Report Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier, Eindhoven, Netherlands

Sep 18, 2021

Written by Bart de Jong

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Pump Tracks are all the craze. Instead of leaving it up to the users to figure out what to do with it, Red Bull, in association with Velosolutions, have set up a worldwide qualification system for the World Championships which will be held in Lisbon, Portugal mid October. Litterally tons of qualifying events worldwide have taken place already and on Saturday 18 September it was Holland's turn to find out who would go to the Red Bull UCI Pump Track World's next month. These qualifiers are open for any rider (17+) to enter and with time running out, Eddy Clerté took the Dutch opportunity to try qualify for the big one in Portugal 16-17 October 2021.

It's a big mix with BMX as well as MTB riders setting a time at the beginning of the race. The goal is to set a time fast enough to make it to the top 32. There's a second opportunity to if you could not set a quick enough time in your first run. Once the 32 fastest riders are selected, it's a head-to-head system afterwards where the first place qualifier races the rider who qualified in 32nd, number 2 races number 31, etc. After each phase half of the riders make it to the next round until 2 are left for the final race of the day.

This was the first Pump Track race I've visited and I was wondering how the start of the time trial and the start of the head-to-head phases would go. In fact, there is no starting gate, and the riders all have their chains on the bike. Basically it's a rolling start where you can gain as much speed as you like

before you cross the first timing point a little further down the pump track. That's when the clock starts ticking and will stop when you have completed a full lap. When there's a head to head battle, riders start in opposite positions and it's the time of the full lap that matters and not if you happen to cross the timing point first. The times are then shown on a screen where the riders and the crowd can see who set the fastest time and will transfer to the next round.

Being a BMX-er it's always good to see the BMX riders move on and stay in the program. The top 4 in each gender happened to be finished on BMX bikes. A big YES! to that. With Freestyle riders Daniel Wedemeijer, Sem Kok, Denz entering the race it was clear that the BMX Racers were ruling the battle. Daniel and Sem did do freestyle proud by qualifying in the top 32 though but when the Elite of BMX turn on the gas it is hard to keep up.

Eddy Clerté was fast all day and even the 2019 UCI World Champ by the name of Twan van Gendt had to throw the towel. A little mistake in the quarters meant that Twan was out of the race and Maurits Vanderwal made it to the top 4. National BMX Race team member Kevin van de Groenendaal last the semi against Eddy but won the battle for 3rd against Maurits. Pump Track expert Max van Eijnhoven had nothing for Eddy in the final. At this point being fit also becomes important because doing lap after lap on a pump track wears you out completely.

Danielle Vrenegoor lost the battle for 3rd against Carmen Vermeulen while Lieke Klaus had to leave the victory of the day to Olympic Bronze medalist Merel Smulders. For Merel it will be a free trip to Portugal for the pump track World's the week before the last UCI BMX Racing World Cups in Turkey. When traveling seemed far away only a few months ago, it feels like we're getting back to the life we've missed so much. It's good to have events back on the calendar and any opportunity we can find to attend a BMX event in the weekend, we'll take it. I'm glad we discovered the Pump Track events. See you in Portugal.

BdJ

Results Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships Qualifier, Eindhoven, Netherlands