One of the major upcoming projects for Tom Ritzenthaler and the UCI team is the construction of the BMX track for the London Olympic Games in 2012. The team also designed and built the track in Beijing, where the sport made its Olympic debut in August 2008.
“Tom has played a vital part in developing the BMX Supercross tracks in the five years leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games,” explains UCI BMX Coordinator Johan Lindström. “Without his knowledge and background as a BMX athlete, it would have been difficult to build these spectacular yet safe tracks we’ve seen in the last couple of years.”
Mr Ritzenthaler continues: “I’m delighted to be part of the UCI team full-time, not only to build exciting tracks for the World Cups and World Championships, but also to help develop BMX around the world.”
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The International Cycling Union (UCI) has engaged BMX track builder Tom Ritzenthaler on a full-time basis in order to meet the increasing worldwide demand for new tracks. After several years of collaboration with the UCI, Mr Ritzenthaler, himself a former BMX athlete, officially joins the International Federation as the popularity of the young sport soars. Mr Ritzenthaler has been a BMX track builder for the past 20 years and has already been involved in most of the UCI BMX World Championships and UCI BMX Supercross World Cups since 2001.
With the full-time engagement of the American track-building specialist, the UCI will now, for a reasonable fee, offer a complete package to countries wishing to construct an international BMX track, rebuild an existing track, or create an Olympic replica track. These tracks will receive an official UCI certification. Requests have already come in from Fiji Islands, Estonia, Paraguay and Barbados.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.