During the 2005 UCI BMX racing world's in Paris, the stands filled up pretty good. Usually it's the racers and parents filling up the seats but the first time BMX visitors (like Cock 'n Balls MX rider Patrick v.d. Berg) must have had a similar experience looking for spectacular crashes after 5 hours of watching BMX. Fortunately the crash hungry visitors got to witness plenty of carnage. The track had pretty flat turns that were bumpy and slippery. No space for classic hi-low moves or railing the right hand turns. If you had someone inside of you in a turn it was usually "see you later aligator" if you were on top.
With everyone in the race going for the win (or at least a top 4 spot in the qualification rounds) the riders were hungry and looking for ways to pass. This made for close racing. Going for the jumps on your own at the Bercy track was quite easy, just imagine hitting the jumps with 7 other guys looking for space. The elbowing in the air and casing of the landing made for some unwanted crashes, but was good entertainment for those who paid for the ticket to watch the racing.
Enjoy the photos.
BdJ
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.