On any Wednesday…

Feature by Steve ‘The Butcher’ Walker

Birmingham city was the host of the 2012 BMX world championships. The event was a sell out and a massive success and people from all around the world came to watch, ride and race. The young dreamed of what they could achieve and what they may become. The old recalled memories of their childhoods of such magnitude, that they had to brush them away from their faces (and at the same time probably wished they were 20 years younger).

“If you build it, we will come” is what we said. This time the council hot shots listened and they did. Thankfully, they didn’t cut corners by hiring a team of pikeys with building equipment consisting of a shovel, a pick and a working stick. Oh no, on this occasion they really ‘went to town’, professional track builders Clark and Kent were brought in and an international standard BMX track, with start hut and floodlighting system was born.

The people do come. From kids who are so small they have only just learned the complicated art of balance, to teenagers who are so fast and skill-full they belong in a Disney movie, through to ‘oldens’ who are just desperate to catch a glimpse of their childhood past, before the days of the dreaded ‘crisis, that I like to call responsibility.

This is bike riding in its most technical and pure form. It really is a thing of beauty. You don’t need a bike with a ridiculously expensive suspension system. There are no internet bullshit discussions regarding big wheels versus small. It’s all about precision on a bike, riding skills and a ridiculously cheap entry fee.

This is Birmingham BMX ‘club night’ and it happens, purely by coincidence, ‘ON ANY WEDNESDAY’.

Next time: We’ll delve into another alternative and inspiring cycling discipline. If you have any Wednesday bike ride stories to tell us let us know below!