Ever since BMX racing joined the Olympic family at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, the sport has undergone a surge in worldwide popularity.
That trend is still being felt in B.C., where cities like Chilliwack and Nanaimo are experiencing record numbers of racers for national events.
The lure of Olympic gold and riders' dreams of making it to the world championship level has now trickled down to Prince George, where upwards of 1,000 riders from B.C., Alberta and the western United States are expected for this weekend's BMX Canada Northern Lights nationals, starting tonight at Carrie Jane Gray Park. The three-day event is the first national series race staged in Prince George since 2010.
"We've had it between 500 and 800 riders before but the sport is growing huge," said Northern Lights nationals event co-ordinator Lorrie Breeden. "I've done every race this season through BMX Canada and the moto counts are growing unbelievably. We had 156 motos in Chilliwack, the largest so far ever in Canada. We're starting to hit U.S. numbers.
"With it being in the Olympics, that's where kids are seeing it and they think it's cool. The worlds just came up in Holland and a lot of people watched it on the internet feed."
Locally, membership numbers in the Prince George Supertrak BMX Club have climbed from about 100 in 2013 to the current 159 riders.
"Ideally, our goal is to be up around the 200-member base," said Breeden. "We compare with the other tracks in the province except Vancouver Island, where they race more [in a much longer outdoor season]."
The Supertrak club has repaved the start gate and finish areas and has built up its dirt hills in anticipation of this weekend's races.
The five-and-under novice strider class, made up of riders on balance bikes without pedals, will be one of the more popular age classes this weekend. Breeden also expects the 14-year-old expert class will be well-represented, with four or five full racks of eight riders starting the races, and says the 10-year-old novice class will also attract dozens of riders.
"The adult cruisers are really starting to take off at our track, we started with two or three and I think we're up to 10 now," said Breeden.
Expect Brady Anderson of Prince George to have his hands full fighting for top spot on the winner's podium with Alex Tougas of Maple Ridge and Bobby Worth of Abbotsford. They've been wheel-to-wheel close all season in national races.
"Everybody stops what they're doing when those boys are on the track, that's one class to watch," said Breeden.
In the 14-year-old expert class, three Prince George riders - Keenan Scott, Cole Patterson and Chase Breeden - all have a good shot at making finals. Styles Johnson of Prince George started racing on the national scene last year and as a 13-year-old expert hasn't lost a full-weekend points battle in five stops so far this year.
Marcel Bonah is a relative newcomer in the men's cruiser class but has proven a tough customer and could push for a trophy. Other local riders to watch include Brooke Cameron (expert girls), Seth Ross (12 year-old boys novice), Mackenzie Crerar (expert girls) and Alexis Crerar (novice girls). The Crerar sisters were first and third all weekend at the last national event in June, the Firestorm Nationals in Kelowna.
Practice runs from 2-5 p.m. today, with racing from 6-8 p.m. The track reopens for practice Saturday from 8:30-10 a.m., with racing to follow from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday's races start at 8 a.m. and will be done by about 11:30 a.m.
