Riders ready: From family room to finish line

SOUTH JORDAN — Kaden Kent stood on his pedals, his bicycle's front wheel pressed against a low steel gate. He squinted with intensity. Close on his right was a hulking teenager. On his left was a man in his 50s.

A voice boomed out: "OK, riders, let's set them up. On the gate. Riders ready. Watch the light." A green light flashed on, and the gate fell flat with a clang. The riders pedaled madly down a steep start to the first brown dirt jump, 50 feet away. As the older man passed Kaden without looking back, he yelled, "Pedal harder!"

Kaden is 4. The older man, Matt Spencer, was his grandfather. And this was their regular Tuesday night practice here at the RAD Canyon BMX track.

BMX, or bicycle motocross, is the only action sport in which family members can practice together and compete in sanctioned events in their own age groups on the same course. Riders race in motos, or heats, of up to eight competitors classified by age and skill level. During events, spectator areas bubble with movement and noise as parents cheer during a child's moto, then head out to ride in their own. Extended families sometimes occupy entire sections of bleachers, with everyone racing.

At the Utah State Championships in early September, Tana Christensen cheered on her husband, her 10-year-old son and her 5-year-old daughter. Then she wheeled to the start to compete against her sister, Tara Miller, whose own 6-year-old son was also racing.

"My daughter loves it; I think she's going to stick with it," Christensen said, as she eyed her sister's first-place trophy with a wry grin while holding her own second-place award.

Across the country, BMX is truly a family affair — even for toddlers.

At many races, the first moto is called the Big Wheels, and it is for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds who pedal down the last straightaway on mini-BMX bikes — not the colorful plastic tricycles. Some have training wheels on their bikes, and some are pushed over the jumps by parents or siblings.

It is a swiftly growing category. At the most recent Thursday night races at RAD Canyon, Big Wheels was the largest age group, with 20 competitors. After these riders hone their abilities on the last straightaway, they can begin racing out of the start in the 5-and-under category.

"There's no age limit of who can race," said Ron Melton, the track owner. "As long as they can make it around the track, they can race out of the gate."

Although BMX was growing even before the Olympics, it received a boost with its debut at the Beijing Games. Clayton John, president of the sport's main governing body, the American Bicycle Association, seems astounded by the growth.

"We've had 6,000 new members join in the last six weeks," he said.

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