Another successful season for BMX Park Ljubljana
The big berms and to perfection shaped straights of BMX track in Slovenian capital Ljubljana are on winter rest at the moment, which makes it perfect time to take a look back at the past season – with international competition BMX Race Ljubljana as a highlight – and also what the 2019 will bring.
Italians Nicolo Bonini and Mattia Furlan were the big winners of BMX Race Ljubljana back in August, each of them jumping on the top of the podium on one of the two races, after that they left home with biggest chunk of the substantial prize money and new set of nice memories. “I really like it in Ljubljana. I’ve already enjoyed last year and that is why I came back. City is great, after the race on Saturday we went out for a beer and good dinner, and we really liked it,” said Mattia after victory on Sunday. His words really outline why the race has stronger competition with each of the editions – not just because guys at the track make everything that the track will be in perfect shape and that the organization will be on the highest possible level – but also because you can go stretch your legs on the nearby pump track or ride your bike downtown and just enjoy the atmosphere of the vibrant modern city.
KIDS JUST LOVE BMX
International competition in August was the highlight of the season, full of small events and training camps. Racers loved the high level of organization and spread the good vibes far across the boarders of Slovenia. However for the BMX scene we can’t go pass the importance of BMX school for kids that is ongoing project of the cycling club Rajd that also manages the track and organizes the event. There are about 40 regulars now in the program, and many others are joined on the training camps and riding sessions. The future of BMX looks bright for Ljubljana & the whole country in fact.
BMX Park Ljubljana has established as one of the region’s leading locations and development centers of BMX racing. First track on the location was build in the 80’s, but the completely new track on the same location only followed couple of years ago. Last upgrade to the track was installation of hydraulic start gates (Pro Gate system) in 2017, in the future the focus will be on the surrounding infrastructure. Park is great example of cooperation between the city and a sports club that work hand in hand to create great infrastructure for the needs of the specific scene. Part of this cooperation is also introduction of asphalt pump tracks in the city; in Ljubljana they are called “KoloPark”, and now there are already three of them and more in the pipeline. Biggest one has more than 200 meters long track and multiple lines. KoloParks are ready for everybody from beginners to experts of all ages and perfectly compliment BMX track as the ultimate track of its kind in the city.
RECOGNIZED BY THE EXPERTS
Well maintained track in Ljubljana has also hosted several international training camps, lead by BMX experts like Italian Corrado Toso (UCI BMX&MTB coach, technical coach FCI 3rd level) and French Thierry Fouilleul (ex Junior Cruiser BMX World Champ, now technical coach). They loved what the venue offers and the support they get from the local club. In the next year and beyond you can expect more sessions like this, all of them aimed to push forward the skills of the young BMX rippers. There are also plenty of options for training with cycling club Rajd – on the individual or group basis.
2019 WILL DELIVER BATTLE FOR “THE POINTS”
BMX Race Ljubljana is now in the UCI calendar and is ranked as a C1 race for 2019, which means UCI points for the Olympics qualifications and even bigger prize money. Race will take place on 16th of June 2019 and will be accompanied by a fun session on one of the several asphalt pump tracks in Ljubljana.
More about BMX Park Ljubljana: https://www.kd-rajd.si/en/bmx-park-ljubljana/
More about pump tracks: https://www.kd-rajd.si/en/pumptrack-kolopark-fuzine/
https://www.kd-rajd.si/en/pump-track-kolopark/
https://www.kd-rajd.si/en/pump-track-kolopark-bezigrad/
Text by Cycling club Rajd
Photos by Klemen Humar, club archive
