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Kristaps Veksa is originally from Latvia. Yep, the same country as Maris Strombergs is from. 

He recently competed in the pump track world championships in Durban, South Africa. Ryan Gilchrist took home the rainbow jersey. 

Veksa began racing around five years old in 1999 in Saldus, Latvia. He had a BMX track right behind the apartment building he lived in. So, of course he was at the track all the time. He finished sixth in his first race. Since then he's won the Latvian national championship multiple times. 

He turned elite right after finishing school. It was a time when there was no U23 class so he jumped right into the deep end of racing with the big boys. He says it was a difficult time getting adjusted to the increased competition. Veksa says his break through moment came when he made the main of a euro cup in Latvia with Strombergs and Edzus Treimanis. He ended up fourth in that race. 

Veksa says he decided to stop racing for a multitude of reasons. So, he decided to move to Germany. He never stopped riding but simply didn't race. Veksa began training kids on how to race. He got the bug to compete again but this time it was on a pump track. Hitting the pump track eventually led him back to a BMX track. This time he passed on racing in the elite category and went straight to the challenge class. The culmination of his hard work was winning worlds in 2023 in the 25-29 challenge class. 

At the moment Veksa is working in a bike shop in Germany, riding for Radio frames, and he just proposed to his girlfriend. 
 

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Justin Travis is the director of business development for USA BMX. He's got 17 years of experience in recreational programming of action sports. Sports like BMX racing, skateboarding to skydiving. 

I've been looking forward to speaking with Justin about some of the upcoming tracks to built and where and exactly how BMX is doing across the country compared to other sports. 

This interview is one of several discussions Justin and I plan to have about the sport we all love. I got lucky because he's so busy and travels quite a bit to get him when I did before Grands. 

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According to the Cycling Museum of Minnesota, BMX became popular in the Land of 10,000 lakes in the 70's, with the first race in the state believed to have taken place at Rydjor Bike shop in Austin, Minnesota in 1974. 

In the mid 80's is when I started racing in Minnesota. I grew up in a time where I raced on tracks from Eden Prairie, Albert Lea to Richfield, where the famous Taft Park track was and is now gone. Hell I even raced indoors at the Armory in Downtown Minneapolis during the winter. 

In all that time I don't remember a state series. To me points were all about district points. 

Presently Minnesota has a thriving Minnesota BMX scene and state series. The state has 10 tracks where every track gets a qualifier. The series begins In July and ends late August. The finals is held at the ever famous "Rum River BMX' in Isanti, Minnesota. 

I recently sat down with Sam Falkowski and Tim Dobosenski who  are on the committee that organize the series. It's the second year of the committee and they have big plans for the series. 

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So, I've decided to start a series that will hopefully cover the country. I'm interested in how the state series for each state in the union is doing. Now what I mean is how have they been running, how many races they have, how many racers participate, how well is the series doing, what are some of the challenges they face and what does the future look for their particular state series. 

Since I live in Florida it would only be right to start right here. Thanks to Drew Motley, Tom Johnson and Domingos Lammoglia I was able to contact head official Bill Robins. 

Here's what I will tell you, Bill took me to school on how the series runs, how the tracks work together, ridership and the partnership between the Florida state series and USA BMX. 

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Stefany Hernandez is a national treasure in her home country of Venezuela. BMX is in her blood and from day one it was all about tapping into her greatness. Her brothers started racing first. She says her mom would take her to the track while still in the womb. Stefany got third in her first race and it lit a fire in her belly to succeed. 

She would eventually travel the world to France and Switzerland to live, train, and work. She credits French coach Thomas Allier for taking her to the next level of competition. The world stage. 

Stefany would eventually win a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, become world champion, and hit World Cup podiums.

In 2021 she called it quits on her career and moved back to Venezuela. Currently she is working on multiple ventures to help BMX in her country, the youth of her area, and helping out in the family business. 

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Michael Bias has had an up and down 2024 season of racing elite BMX. He's had injuries, he wasn't picked to represent New Zealand for the Paris Olympics but he did win the overall in the Coupe De France as a rider and he contributed to his team, "Bmx Besancon" winning the overall title in the Coupe De France for the first time. 

In this interview we talk about his mind set for the season, World Cups, the Worlds and what's left for him to race this season. I'll tell you, he 's racing an indoor in the South of France soon and then Grands. Yep, I said Grands. 

Michael is one of my favorites to speak with because he's honest, sincere, and an overall cool ass dude. 

When the season ends he's heading home to New Zealand for much needed break. 

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Quillan Isidore is one of the fastest elites in the world. Coming into the Olympics in Paris it looked like he was going to be an alternate for the GB team heading to Paris. For a moment it looked like he was going until a return call from Kye Whyte put paid to those dreams. Q was the second alternate after Ross Cullen. It meant he wasn't traveling to the Olympics nor did he get any swag. 

The let down forced him to do a reset. He's unsure he'll continue to receive funding from British Cycling. So, he's turned his eye to coaching to make up the difference to continue racing at a high level if things don't go his way. Quillan is even looking to bring his coaching skills to the United States for a stint. 

At 28 years old Quillan says he still has a lot left in the tank. He says he's clearly looking to make the Olympic team for the Los Angeles Olympics and to be honest I think he can. 

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Ethan Popovich is a stud. The Valparaiso, Indiana native began racing twelve years ago. He's ridden for teams like Mudslinger, DK Factory and currently Haro. He's a two time Junior National Champ, and he finished top ten at worlds in Rock Hill, South Carolina this year. 

Popovich is known as a very skilled rider. He's coached Olympic Gold Medalist Connor Fields. He recently began hitting the world stage at World Cups. He's been racing nationals like crazy this season. Popovich is looking to win the national amateur title this year. Grands is a big objective at the end of the season. 

Ethan says Tyler Whitfield and Olijuwon Davis are major influences on him as a person and racer. 

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This topic in this episode was brought to me by Tony Stillinger, the owner of the "Extreme" team out of Florida. He's looking to increase the pro purses at races by creating a product line of goods and contributing money to the purses. Stillinger would eventually like a six race series strictly based on the money he generates from the product line. 

To give context on what it's like to be a pro we reached out to Dale Holmes, a former pro who raced during the hey day of big checks in the 90's, Cam Bramer, a current young pro who is doing what he can to make a living in the sport he loves and former pro and all things BMX guru Alan Foster.  

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26 year old Philip Schaub is seeing a dream come true. He's made the German Olympic team for BMX. He got the call roughly two weeks after the European Championships in Verona, Italy. He was sitting at the table in his apartment when he got the call. 

The qualification process to make the Olympic team started in 2022. Schaub said it was a two part process. He said a rider had to earn points racing the World Cups and World Championships. The second part he said was really up to the coach of the national team. 

Schaub was nervous about making the team because of a severe injury. He had a disc prolapse in 2023. The injury was so bad that he eventually needed to have surgery. That surgery put him on the coach and it left him only ten weeks to get in shape and score some points at the World Cup in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina. 

He did something right because Schaub will be in Paris when the racing begins August 1st at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium.