Team USA
BMX Racing
Meticulous calculation and training, precise and powerful execution. Check out Team USA riders competing in BMX racing, and the programs that help Team USA dominate international events.
About BMX Racing
Bicycle Motocross (BMX) Racing is where riders are tested on dirt tracks with rollers, jumps, and turns to challenge their skills. There are many riders that start a BMX race, but through elimination rounds, only 8 make the final event and the person to cross the finish line wins. BMX was officially recognized by the International Cycling Union (UCI) in 1993. The sport made its Olympic debut at the 2008 Beijing Games, providing a platform for BMX racing to expose itself to a wider audience. Over the years, Team USA has proven to be a top contender on the international stage.
Join The Team
The USA Cycling BMX program is designed to expose its athletes to the highest level of international competition and to identify, develop, and support our world-class talent pool by introducing them to our BMX training facility in Chula Vista, CA.
Here's a look at how you can enter the Olympic Development pathway and work your way on to Team USA:
Join The Olympic Development Camps
Check back for more details coming soon.
For more information, please visit: Olympic Development Camps
Join The Olympic Development Academy
USA Cycling’s Olympic Development Academy (ODA) for BMX Racing has been developed to offer you the best coaching and experience outside the National Team. The goal of the program is to allow you to fully experience and understand what it takes to become an Olympic level athlete. ODA athletes will receive tailored coaching to their individual needs and will experience all the sport science that goes behind creating Olympic Champions.
The ODA puts you, the individual, in charge of your athletic development and in front of the coaches and program directors that manage our Olympic programs. The program runs over several months and during that time, you will receive individualized coaching and support, and the options to train at world class Olympic facilities in the USA as well as Europe.
Semester Breakdown
Throughout the BMX semesters, Academy athletes will focus on spending time on the Supercross tracks, working on gate technique, jump technique, and course positioning. Another portion of training will focus on Strength and Conditioning sessions in the gym that will target correct lifting techniques and introducing new specific BMX Racing techniques. Workshops will also be included regarding nutrition, psychology, athlete wellness, anti-doping education and developing training and racing strategies.
BMX Racing event opportunities will be available in Europe as well as the US. The goal of these events will be to educate riders on all aspects of the planning and preparation that will help them perform their best on race day. These events are the perfect place to put into practice everything the athletes have been working out throughout the semester. Riders will receive a full world class treatment and experience, just like the national team would.
UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 13, 2021:
We have put together a cohesive competition and camp schedule for the Spring and Fall semesters with the hopes we would be back racing at the beginning of 2021. Our goal is to provide the best development opportunity for athletes by creating a world-class cycling experience. With the current state of the world, we do not feel that we can create that environment at this time.
With that in mind, the Olympic Development Academy will be run as one Super Semester in 2021 and anyone who has applied for the 2021 Spring and/or Fall semesters will be in consideration. The associated costs per semester will stay the same for the single semester, which means an extension of benefits with no additional cost. ODA and scholarship applications will close on March 15, 2021.
Schedule
We're still ironing out the details for 2021, but here's an idea of what you can expect. All schedules are subject to to change.
Revised February 17, 2021
2021 Super Semester
| Date | Event | Location |
| July 10-11 | Training Camp | TBD |
| July 17-18 | Training Camp | TBD |
| July 24-25 | Training Camp | TBD |
| July 31 - August 1 | Training Camp | TBD |
| August 27-28 | Training Camp | TBD |
| October 15-16 | Training Camp | TBD |
Cost of Attendance
The Olympic Development Academy costs $10,000 per semester with the add-on of team clothing for $500 each year. Other additional cost may be incurred. For a cost breakdown and information on scholarships, click here.
Want to join the Olympic Development Academy?
APPLY NOW
What is the National Team?
USA Cycling is proud to support our BMX National Team athletes who are the ultimate ambassadors of our mission to win, celebrate and inspire. USA Cycling will support National Team elite athletes with logistical and team support upon request. Each athlete in the national team will receive unique support to best address each athlete’s needs in terms of timing and type of resources. USA Cycling will work with our elite athletes’ factory teams to help maximize the combined resources. Our goal is to ensure that our top riders have everything they need to perform at the highest level.
