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The Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships heads to Lisbon, Portugal on the weekend of 15 to 17 October 2021. We catch up with Tommy Zula, Eddy Clerte, Niels Bensink, Payton Ridenour and Drew Mechielsen.

Name: Payton 'P-Nut' Ridenour
Age: 19
Hometown: Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Sponsors: Mongoose, WD-40, Shimano, FLY, EVS, E6, Socksmith, Oakley, Tioga, ODI, HRP Designs, Potter Racing, Answer, Onyx

What has the UCI Pump Track World Champion title meant to you since you got it?
Payton Ridenour: It was a dream come true to win the first ever rainbow jersey given out for pump track! I think it's every cyclist's goal to win a world championship title, so to win the entire event was incredible.

Is it fair to say that BMX Racing comes first for you followed by riding Pump Track?
Payton Ridenour: Yes, BMX racing comes first for me and then pump track. It's really convenient that I can transition so easily from racing to pump track too. I train specifically for racing and that transfers right over to the pump track, and my bike set up is the exact same for both.

Leading up to the Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, have you ridden more pump tracks lately?

The ultimate e-bike race between Nino Schurter and Claudio Caluori is set to take place on 9 October 2021 at 10:30 am (CET) with the aim to raise 1 Million Euro for Pump for Peace projects in countries all over the world, making cycling accessible to everyone.

The Concept

- Taking e-bike racing to a new level in a never seen format
- Over 10’000 vertical meters of climbing and redescending
- 25 climbs of 403 vertical meters to the top

34 Men and 11 Women registered for the 2021 Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships qualifier in Brussels, Belgium. Riders from Belgium, Netherlands, Latvia, France, Switzerland were racing the newly built Velosolutions pump track for a spot at the upcoming World Champs in Lisbon, Portugal. There was a fairly even split across BMX and MTB and a few Freestyle riders joined the fun. Aiko Gommers was absolutely unstoppable in a stacked Women's category, unbeatable in every single round saw her secure her World Final ticket with her best time of the day in at 11.622 with Olympian Elke Vanhoof taking home 2nd spot on the podium in the Women class.

In the Men's category, a small mistake saw top qualifier Mateo Colsenet take a fall in top 16, leaving Latvian rider Kristaps Veksa to take home his World Final ticket after his third place in the German Qualifier last weekend. Second place behind Veksa was Belgian rider Elias Verbinnen.

Next up qualifiers:
11 Sept. Leogang, Austria
18 Sept. Eindhoven, Netherlands
19 Sept. Jössefors, Sweden
25 Sept. Schüpfheim, Switzerland

Red Bull PumpTrack Go Gaston NC by L.U.C.A. Media.

In recent months Velosolutions Benelux, in coöperation with Velosolutions Belgium, built 9 PumpTracks in the Netherlands & Belgium. And, at the moment, another 3 realizations are definitely planned. Our mission? To make PumpTrack accessible in every village or city in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg so you are able to play, exercise and do urban sports together!

- Eindhoven
- Den Haag
- Maurik-Vakantiepark Eiland van Maurik
- Gasselte-Vakantiepark Lente van Drenthe
- Domburg
- Heeze - Leende
- Brussel

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.

Name: Tommy Zula
Age: 28
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Hook-ups/Sponsors: Airborne Bicycles, Velosolutions, Pump For Peace, Shimano, Fly Racing, Stans No Tubes , Vee Tire Co, Marzocchi, Deity Components, Nirvana CBD, Coal Headwear

---The FAT favorite list---

-Spot to ride: My trails

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.