When Canada's Tory Nyhaug just missed qualifying on his BMX bike for the semifinal race at the London Olympics, Colby Graham felt his pain.
Considered a legitimate medal threat in the inaugural Olympics BMX competition last summer, the Coquitlam-born Nyhaug won his quarter-final heat race but came up one point short of advancing to the next round.
Back at his home in Prince George, Graham was disappointed but not deterred. The 12-year-old Supertrak BMX Club rider has Olympics ambitions of his own and Nyhaug has showed him what's possible.
"The Olympics was crazy-fast, the track was awesome and the crashes look painful," said Graham. "It was inspiring to see [Nyhaug racing]."
Graham already left his mark three times on the 12-year-old expert medal podium June 15-16 at the Cactus Classic national event in Kamloops, where he picked up 196 points. He's is in for a big test on his home track Aug. 16-18 when Prince George hosts the provincial championships for the first time. The club hosts its annual provincial series races this weekend.
"I think it's going to be really fun, racing new people and going fast," said Graham, a third-year rider.
He plans to follow the provincial circuit the rest of the summer and has travel plans to compete in the final two national-series races of the season in Squamish and Chilliwack.
Eleven-year-old intermediate rider Styles Johnston is in tough this season grouped with the experts in club races, but this weekend with an abundance of 11-year-old riders expected for the provincial event he'll be racing with riders his own age. He never misses a club race and has been to provincial series events this year in Victoria, Nanaimo, Kamloops, Kelowna, Vernon, Squamish and Pemberton.
Johnston wanted to try motocross. BMX was a much cheaper alternative, and he's proving to be a quick learner. Johnston, a novice last year, has made it his goal is to move up to the expert class either by the end of this season or halfway through next season. He already has five of the 20 wins he needs to make that jump.
The three resident 15-year-old expert class racers -- Nathan Findlay, Brady Anderson and Enzo Bracklow -- pretty much rule the roost in club races. They're the fastest riders in the city and it's a toss-up each night who will finish first. All sponsored as part of the YessBMX development team, they look forward to the challenge of a group of out-of-towners testing the limits of their endurance this summer on their home track.
"It's quite a bit of an advantage to be racing provincials here because we ride here all the time," said Anderson. "There will be more people so you pile up. Kids are aggressive and in the corners, if you try to lean on them or push them, they don't budge."
The Supertrak course at Carrie Jane Gray Park was totally remade last year. One of the big changes was a new straight section that offers riders a choice of two paths.
Findlay, the most seasoned rider in the Supertrak BMX club started racing in 2002. He races up an age category in provincial series races due to his July birthday and now ranks second in the 16-year-old expert class. Anderson and Bracklow stack up 1-2 respectively in the provincial 15-year-old expert class. With as many as 250 riders expected for the B.C. championships, the start gates are going to be crowded and Bracklow welcomes that challenge.
"Usually it's just us battling it out so I think It's going to be more fun having other riders from out of town and harder competition," said Bracklow, a fourth-year racer. "We practice on this track, like every day."
