Manchester, England at the National Cycling Centre where British Cycling built an indoor track for their riders to train on. People from outside can join the open sessions and are able to rent off the place for training purposes. The facility with a Velodrome next to it and all the training facilities you can think of inside the building is a wet dream for BMX racers. With the wind and rain factor ruled out, the riding should be on the safe side, but that wasn't the case at the first WC round. 
Just imagine crashing at your concrete park at full speed, and then you have a couple more races to go. It would be easy to call it a day, but these World Cup competitors are tough mofo' and get back up for more, usually with a little less skin attached to their bodies.
Now the ladies ride a different track on the second straight then the men, but the first gap they have to clear is still 11 meters big. Rolling through it means you won't be winning the race. Some girls are great at jumping and throw in some style, while others take off and simply hang on, hoping they'll make it out of the jump alive. The level for sure has been going up, where some of the boys now feel the first jump is too short. You can't please everyone but it's amazing to watch for sure. 
The qualifying system for 2014 has changed for the better. The Time Trials for all competitors is now gone and instead there are qualifying races. Much better for the crowd to watch and for the younger riders to get some experience riding a big track with 7 riders at the same time. It's the real deal and if you think you're good enough, you've got three laps to prove you're worthy. 16 riders who are leading the World Ranking get to do the Time Trials final. In the girls class it's the top 8. After qualifying a total of 64 men have qualified for the main program the next day and 32 women. In Manchester Liam Phillips and Laura Smulders set the fastest times. Next to a guitar, points and a check, they also got first gate pick for next day's race program. 
Manchester's indoor track even has stands on one side which filled up quickly on race day. The Brits got loud as soon as an English rider got on the gate and did well. With Liam Phillips they had a strong rider on the program but also Kyle Evans was looking strong. With Shanaze Reade absent at the first WC race all eyes were on Charlotte Greene to do well in the girls class.
Making it to the final 8 is incredibly hard. A lot could have happened along the way. One elbow, one case, one late reaction coming out of the gate, or a crash could mean your day is over. The line - up on the gate gets better and better and usually it's the fastest and smartest riders who make it to the main. Usually, because you also need a bit of luck.
A stacked women final got on its way on Saturday night with Caroline Buchanan getting the lead from lane 1. It wasn't smooth sailing for here till the end because Brooke Crain was on fire and got close on the third straight. 
But the world champ made no mistakes and Brooke couldn't make a final pass so it stayed in that order with Stephany Hernandez getting third, her first SX podium ever.
Concentration, aggression, determination, preparation, explosion. When the Elite Men final gate dropped all eyes were on Liam Phillips. Could he get out in front from lane one? Competition was fierce with strong starts from Connor Fields, Anthony Dean, Kyle Evans, Edzus Treimanis and Tory Nyhaug. Marc Willers and Joris Daudet missed the snap, or explosive power to get up front. 
Phillips got the holeshot with Dean, Evans and Fields side by side diving into turn one. Because Australian Dean had the inside line, he came out in second. Canadian Nyhaug had a very strong second straight and jumped to third place. Top three position stayed like this until the end and the crowd went nuts for the British win.
The start has been made. World Cup Supercross racing is something to check out. The best of the best on a spectacular track with loads of airtime. Next time at the concrete park, look for some 11 meter gaps and jump that side by side with 7 other friends. You won't.
Round two of the UCI SX World Cup season will take place a little closer to home. The Olympic Training ground in Papendal, Netherlands to be exact. Date: 10-11 May. Qualification and Time Trials take place on Saturday. The actual race is on Sunday. Will the Dutch crowd be loud for the Dutch?
BdJ
Men Results UCI World Cup race Saturday 19 April 2014
1 1 PHILLIPS Liam GBR 1 28.468 
2 144 DEAN Anthony AUS 2 29.121
3 5 NYHAUG Tory CAN 5 29.287
4 127 TREIMANIS Edzus LAT 8 29.536
5 211 EVANS Kyle GBR 4 29.681
6 11 FIELDS Connor USA 6 29.730
7 33 DAUDET Joris FRA 7 29.968
8 777 WILLERS Marc NZL 3 1:06.846
Women Results UCI World Cup race Saturday 19 April 2014
1 1 BUCHANAN Caroline AUS 1 32.686
2 32 CRAIN Brooke USA 2 33.057
3 469 HERNANDEZ Stefany VEN 4 33.320
4 101 GREEN Charlotte GBR 8 34.128
5 96 WALKER Sarah NZL 7 34.557
6 105 CORLOBE Pauline FRA 5 34.592
7 110 SMULDERS Laura NED 3 42.033
8 555 MCLEOD Melinda AUS 6 DNF
BMX Supercross is something else. Imagine doing a train of follow the leader at your local concrete skatepark that has loads of lines. Now take 7 riders to follow you at full speed where you guys start off at an 8 meter high starting hill to get up to speed. Do you think this would be gnarly? Throw in an eleven meter gap that you have to clear, but then side by side, with more jumps like that on the way. And then people want to pass you, or give you an elbow in a section so they can pass you. BMX Supercross tracks are spectacular and as hard as concrete. Combined with the asphalt turns there's a strong similarity with your local concrete skatepark as far as surface goes. On a SX track you are given a direction to follow but that doesn't mean there are no lines. You need to find the fastest way to move around the track and find spots to pass the rider in front of you. You need to figure out where to pump the jumps and the turns to keep the speed going because once you lose speed, you won't be able to clear the doubles.The 2014 BMX Supercross World Cup season kicked off in
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.