• Home
• | Terms & conditions
• | Contact us
• | RSS

'The best BMX track on the planet'

23 July 2010

World renowned track builder Tom Ritzehthaler has assured BMX fans worldwide that South Africa's track for the UCI BMX World Championships is ahead of schedule and, when completed, will be the best racing track on the planet.

The 42-year-old from Ohio is entrusted by the International Cycling Federation (UCI) to sculpt the track for the BMX World Championships each year, and he expects the unique layout at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal to quickly earn the respect of the riders.

The progression of the building of the track can be viewed on live webcam on the 2010 UCI BMX World Championships website.

A whole new level

"It takes BMX racing to a whole new level in terms of endurance and toughness," Ritzehthaler said in a rare break from long hours at the helm of his power-roller and earthmoving machines.

"This track is over 380 metres long, while the usual track length is around 310 metres," said the likeable American, who was himself a competitive BMX racer before being co-opted by the UCI as their premier track builder.

"The first straight has elements of speed and power, but it is the second straight that will be technical," he added.

Unique

The track is unique as it is the first track to feature separate straights and start ramps for the elite riders, and has been designed to introduce new technical challenges for the riders.

Ritzenthaler builds each track together with 27-year-old Canadian Kyle Michell, who was also a top BMX racer. "It's critical that we both raced. That way we know exactly what the riders expect from each jump, and on each section of the course."

"A great course is not just about power," says Ritzenthaler. "To succeed a rider needs to have to think, and plan every inch of the race, then combine speed and power with that thought process."

Track building tag-team

The duo formed their unique track building tag-team after working together to build the course for the Victoria World Championships in Canada in 2007.

They have hand-picked red clay soil found near Tweedie for the track in the main arena at the Royal Agricultural Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg. "It's perfect," said Ritzenthaler. "It compacts down really hard till its almost like concrete, and it’s easy to shape."

Ritzenthaler seemed destined to a career of building BMX Tracks after growing up in a family that lived and worked at a BMX track in Ohio in the seventies. "My dad taught me how to build a track and make changes to it," says Ritzenthaler.

Positive growth curve

He has seen the sport go through highs and lows, and feels that it is on a very positive growth curve at the moment. "BMX is going crazy over in Europe, while it has kinda levelled out in the US," he says.

It has taken a six-truck fleet three days, or 650 truck loads of non-stop ferrying to get the 9 000 tons of red clay into the showgrounds, ready to be shaped by Ritzenthaler and Michell.

While Ritzenthaler and Michell sculpt the track, riggers are building the two side-by-side start ramps. The elite riders drop off a massive eight-metre-high start ramp, while a more forgiving five-metre ramp will be used by the other classes.

Economic boost

Meanwhile, tills all around Pietermaritzburg will be ringing for the next two weeks as the region soaks up the economic injection from the World Championships that start on 29 July. Analysts estimate that the event could bring R25-million into the local economy.

Participants from 38 nations are entered for the event, with 1 100 athletes, and an estimated 1 100 family, supporters, and team support crew due to start flooding into the region in the days ahead of the championships.

Analysts say that number could well increase, given the groundswell of optimism towards South Africa after the successful hosting of the Fifa World Cup.

Estimates

Conservative estimates based on 2 200 international visitors, each of whom is staying for five days in Pietermaritzburg, plus an average three days visiting sights in the region, and spending an average of R1 200 on accommodation, food , travel and entertainment per day, results in a R21.1-million inflow into the local economy.

Over the four days of the competition, event organisers anticipate a direct spend of over R3-million at the event and on related goods and merchandise, bringing the direct spend attributable to the event of around R25-million.

However, marketing experts say the real value to Pietermaritzburg could well be four times that amount, as the impact of the city being screened live on 28 major television networks has huge marketing and tourism value, particularly in the post World Cup euphoria.

Flags

"Don't put away your flags just yet, because Pietermaritzburg's World Cup is just about to start!" enthused the city's Director of Tourism Melanie Veness.

The overwhelming majority of the BMX riders, together with the hundreds of local riders who will be travelling from all corners of the country to Pietermaritzburg for the event, will be staying at local Bed and Breakfast establishments, most of which are fully booked.

"The B&Bs on our lists are reporting super bookings and are smiling properly," the head of the Local Organising Committee and Event Director Alec Lenferna pointed out.

"One hotel in the Dargle area has 157 Zimbabweans booked in. EKZN Wildlife Chalets at Midmar will be home to the New Zealand contingent. Two B&Bs in lower Old Howick Road near the showgrounds are 'chokka-block,'" added Lenferna.

"It has been confirmed, for example, that 11 riders are coming from Colombia and 17 from Ecuador alone, so some Spanish can be expected to be heard in Pietermaritzburg by month end.

Established events' benefits

"The established events like the Comrades Marathon, the Midmar Mile and the Hansa Powerade Dusi Canoe Marathon certainly have benefited the region economically, and if there is good sustainability around BMX, then let's be optimistic the economic benefit can in years to come, be spread wider," said Veness.

"It's great, then, that this is an Olympic discipline and the UCI Champs are an Olympic qualifier," she added.

Parking will be easy and safe at Voortrekker High School directly across the road from the Royal Showgrounds. Food, and refreshments will be on sale around the track in a high-entertainment DJ-driven, music- and BMX-based environment.

The UCI BMX World Championships takes place at the Royal Showgrounds from 29 July to 1 August.

SAinfo reporter