Big track for little bikes is a massive thrill whatever age you are...and one highly addictive workout
Riding a BMX bike on to a pump track in the heart of urban Glasgow, my stomach flutters with excitement and trepidation.
I confess, too, that I feel conspicuous as a woman in her 50s riding the tiny childlike bicycle – and in an arena that I’m sure is much more familiar to kids and teenagers.
Yet, I’ve always wanted to give BMX racing a go and an aspiration first anticipated in my own childhood is now coming true at a taster session at Glasgow BMX Centre.
The facility in Knightswood is Scotland’s only World and Olympic-standard BMX track and one of only two in Britain.
It appears surprisingly large, especially when riding a small bicycle. The main track is 1,310ft long and 16ft wide, offering space for up to eight riders to race at once.
Stretched out on a snake-like circuit are numerous big bumps and bermed – banked – corners.
I soon realise that pedalling a BMX bicycle is hard work. There are no gears and riders do not sit on the saddle, instead you remain standing while pedalling.
I have been instructed by our group coach Dasha, a Slovakian former world champion BMX rider, to ride fast and maintain the speed to get up and over the bumps, while also using a “pumping” rhythm with the body and bike.
At first, I’m unsure how fast to go because I am nervous of taking off at the top of the bump – and who knows how I might cope with the subsequent landing.
I’m also worried I’ll not pedal hard enough to get
to the top of the bump, which will then lead to what I imagine will be an embarrassing and sudden U-turn back down the slope, possibly on my backside.
While the experts in the Olympic races make the riding look so fast, fluid and easy, I’m out of breath after only half a circuit of the track and my legs are painful with lactic acid in the muscles.
I’ve sweat dripping down my back despite the chilly evening.
I’ve an almost overwhelming desire to sit down for a rest, but I keep pushing my legs, cadence high and never touching the brake, to reach the finish line.
Although spent, the sport is addictive and I’m keen to go again.
I want to see if I can improve my technique and time around the track.
Our group session of children and adults proved that age is no barrier to enjoying BMX. And, although I was the eldest there, I decided that I didn’t care.
I’d arrived at the track full of nerves and I left very much wanting to ride more.