BMX races are held on circuits of around 350m, including an 8-metre high starting ramp with a gate at the top, jumps, banked corners and other obstacles.

COMPETITION 

It will involve elimination rounds for 24 men and 24 women through to a grand final for men and women.

Eight riders compete in each quarter-finals, with the top four qualifying for the next round. There are two medal events: Men’s and Women’s individual.

Riders will contest quarterfinals, held over three runs, with points awarded according to places. The top four riders in each heat with the lowest points score after three runs will advance to the semifinals.

The semifinals are held over three runs, with the top four riders from each heat with the lowest score advancing to the final. The final is held over a single run.

What to watch out for:

Riders placing in the top four placings in each race for their best chance to progress through each phase.

Did you know?

• The origins of BMX go back to the 1950s in the Netherlands. But BMX as we know it today was invented in Los Angeles in 1970.
• It was hugely popular with kids who couldn’t legally drive motorcycles, but still wanted to race. The first iteration of the sport emulated motorcycle racing, which is why the bikes are big and they have number plates in between the handlebars.
• That’s also where the name comes from: BMX stands for bicycle motocross
• The start ramp is 8 metres high. That first drop is how the riders pick up speed so fast.

BMX Racing debuted at the Olympics in Beijing 2008, where Maris Stromberg of Lativa took the Men's Gold and repeated the Gold again at the 2012 London games. Likewise there is a dual Gold medalist in the women with Mariana Pajon of Colombia winning the Gold at 2012 London and again in 2016 Rio de Janerio.

NZ Olympic Medals

SILVER - 2012 London Women’s BMX - Sarah Walker

BMX Terminology

Berm: A banked corner.

Holeshot: Taking the lead position out of the starting gate and going into the first turn.

Manual: The act of riding on the back wheel without pedaling.

Moto: A single race heat.

Rhythm Section: A series of jumps or rollers back to back on a track that pose as an obstacle.

Roller: An obstacle on a track that is rolled over as opposed to being jumped.

Tabletop: A jump on a track that is completely level or flat all the way across it from the lip to the landing.

Time Trial/Seeding: A race in which riders start individually and race against the clock.

Transition: The curved part of the ramp.

Timeline

1817 - First bicycle introduced as a mode of transport in Germany.

1950s - BMX started in the Netherlands

1970s -Off-road mountain biking began about the same time as BMX, now both Olympic cycling disciplines. The sport grew in USA in the 1970s with organised race competitions.

2008 - BMX racing was added to the Olympic programme in Beijing.

2012 - Women competed in the same full programme with the same number of events as men for the first time at the London Olympic Games.

2020 - BMX racing will have the same number of riders across male and females, with the transfer of 8 places from the men to the women.