BMX invasion

The races were staged one right after another, each lasting barely a minute. A spectator could blink and miss some of the action.

Parents cheered on their children. Children cheered on their parents.

The quick, relentless pace of national BMX (bicycle motocross) racing, with its familial atmosphere, hit the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center Friday night.

The American Bicycle Association’s BMX Great Northwest Nationals is being staged in Central Oregon this weekend for the second consecutive year. Racing continues today and Sunday at the Hooker Creek Event Center.

An expected 1,200 riders of all ages — mostly amateurs — from all over the Northwest and beyond are taking part.

“The adrenaline of the sport is just amazing,” BMX racer Nick Brown, 42, of Bend, said. “You can’t get that anywhere else. You’re on the starting gate with eight guys, and it only lasts about a minute. The rush is amazing. The riding level with these guys is so high, one little mistake and you’re done.”

The Great Northwest Nationals is one of 34 race events in the 2009 ABA BMX National Race Series.

The Redmond event features many of the best amateur BMX racers in the nation and a few of the top professionals from around the Northwest.

– Excerpt from the Bend Bulletin, April 4, 2009