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With 8 woman on the start list and one of them being Australia's top Woman BMX athlete Saya Sakakibara in the mix it was going to be some hot racing. Down to our final 4 riders the race between MTB’r Cassie Voysey and BMX’r Johanna Jephcott would come down to 3/100ths of a second to decide 3rd and 4th place with spoils going to Cassie Voysey.

The finals saw a bigger gap between a solid and smooth looking Annaliese Rokov and Top BMXer Saya Sakakibara, both having clean runs it was the experience and power of Sakaibara that would take top honours by just over 1.5 seconds.

Several riders had issues navigating the tough and technical Paris Texas Velosolutions Pump Track. It was not a wide open track as you could hear brakes squeaking in the tight switchbacks. In contrast to last weekend in Springdale, AR where the steep and tall banked turns could hold the riders on track a little more. Top 16 men were lead by fastest riders KJ Romero (4th), Grant Lampson (3), Alec Bob (2) and Amakye Andersen with the top spot.

In the quarter finals two riders stood out with sub 23 second mark for the first time of the day. Alec Bob and Amake Andersen were opposite on the bracket board which looked to put them both in the Big Finals but there was more racing to go.

Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships qualifier Springdale notes:

• Friday practice saw very few riders as the weather delivered a steady sprinkle all day long.  At the end of the day the skies started to clear and the track began to dry up.
• Saturday morning set up brought more rain but by the time practice started it was clear that we would have a great day for racing with weather and racers filing in.
• Brackets of 16 riders were set after solo timed qualifying.  The pace was hot and riders were closely matched with top times in the low 30 second range.  The top qualifying riders where Grant Lampson in 4th, Collin Hudson in 3rd, Alec Bob in 2nd and the top qualifier on the day was

Gaston County: From the first time riders were taking timed runs it was evident that lap times would be faster than ever before at the Gaston County Velosolutions Pump Track. The Women’s timed runs saw Payton Ridenhour out to an early lead but Ashley Hayes put in a heater on her second timed run taking the top qualifying spot with a 21.90.

Men’s timed runs were blazing fast. For those who went to the 2019 qualifier at the Gaston County park nobody could recall so many times in the low 20 second range like we had tonight. The top eight men riders all held a time below 21 seconds. Brady Kincheloe led the men in timed qualifying with the only

The Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships will head to Lisboa! The stunning capital city of Portugal is one of the most charismatic and vibrant cities in Europe, a city that effortlessly blends traditional heritage with striking modernism and progressive thinking and it will now play host to the 2021 World Final on the weekend of 15 to 17 October. The spectacular Velosolutions Pump Track is located in Parque das Nações, next to the famous Vasco da Gama Bridge and will set the stage for the ultimate showdown as some of the best pump track riders in the world lineup in Lisbon. The main track is close to 300m in length and will provide a challenging ride, testing both skill and endurance to the max on race day.

Velosolutions Spot Check Benelux. Need directions? We've got you covered. So much good stuff to ride. Find your way and enjoy. Bring some friends.

Asphalt Pump Track in Graft-de Rijp

Jan Ploegerlaan 1, 1483 VR Graft-de Rijp (Maps: 52.55467, 4.85002)
The first asphalt Pump Track in the Benelux, approx. 50 meters long. The Pump Track is located on the schoolyard of the Community School and is accessible to everyone.

Thank you New Zealand! 50 riders lined up at the Velosolutions Pump Track in Cambridge for some fast, excellent and tight racing. The men's race for first place would see the same finalists as the 2020 race, with Bennett Greenough lining up against Michael Bias #901 again. It was not to be Michael's day, going a little wide out of the 2nd turn and coming off the track, thereby giving the win to the local boy from Cambridge, Bennett.

In the women's final race the favourite, Elite Women's BMX National Champ, Rebecca Petch would come up against newcomer and recent Jnr Elite BMX Champ, Megan Williams. Megan grabbed the number 1 medal with Rebecca just falling shy of Megan's time in a nail-biting final run.

Women's Results
1st Megan Williams

What goes into building a pump track? No better people to answer that question than Velosolutions own Claudio Caluori (SUI) and Tim Smit (NED). In this interview they'll take you through the process that will send you straight to your city council to demand one for your own scene. Read on.

Where did you grow up and how did you get into biking?
CLAUDIO CALUORI: I grew up in Zurich, Switzerland and got into mountain biking when I was training as a hockey player in Kloten.
TIM SMIT: I was born close to Rotterdam and was always trying out different sports. I cycled 30 km to and from school and loved going as fast as possible. My first time on a mountain bike was in the Ardennes and I have loved it since.

How did you get into the pump track business?
CLAUDIO CALUORI: Velosolutions started as a trail building company. We were led to pump tracks by the Universe and were the first ones to then build one from concrete and later on, the first ones to build them with asphalt, which initiated the world wide pump track boom.
TIM SMIT: I had started a mountain bike training company and after a while we started to build some dirt PumpTracks. Back then pump tracks didn’t really exist outside of the bikeparks. We completely fell in love with the whole concept of pump tracks as a way to inspire kids to go outside and have fun, and we figured that every city would benefit from having one.

Velosolutions Pump Tracks are popping up everywhere and for good reason. The quality facilities are good fun for anyone who rides BMX bikes (and other contraptions with wheels). The grippy, yet smooth surface lets you carve the well shaped turns and challenges everyone to manual and jump sections without pedaling once. Don't underestimate the fitness you need to keep going. Doing 3 laps at full speed and you'll be searching for fresh air. Please find below a couple of pump tracks that you should pay a visit to when you have the chance.

Aigle

With 16 new pump tracks in Switzerland built in 2020 alone, the total tally in the country now soars above 40 - an immense figure for a country that could easily fit 16 times into the state of Texas. Notably, the UCI World Training Center in Aigle is now home to a brand new pump track to complement its world-class training facility. Velosolutions also paved vital parts of their BMX track to minimize maintenance needs and ensure predictable speeds for the athletes lucky enough to train there.