• BMX News November 24, 2020

    From BMX News@24:150/1 to All on Tue Nov 24 21:31:02 2020

    2021 Rule Changes

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    2021 Rules Update
    As we gear up for “The Greatest Race On Earth” this week in Tulsa for
    the 2020 USA BMX Grands, we wanted to give an update on any rule
    changes for 2021.
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    2020 COVID Impact
    Without a doubt, 2020 was a year unlike anything that we’ve ever
    experienced, and it required some flexibility in terms of scheduling
    events and modifications to requirements across the State/Provincial,
    Gold Cup and National Series. As we prepare for 2021, it is clear that
    we will still be dealing with the pandemic at some level. How much
    COVID-19 will impact us and what changes we may need to make in 2021 as
    a result remains to be seen, but we will begin our 2021 season hopeful
    that we can put the pandemic behind us and focus on kids on bikes.
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    Age Classes (no change)
    We received some emails regarding age classes, specifically with
    regards to older 20” classes for both men and women. After crunching
    the numbers in terms of overall participants (in those ages) and number
    of races those participants raced, we simply didn’t feel like it is the
    appropriate time to add those additional classes. Perhaps a full season
    of racing that isn’t heavily impacted by COVID will paint a different
    picture, and we will certainly keep our eye on these requested classes
    as we move through the 2021 USA BMX National Series.
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    Clipless Pedals
    Finally, perhaps the biggest change for the 2021 season is regarding
    the use of clipless pedals. Since December of 2018, we have informed
    members that “Beginning in 2021, the use of clipless pedals will be
    prohibited for all riders age 12 & Under (Intermediate, Expert and
    Expert Girl) as well as for Novice riders of any age. Once in place,
    the restriction is placed on the age/skill level of the rider –
    regardless of the class that rider may end up in.” A link to that
    December 2018 article can be found here:
    https://www.usabmx.com/site/postings/1633

    We have received numerous emails, phone calls, messages and even saw a
    petition circulating the internet, but our position on this matter
    remains unchanged. Our team talked with many BMX coaches about their
    thoughts on clipless pedals before we made that rule change. An
    overwhelming majority of them felt like too many riders were being put
    on clips too soon in their BMX careers. The coaches felt like riders
    who were put on clips too soon in order to be competitive on the
    racetrack were missing out on learning some fundamental bike-handling
    skills. For the riders who race in international BMX races, like the
    World Championships, many other countries began banning clipless pedals
    for riders under age 12 long before USA BMX did. We introduced the
    clipless pedal change a few years back to give riders and the
    manufacturers (who make clipless pedals & shoes, in addition to flat
    pedals) time to prepare for the change. We believe in the coaches who
    work with these kids day-after-day, and we feel that ultimately our
    sport will be better in the long run by keeping those 12 & Under riders
    on flat pedals.
    __________________________________________________________________

    Pro Class
    The pro class will have a new structure for 2021, but from a rules
    standpoint the big change is that riders 17 & older (based on year of
    birth, so a birth year of 2004 or earlier) will be eligible to compete
    in the pro classes. While some riders might make the jump from amateur
    to pro, it is important to note that athletes may continue to race in
    the UCI Junior classes without jeopardizing their amateur status. In
    summary, I think most of us can agree that 2020 was a crazy year and
    our sport was fortunate to be able to safely continue, while many other
    sports were forced to shutdown. We know based on discussions with
    manufacturers that bike sales were off the charts during the pandemic,
    and hopefully some of those new cyclists will find their way to the
    local BMX track.

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