Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier on Saturday, followed by Round 5 of the Scandinavian Pump Track Series on Sunday, Marma became the centre of the pump track world for an action-packed weekend.

Over 260 entries from 22 countries throughout the weekend, making this one of the biggest pump track weekends to date in Scandinavia!

The weekend kicked off with the Pump Track World Youth Challenge, bringing together young riders from around the world for a full day of international racing. With riders aged 6–16 taking on the track, the event showcased the next generation of pump track talents. For many of the young riders, it was a unique opportunity to compete against athletes from different countries and experience an international competition atmosphere.

Saturday continued with the Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier, delivering some seriously fast racing as riders fought for a place in the World Championships Final in Beijing later this year.

In the Women Elite category, siblings Lore and Lotte Wolfs went head-to-head for third and fourth place, while Helena Sund and Lena Szerling battled it out for the top spot. In a tight final, Helena crossed the line in 20.165 seconds to take home the win for Sweden!

Love Sylwan was flying from the very beginning, despite having a big crash during practice and contemplating not even participating in the race! He broke the track record already in the semifinals, where he went head-to-head with Eddy Clerte. Eddy lost his pedal during the run, sending him into the Small Final against Adrian Pastucha. Eddy bounced back and secured third place with a time of 18.595.

The final between Love Sylwan and Brajan Nowak was one to watch. Both riders had already gone under 18 seconds in the semifinals, setting the stage for a seriously fast final. Love kept his pace and took the win with an impressive 17.820!

Two top spots for Sweden, and both Helena and Love have now secured their tickets to the Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Final in Beijing! What an incredible weekend of racing, and one that will be remembered for a long time.

CHALLENGE RESULTS:

Girls 8: Jimena LEDESMA FERREIRO

Boys 8: Teo SZETEI

Girls 9: Lexi HU

Boys 9: Ruien WANG

Girls 10: Amanda BERGDAHL

Boys 10: Nil MARIN SANTOS

Girls 11: Adela KOVÁČOVÁ

Boys 11: Pierre VELGHE

Girls 12: Rongjie SUN

Boys 12: Yuzhi XU

Girls 13: Mia AYATS KRUGLOVA

Boys 13: Louis EGMAN

Girls 14: Neja HERIC

Boys 14: Albert SALA LLOBERA

Girls 15: My SYLWAN

Boys 15: Udo RUDBERG

Girls 16: Loes HENNY

Boys 16: Vincent BERGDAHL

 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 

Deadfast Racing ProSX Race Frame​

Deadfast Racing ProSX Race Frame​

Australia’s Deadfast Racing are about to add a new alloy 6061 frame to their line up with a single goal in mind, ‘create a premium alloy frame range capable of delivering genuine high-performance results without compromising durability, practicality or rider feel’.

The designers took the approach that rather try make alloy feel like carbon they would focus on the characteristics of alloy and play to it strengths, looking at its own balance of stiffness, feedback and connection with the track, but it was the ‘performance without unnecessary complexity’ sentiment that really caught our attention.

During the development of the ProSX, Deadfast tell us that they ‘remained in close contact with riders, coaches and industry specialists around the world’ including the likes of Kurt Pickard who suggested ‘developing a specialised frame for professional riders competing on modern World Cup-level Supercross tracks’.

The result is a purpose-built race frame engineered for the speed, load, and the technical demands of SX competition. Its top-tube and chain stay lengths have been carefully balanced to create a platform that delivers, explosive acceleration, high-speed cornering stability, precise handling, responsive direction changes and race-level stiffness without sacrificing agility.

The frame will come in all the sizes you’d expect, and more … the 20” models extend from Mini through to Pro XXXXL, while the 24-inch cruiser range covers Expert through to Pro XXXL, including a 23.25-inch top-tube option.

The complete range is constructed from hydroformed purpose-shaped, multi-butted 6061 aluminium tubing. Optimised wall thicknesses place additional material around highly loaded junctions while reducing unnecessary weight through the centre of each tube.

