CORTEZ – While Memorial Day signaled the unofficial start of summer, the Baxter Family BMX Track at Parque de Vida really got the wheels turning on the sport’s peak season several weeks earlier.
With Cortez BMX volunteers prepping the track in April, the hardpack dirt was more than ready for the hundreds of competitors that would make it their second home over the coming months. Now that school is out of session, the organization is in full swing, with plenty of racing already getting the youth and adult racers collecting points toward circuit bragging rights.
That being said, while many of the riders who take to the Monday evening races or Tuesday evening practices at the northeast corner of Parque de Vida are seasoned BMX riders, there are plenty who are cutting their teeth in the sport, too.
It’s one of the elements that Cortez BMX prides itself upon – providing a fun and engaging summer activity for riders of all abilities, with volunteer coaches providing feedback for beginners and state qualifiers alike.
Southwest Colorado has become one of the epicenter regions for BMX success in the Centennial State, meaning that riders who take to Cortez’s track will likely run into a healthy level of competition, whether competing at the novice, intermediate, or expert level. New riders begin at the novice level, but can earn the opportunity to advance in the ranks based on their performance.
Weekly races take place at 6 p.m. Mondays, with registration beginning at 5:30 p.m. – athletes must be registered as a member of Cortez BMX to compete. The organization has loaner bicycles and helmets, if needed, courtesy of the Trenton Pawlicki Memorial Scholarship. In addition, every third Saturday of the month is also a race day at the Baxter Family BMX Track, with competitions rolling all through the summer and into September.
Practice nights on Tuesday evenings (5:30-7:30 p.m.) offer riders a chance to hone their skills, and plenty of local riders took advantage – the Cortez BMX team earned 14 top-10 finishes at last year’s state championships in Durango.
The state championships will again be Aug. 30 at the Durango BMX Track in La Plata County, with Cortez serving as a qualifying site at 1 p.m. July 25.
Among the BMX regulations, riders will compete on bicycles with tires no larger than 20 inches with front brakes disabled. Riders are required to wear helmets, as well as long-sleeve shirts and long pants. For more information, interested participants can contact cortezbmx@gmail.com, or check out the Cortez BMX Facebook page.
