Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2024 British Cycling BMX National Series took place at Cumbernauld in Scotland. An incredible facility for BMX at the side of a football stadium.

We arrived on Friday afternoon, parked the Adria motorhome, set the team tent up and then it was a couple of official practice sessions. The weather was, shall we say, breezy. However the show must go on and with a better forecast for the weekend, the team decided to utilise the Friday session to get used to the flow of the track. With a strong cross wind the session was simply about pumping around the track to lock in where the jumps were and look at some lines.

Saturday: Round 5

Saturday morning rolled around and it was time to get the show on the road. The weather was better. Cloudy, no rain and less wind – but still very windy!

In BMX riders have 3 qualifying races – called motos which qualify riders through to the knockout stages of quarter finals, semi finals and then the final.

Scott’s day got off to a good start, finishing 2nd in moto 1. His speed was on point and he looked strong. In the second race he finished 2nd again, leading the race from start but overtaken in turn 1. In his final moto he had a nightmare, wheels-inning on the start gate and starting last. He worked his way back to 4th which was good, but the day up to this point was certainly challenging.

In the final, Scott took gate 4. Due to his qualifying positions he found himself wider than he wanted to be, but was determined to make it work. Making a great start Scott powered down the start, and went into turn 1 in 2nd. He hounded the leader all the way but just couldn’t make a pass and crossed the finish line in 2nd.

“I am happy with that race. It’s been a crazy day till now so to finish 2nd adds good points to my overall. I gave it my all and 2nd is all I had today. I have had a great day and it’s amazing to be racing in Cumbernauld again” said Scott in the finish area.

Sunday: Round 6

After some great food on Saturday night and a decent sleep in the team Adria Motorhome, it was time for round 6 on Sunday.

In the motos, Scott looked more on it. He finished 1st, 2nd and 1st in his motos and was able to progress to the final with the 2nd choice of gate.

In the final, with 2nd pick, Scott took gate 2. He made a great start and rocketed down the start straight. It was tight in turn 1 but he came out in 2nd. On the 2nd straight he drew up alongside the leader but couldn’t make the pass stick. Unfortunately losing some speed, he fell into the clutches of those behind him and on the last straight unfortunately slipped back to 3rd across the finish line.

“That was a tough day and not what we are here for. I am riding fast and feeling good but this weekend just hasn’t gone our way at all.”.

Many thanks to all our team partners for your support.

All photos by Tony Twist.

The biggest event on the calendar took place in Rock Hill, USA on May 15th.

We could write a huge piece about the day, but ultimately it was a disaster.

We got off to a mediocre start in the 3 motos, but it wasn’t disastrous.

Then a huge storm passed through Rock Hill. The organisers and UCI evacuated the arena and cancelled the event. I am still lost for words at the lack of foresight and the unwillingness to adapt and re schedule.

A bad day for BMX.

As ever Charles Robertson got some great images, but that is all we have to show for the event.

The sun comes up tomorrow and we move onto the next.

Quite an incredible day in Rock Hill. Day 2 means the first day of practice for Scott and everyone was super excited to get started. The weather, however, was not playing ball. Thunderstorms in the area meant the arena had to be evacuated twice during the practice session due to lightening strikes in the area. The rain fell and it was a tough day for all the riders.

Scott was able to get 3 laps of practice, but team GB will get an extended practice session tomorrow.

Images by Charles Robertson.

Day 1 is in the books here at Rock Hill in the USA for the 2024 UCI BMX World Championships.

Today was track walk day and taking a look at the venue. Safe to say this is one of the best BMX facilities I have ever been to.

This is my 34th World Championships – spanning MTB 4X, BMX and Snow Bike. Im excited to see what the next few days bring.

Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2024 British BMX Series took place at Cyclopark in Kent. An incredible facility for BMX, road cycling, cyclocross, XC and a great skatepark too. 

We arrived on Friday afternoon, parked the Adria motorhome, set the team tent up and then it was a couple of official practice sessions. The weather was, shall we say, breezy. Cyclopark had transformed into Cyclone-Park. However the show must go on and with a better forecast for the weekend, the team decided to utilise the Friday session to get used to the flow of the track. With a strong cross wind the session was simply about pumping around the track to lock in where the jumps were and look at some lines.

Saturday: Round 3

Saturday morning rolled around and it was time to get the show on the road. The weather was better. Cloudy, no rain and less wind. 

In BMX riders have 3 qualifying races – called motos which qualify riders through to the knockout stages of quarter finals, semi finals and then the final.

Scott’s day got off to a perfect start, finishing 1st in moto 1. His speed was on point and he looked strong. In the second race he finished 1st again, leading the race from start to finish. In his final moto he took another win with the fastest lap of the day and qualified to the final as the number 1 seed.

In the final, Scott took his favourite gate 1. He wanted some space to the inside to simply focus on his first straight and not bang bars with the others in to turn 1. Making a great start Scott powered down the start, and led the race into turn 1. From here he rode a perfect lap and crossed the line beating his previous fastest lap and taking the win.

“I am stoked with that race. I gave it my all and to take the win is always amazing. That’s 3 wins out of 3 finals so far so I am buzzing. I have had a great day and it’s amazing to be racing in Cyclopark again” said Scott in the finish area.

Sunday: Round 4

After some great food on Saturday night and a decent sleep in the team Adria Motorhome, it was time for round 4 on Sunday.

In the motos, Scott looked on fire. He finished 1st, 3rd and 1st in his motos and was able to progress to the final with the 2nd choice of gate. In his second moto a huge gust of wind literally sent Scott off the track whilst leading! He battled back to salvage 3rd so was happy to not crash!

In the final, with 2nd pick, Scott took gate 2. He made a great start and rocketed down the start straight leading the race once again. Into turn 2 and the rider in 2nd was clearly setting his move up. On the third straight, Scott came up short on a manual and lost the lead. He battled all the way to the line but 2nd was all he had.

“That was another good day even though 2nd isn’t what we are here for. I am riding fast and feeling good. Now it is 3 weeks until the World Championships in USA and I am very happy with my leg speed. We will continue to push and make sure we are ready for a shot at World Number 1”.

Many thanks to all our team partners for your support.

All photos by Tony Twist.