Expert models and smaller will feature:

Euro bottom brackets

Straight 1 1/8-inch head tubes

Lightweight and practical component compatibility

Geometry optimised for younger and smaller riders

Pro models and larger feature:

T47 bottom brackets for increased stiffness and broad crank compatibility

Tapered 1 1/8-inch to 1 1/2-inch head tubes

Larger, performance-focused tube profiles

Geometry designed for more powerful riders and higher race speeds

Additional features include:

Forged dropouts

A simple and precise chain-tensioning system

External brake-cable routing (no internal cable rattle)

A dedicated cable mount near the head tube to reduce cable slap

Clean, mechanic-friendly construction

No unnecessary or overcomplicated features

We don’t have a release date as of yet, but the frames are in production as we speak, so we expect to see them available soon.

Subscribe to Fifteen >> HERE

Advertise on Fifteen BMX >> advertise@15.ie

Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifiers | France 2026

Photos: Philippe Foto

Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifiers |France 2026

Photos: Philippe Foto

The Pump Track World Championship Qualifiers Series rolled into Valence, France, last weekend and with it some big names in the BMX World. The Aeberhard siblings, Loris and Nadine where both hoping to bring their recent BMX race form to the smaller Pump Track and roll away with a ticket to Beijing for the September finals. New Zealand’s Michael Bias was also back on the Pump Track after what seems like a long time away. We’re not sure he’s back to 100% fitness just yet either …

In the women’s field it was always going to be Olympian Nadine Aeberhard who set the tone with the fastest qualifying time of 31.146, but local young gun Lola Mejean was not far behind, just 0.26 seconds back and looking more dangerous with every lap.

The pair met in the big final, where Lola risked it all in front of the home crowd but a mistake opened the door for Nadine, who soaked up all the pressure to take the win and secure her ticket to China. Margaux Cezanne dominated the small final to claim third, with Lily Soler rounding out the top four.

In the men’s draw neither Loris Aeberhard or Michael Bias could tame Malo Dusseau Brossard, who was quite simply on another level all day. He set the bar in qualifying with a 27.877 lap, more than a second clear of Bias, then saved energy when he could and went all in when it mattered.

Michael’s return to pump track racing gave everyone the final they were waiting for. Even after two flat tyres, the Kiwi pulled out his fastest lap of the day with a 28.655. Malo answered by lowering his own track record once again, stopping the clock at 27.423 to take a well-deserved win.

Loris Aeberhard recovered from a mistake in the small final to grab bronze, while Axel Durand stayed consistent all day to finish fourth.

Elite Women:

1: Nadine Aeberhard

2: Lola Mejean

3: Margaux Cezanne

4: Lily Soler

Elite Men:

1: Malo Dusseau Brossard

2: Michael Bias

3: Loris Aeberhard

4: Axel Durand

Next up in the series is the USA and Sweden, both on the 15th of August, with Slovakia following on the 29th. Find out more at https://pumptrackworldchampionships.com/

For all the latest info. on the series, check out the links below …

Velosolutions UCI Pump Track: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Velosolutions: Website | Instagram | Facebook

UCI: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Subscribe to Fifteen >> HERE

Advertise on Fifteen BMX >> advertise@15.ie

 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 

Speedline Spinners Cranks …

Follow Speedline Parts on Instagram | Website

Speedline Spinners Cranks …

Follow Speedline Parts on Instagram | Website

Speedline Parts, the sister company to Supercross BMX, have released, or rather teased us with the new Speedline Spinners Cranks. The new cranks are hollow forged Aluminium arm with a bonded Toray Carbon fibre back arm, which we believe is unique in the BMX world. The 175mm set we managed to abscond with weigh in at a svelte 737g! Once we get a new bottom bracket for the 30mm spindle we will mount them up and go testing. We believe the cranks will come with a bottom bracket when released this coming October.

