Contender Visits the Olympic BMX Training Facility

Earlier this month, USA Cycling unveiled its all-new BMX Freestyle Olympic Training Facility in South Jordan, Utah, just outside of Salt Lake City. Although the facility has just been revealed to the public, it has been a top-secret training ground for athletes preparing for the Olympics. Contender had the unique opportunity to tour the facility and watch riders perform before it was unveiled.

The Riders

We got to see Perris Benegas, who just won women’s Silver in the Paris Olympics, and Marcus Christopher, who got fourth in the men’s. The excitement peaked when Hannah Roberts, five-time World Champion, threw a huge front flip with a small crowd including BMX legend Ryan Nyquist. 

The Facility

With the introduction of BMX Freestyle to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Team USA quickly became a top-ranked nation in the sport. BMX Freestyle stands out from other Olympic sports due to its dynamic and evolving nature. Unlike other Olympic sports, BMX Freestyle courses change yearly as skills and tricks progress. For this reason, USA Cycling tried to create a training facility that they hoped would be similar to the venue unveiled only a few days before the events at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Unlike the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the park drawings for the 2024 Paris Olympics were not made available months in advance. So, with the help of Nate Wessel from Pastranaland and others, the training facility was designed to incorporate every feature they speculated would be in the new course. To keep this strategic advantage, the training facility has been kept somewhat under wraps for the past few months, allowing athletes to train without interruption.