For criteria on how to qualify for the national team and information on the levels of support, click here.
MEET THE TEAM
Olympic Games
July 23 - August 8, 2021: Tokyo, Japan
USA Cycling Olympic Games Athlete Selection Criteria - Updated October 28, 2020
Current Olympic Ranking Points: Men & Women
USA Cycling Olympic Games Staff Selection Criteria - Updated October 29, 2020
For more official documents, please visit: Olympic Games - BMX Racing
World Championships
August 17-22, 2021: Papendal, Netherlands
BMX World Championships Selection Criteria
BMX World Championships Discretionary Athlete Nomination Form
For the most up-to-date information, please visit: UCI BMX World Championships
World Cups
Round 1 & 2: 8-9 May - Verona, Italy (Stuttgart cancelled)
Round 3 & 4: 29-30 May - Bogota, Colombia
Round 5 & 6: 23-24 Oct. - Sakarya, Turkey
Round 7 & 8: 30-31 Oct. - Sakarya, Turkey
Registration is open for Rounds 1&2 in Verona until April 26 - Register here
For the most up-to-date information, please visit: UCI BMX Supercross World Cups
Selection Committees
USA Cycling is responsible for selecting the athletes who represent the United States in the highest level of international competition. For more information on the general selection process, click here.
Podium Bonus
Did you just have a top result in the World Championships or Olympic Games? You may be eligible for a bonus from the USOPC and USA Cycling. Click here to learn more.
Power Rankings:
The USA Cycling Power Rankings are used as a reference for World Cup funding, World Championship and Pan Am Games selection. The Power Rankings track a riders performance over a rolling 12 month period which we feel gives a fair representation of a riders performance. USA Cyclings' mission is to field the best teams at World Cup, World Championship, Pan Am Games and Olympic Games. All these events take place on Supercross style tracks, therefore USA Cycling only counts scores from these types of events.
To view the 2020 Power Rankings, click here.
Athlete Resources:
International BMX License Application
UCI BMX International Rider License Form
USA BMX Registration Check List
Online Registration for BMX World Challenge
Jamie
Staff
High Performance Director, BMX Race & Freestyle
Background
Jamie Staff, an Olympic Gold Medalist for Great Britain in 2008, leads USA Cycling’s BMX and Sprint Track programs. Jamie raced for 20 years in BMX and 7 years on the track before turning to coaching. At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, under Jamie’s direction, USA Cycling’s BMX program won its first Gold medal, a Silver medal, and recorded two 4th place finishes. Jamie is based at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, California.
Joey
Bradford
BMX Head Coach
Background
Joey played every sport he could as a child, but the goal was to ultimately follow in the footsteps of his uncle, NASCAR Hall of Famer Ernie Irvan. In a family of race car drivers, Bradford expected to race BMX to learn the strategy and tatics of racing and then switch to cars as a teen. Despite trying to put down the bike at age 12, he couldn't stay away from the BMX track. Bradford turned pro at age 17 under the guidance of BMX legends Randy Stumpfhauser and Eric Rupe. His love for the sport only grew when he was introduced to the high-flying supercross version of BMX. Now retired, Joey has turned to coaching the best BMX racers in the world.
Arielle
Martin-Verhaaren
BMX Development Coach
Background
Arielle Verhaaren is one of the most successful American BMX racers and was the first American woman to win a UCI BMX Supercross World Cup.
Having started her BMX racing career at the age of five, she won multiple national titles as an amateur before turning pro at the age of 15. While juggling her professional racing career with a college education, she was selected as an alternate to the 2008 Olympic Team and the same year won the overall UCI World Cup series. In 2009 she won a bronze medal at the UCI World Championships and in 2011 she became the first American woman to win a UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, a feat she followed up with a Pan American Games silver medal. In 2012, Arielle was the first athlete selected to the London Olympic BMX Team but a training accident the day prior to departure left her cheering for her teammates from the hospital. She returned to the World Cup circuit in 2013 and ended the season ranked second overall before officially retiring.
Arielle holds a BS in Exercise Science from Brigham Young University and has completed her MBA from Devry. She spends her free time chasing her daughter, coaching the future generation of BMX athletes, and sneaking in rides and races whenever possible.