See the Press Release from Speedline Parts below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Speedline Spinners Cranks: The First Hybrid Forged Aluminum and Toray Carbon BMX Crank.
Forged hollow aluminum arms, a bonded Toray carbon back arm, a 30mm spindle, and more than 1,300 newton meters of torque handled in testing

APPLE VALLEY, Calif. — July 16, 2026 — Speedline Parts today released the Speedline Spinners Cranks, the first BMX crank we know of to pair a forged hollow aluminum arm with a bonded Toray carbon fiber back arm. After 45 years in this industry, we have not seen anyone build a crank this way.

BMX cranks have been aluminum or carbon for decades, and each one asks you to give something up. Aluminum forges strong and takes abuse, but flexes. Carbon is stiff and light, but expensive to do right. The Spinners use both where each one works best: a forged hollow 6061-T6 aluminum arm for strength and low weight, with a Toray carbon fiber back arm bonded on to stiffen the whole structure. Your power goes to the rear wheel instead of flexing away in the crank.

Getting it right took time and tooling. We changed the forging tool twice during development to pull more strength out of the arm and more weight off of it. And we put the cranks in front of the riders who would race them. Maris Strombergs, Kye Whyte, Oli Moran, Gaige Gomolicke, and Justin Perkins all gave input through development to make sure everything was 100% correct before a single crank shipped.

Then we tested. In EN 16054 dynamic fatigue testing, the European safety standard for BMX bikes, the Spinners handled over 1,300 newton meters of torque (about 959 lb-ft) for 100,000 cycles at 30 degrees, then again at 45 degrees. No failures. No cracks. Full test reports are on file.

“Thirteen hundred newton meters converts to 959 pound-feet of torque. That is more than a Cummins diesel puts out,” said Bill Ryan, founder of Speedline Parts and Supercross BMX. “And that is what these cranks took without a single crack. We forged the arm hollow to keep it light, bonded a Toray carbon back arm on to make it stiff, and changed the forging tool twice until the numbers were where we wanted them. When your legs are the engine, you do not get to waste power on flex.”

The Spinners run a 30mm spindle for strength through the center of the crankset without a weight penalty. And the name says the job: Spinners are built for riders who pedal fast.

Specifications:
Forged hollow 6061-T6 aluminum arms
Bonded Toray carbon fiber back arm
30mm spindle
EN 16054 dynamic fatigue tested: over 1,300 Nm (959 lb-ft), 100,000 cycles at 30° and 45°, passed
Arm lengths: 180mm tested; 177.5mm, 175mm, 172.5mm, 170mm, 167.5mm

The Speedline Spinners Cranks will be available through the Speedline Parts collection at supercrossbmx.com and through Speedline dealers.

About Speedline Parts:
Speedline Parts has built premium BMX racing components since 2007: carbon cranks, forks, rims, hubs, stems, chains, and titanium hardware. The brand started as a way to put pro-grade parts on complete bikes and to give riders on any frame brand access to top-tier components without a sponsor conflict. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Maris Strombergs ran Speedline parts during his years on a rival frame brand. Speedline Parts is owned by Bill Ryan, founder of Supercross BMX, and sold through the Speedline Parts collection at supercrossbmx.com.

Subscribe to Fifteen >> HERE

Advertise on Fifteen BMX >> advertise@15.ie

Off Script in Brisbane!

The 2026 BMX Racing World championships derailed by wind.

Photos: Navada Photography

Off Script in Brisbane!

The 2026 BMX Racing World championships derailed by wind.

Photos: Navada Photography

The opening day of the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Championships went off without a hitch. With the early rounds in the books, the qualified riders retired to their hotel rooms to rest for the following day and the opportunity to race for the World title.

But the universe had other plans and tossed the proverbial spanner into the works …

Sunday in Brisbane was windy, persistently windy, and as we know, BMX racing and wind do not play well together. As the Jr. Women lined up for practice, UCI officials were approached by two veteran racers who shared their safety concerns. The UCI then issued a statement stating that they regret ‘to announce that due to strong winds at the venue and in the interest of rider safety, the competition format for the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Champions in Brisbane, Australia, has been modified’. Racing was to move to the 5m hill, and the second straight pro section would also not be used.

