When you show up at a major mountain, road, ‘cross or track bike race and are wearing an earned Stars ‘n Stripes jersey – people treat you as if you are a … well, uh … Bubba Harris or Lance Armstrong. You are a U.S. National Champion. And they should bow down to you like Wayne & Garth did to Alice Cooper in Wayne’s World 1.
Recently, USA Cycling held the first ever BMX version of the National Championships. And in time, winning this race should mean something BIG. And we at Redline hope it does. For the past 30 years, both ABA and NBL have been crowning “National Champions” their own way, so it’s been etched in our brains that to become National Champ in BMX, you must race 10 or more events a year, chase points, win at the Grands and be lucky enough to get the biggest rider count. That’s the way it’s always been. Until now.
The infamous Waterford Oaks BMX track was the site of USA Cycling’s first attempt at the BMX National Championships. And with a UCi Worlds qualifying-spot reserved for all of those who made the main, the finals were fairly action-packed. For Team Redline, DENZEL STEIN and “Gorgeous” GEORGE GOODALL scored impressive wins, and have now earned the right to wear the sports’ first-ever stars ‘n stripes jersey. Denzel literally won his 16x main after his third crank out of the gate, where he pulled away from the pack with his amazing big-gear power, while Goodall was on a mission to make a statement, after taking a 5th in his 20″ semi. They both proved their point, and now have their tickets to Victoria, BC for a shot at the World Championship titles. …
For the rest of the Redline gang in Waterford, it was a crazy string of 2nd place scores. Although they won’t be wearing a stars ‘n stripes jersey–Redline pros BUBBA HARRIS and KIM HAYASHI put on quite a show on their way to the 2nd tier of the podium.
In the Elite Mens main, it was three abreast down the first straightaway with elbows locked and loaded. Bubba had the inside line, with Matt Pohlkamp sandwiched in the middle and Donny Robinson controlling the outside. Over the giant step-table, Bubba ran out of track and veered in to the grass and rocks, while Donny and Pohlkamp fought for the front spot. Amazingly, Bubba corrected his slight detour and got back on the track, entering the first turn at a slightly different angle than all others. By the time he exited turn one, he’d fallen back to fourth place, but quickly passed Mikey Day in Waterford’s “burly” rhythm section. Coming out of turn three and heading for the dog-legged double-infested downhill finish straight, Bubba and his Flight Pro XXL opted for the outside line of the pro section, and caught up with Pohlkamp for a finishline spint. Meanwhile, Donny Robinson nabbed the nicer inside line to take over the win, while Bubba laid down his power to nip Pohlkamp for the two-spot. …
In Elite Women, it looked as if Kim Hayashi would have the advantage with her being one of the only ones to jump the giant doubles on the first straight. In the main, she was skying them at the front of the pack but a swerving Arielle Martin right beside her balled things up, leaving some of the Pro women in a huge, dusty pileup and giving Stephanie Barrigan the lead. Kim was fortunate not to crash and got back in to the 2nd position, yet couldn’t make up ground quick enough to score the National Championship. She too, would take a 2nd. …
The string of seconds didn’t stop there; as Elite Masters turned out to be another battle of JASON CARNE$ -vs- Whipperman; the newly-turned 30 year old. With all of these youngsters coming in to the class, C-Money has his work cut out this season, but is up for the challenge. As hard as he laid down his incredible power, Carne$ couldn’t catch the smooth, skinny white kid with skills. Adding yet another 2nd place to the Redline camp was Eugene, Oregon’s DAKOTA SENGER; who was right on track to nab the national championship, but one slight bobble in the final turn cost him the win. Between class and cruiser, Dakota put on a hard fought battle for the wins, and wound up on the podium for both - ensuring the entire BMX World that he will be a name to contend with come UCi Worlds-time in Victoria, BC this July.
REDLINE BICYCLES
At Redline headquarters, we have a wall solely dedicated to framed stars ‘n striped jersies; right next to the rainbow striped jersies of our BMX World Champions. Y’see; in every cycling discipline (whether it is mountain bike, road bike, velodrome or cyclo-cross), USA Cycling holds a “U.S. Championships.” Much like all European and Australian associations do, it’s a one-shot, one-day-only National No.1 title. And in all of those forms of cycling, winning and wearing the stars ‘n stripes of a U.S. National Champion is the ultimate. It’s like being crowned ABA National No.1 (only without the 10 wins and 11 months of consistency). For the past decade, Redline riders have won their share of the red, white and blue jerseys – in the mud ‘n crud sport of cyclo-cross. In fact, Logan Owen – our young BMX star–turned-Cyclocross racer, has already won two Stars ‘n Stripes. Other BMXers who know the prestige of the patriotic jersey are Brian Lopes, Eric Carter, Mike King and Jill Kitner. They have all fought hard for, and won this jersey, in the suspension-realm of mountain bikes. To Carter and King, who are both No.1 title holders in the ABA, donning the stars ‘n stripes is probably as meaningful as holding an ABA No.1 Silver Cup above their head in Oklahoma.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.