Our understanding is that the plan to switch to the 5m hill was almost immediately rejected by the team managers preferring to instead wait for a weather window for the 8m hill.

We waited …

Later that day the UCI announced a further delay due to the continuing weather conditions.

We waited some more … but it felt like a cancellation was coming, the weather was not improving, and it wasn’t predicted to improve any time soon. We even shared our assumptions on who the declared winners might be should the cancellation come. We’ve been here before after all …

Then the dreaded announcement came … cancelled! ‘Following repeated assessments of the prevailing weather conditions, it was determined that safe racing could not be conducted within the available competition window. The decision was taken with the support of the UCI Athletes’ Commission representative on site, the National Federation Team Managers, and the Local Organising Committee’. The podiums were announced based off times from the previous day’s last run rounds in each class and the BMX social media world lit up!

We do wonder if the 5m hill had of been agreed to on Sunday would we have had racing that night under the Sleeman lights?

But like we said we’ve been here before. The now infamous Bathurst World Cup was called the same way, and for much the same reason. The final challenge day, which included Masters, of the 2024 Worlds in Rock Hill was also called the same way, albeit the cancellation was under different circumstances. There was lightning in the area, which was clearly taken very seriously by the local authorities and resulted in a mandatory site evacuation. We also believe the organisers were operating under agreed finish time constraints with the local community due to noise, lights etc. … but maybe that saga is a story for another day.

I guess what we’re not so subtly alluding to here is the fact that if we knew how this was going to be called before it was, well then, all the stake holders in Brisbane probably, or should have known too. Connor knew in Bathurst, Jesse knew in Brisbane.

The social media shouts of ‘this would only happen in BMX’ are easily disproved with a simple google search. The Andorra Jr. MTB Downhill World Cup suffered the same fate in 2025, as did other cycling events, but its irrelevant … we’re here to race, we’re all here to race, the riders, the fans, the federations and the organisers.

Initially the possibility of a cancellation, and ultimately the cancellation itself in Brisbane was met with at least some understanding by high-profile riders, although there was no doubting the underlying disappointment. France’s Eddy Clerty commented, ‘The safety of the riders is what matters most, let’s not wait for someone to have a lifechanging accident to just cancel it. You can’t predict where the wind will come from, 5 meter or 8 meter will not change anything (the past has proved it), 50+ kmh wind should make the decision’.

Romain Mahieu, also stated that ‘cancelling the race was 100% the right thing to do today due to the weather’ but he went on to make it abundantly clear that he was unhappy with how it came about.

A recurring theme from riders in Brisbane was the disappointment in the channels of communication but its proved hard to pinpoint anything in particular.

Two-time Olympic Champion, Maris Strombergs said ‘Today’s UCI decision was a disgrace to this sport’ and requested the opportunity to sit down with the UCI to discuss. Hopefully Maris follows up and shares what he learns from the potential meeting, we look forward to an update.

Over the years, we’ve been lucky enough to get a glimpse behind the curtain at these big events, and we’re always amazed at the scale … we see them as a massive juggernaut, always moving forward towards the conclusion. We suspect the juggernaut is far from easy to divert or redirect and we often wonder if the Championship and Challenge World Championships were separated, would we have more fluid experience … we’re also assuming this is an unpopular opinion, so we’ll park it here for now.

As the evening rolled on in Brisbane the internet swung into high gear, it was relentless, and vicious at times … but despite the calls for heads to roll, boycotts and endless advice on how and where to run the event in the future, we ultimately saw six riders go home with the coveted Rainbow jerseys, and have their names etched in the history books as the 2026 World Champions. Did they get lucky? Or did they remember Connor in Bathurst, and skew the game to their advantage?

Jesse Asmus posted, ‘I’m a racer at heart, so for me this one doesn’t feel right. Yes, I am able to say I’m now an Elite World Champ, but It definitely feels like there’s an asterisk next to it. Obviously, this wasn’t a decision that I was a part of, and I wish there was a way we could have completed the race day to allow us athletes to race for that jersey. Coming into the weekend, I knew racing being cancelled on Sunday was a possibility, so I really put a lot of emphasis on getting clean and fast laps on Saturday to allow myself to get the best ranking possible coming into a questionable Sunday. Things went in my favour, and I was able to become the World Champ based off placing and lap time in my 1/8th final.’

The backlash will rumble on and on, but we hope lessons were learnt. We hope riders, federations, and organisers have genuine and productive discussions. We hope the same thing is avoidable in the future. We hope.

No one, not the riders, not the fans, and not the organisers, after the years of work it takes to make these events happen, will want to revisit this scenario in the future.

When we look back to the 2026 World Champions we may remember it for all the wrong reasons … but the fact is, Jesse Asmus, Bethany Shriever, Josh Jolly, Renske van Santvoort, Lucas Zhou and Freia Challis are the 2026 World Champions. Remember what it took for them to get to Brisbane …

Record breaking, Four-time World Champion, Beth Shriever concluded, ‘I’ve dreamed about doing this, but obviously not in this way, it’s a crazy, crazy day. I think all of us feel like it’s a bit of a dream right now, but I laid down a solid lap yesterday. I feel like everything happens for a reason. The lap yesterday, I couldn’t believe it, to be honest, how quick it was. We’ll take it, I’m still happy. Obviously, we wanted to do it properly today, but we can’t control the weather, we can’t control the wind, and it was too dangerous for us out of there today.’

Is it too early to say that the dates for France 2027 have been released …

Subscribe to Fifteen >> HERE

Advertise on Fifteen BMX >> advertise@15.ie

2026 Pump Track Arctic Triple Crown Championships

Text: Frida Berglund / Velosolutions Scandinavia 

Photos: Jan Szerling 

2026 Pump Track Arctic Triple Crown Championships

Text: Frida Berglund / Velosolutions Scandinavia 

Photos: Jan Szerling 

The Scandinavian Pump Track Series is the largest pump track competition series in Scandinavia, it started in 2022 and was created to bring together riders of all ages and skill levels. Each season, the series visits a number of venues throughout Scandinavia, creating opportunities for local communities to engage with the sport while attracting participants and spectators from across the Nordic countries.

New for the 2026 season has been the introduction of the Arctic Triple Crown, a unique mini-series consisting of three events north of the Arctic Circle. The races took place in Narvik (Norway), Kiruna (Sweden), and Ylläs (Finland), making it one of the most northern pump track competition series in the world. To claim the Arctic Triple Crown title, riders had to win all three races in their category.

The Arctic Triple Crown came to an end in Ylläs after three successful events in Narvik, Kiruna, and Ylläs. The series showcased exciting racing, strong participation, and some impressive performances from riders throughout the Arctic region. Six riders were crowned Arctic Triple Crown Champions after winning their respective categories at all three events. One of the standout performances came from Love Sylwan, who won the Men 17+ Elite category and set two new track records along the way, becoming the first rider to break the 17-second barrier in Kiruna and the 14-second barrier in Ylläs.

As the series continues throughout the summer, we look forward to welcoming even more riders and visitors to the remaining events and further strengthening the pump track community across Scandinavia.

Congratulations to the 2026 Arctic Triple Crown Champions:

Girls 10-12: Vera Norberg

Boys 10-12: Hjalmar Stenqvist

Girls 13-14: Benedicte Fjellanger

Boys 13-14: Albin Westberg

Women 35+: Karin Engström

Men 17+ Elite: Love Sylwan

Velosolutions UCI Pump Track: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Velosolutions: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Subscribe to Fifteen >> HERE

Advertise on Fifteen BMX >> advertise@15.ie