After a blank year, the Caen BMX Indoor starts again
Through Aline Chatel
Published on
Fortunately, BMX enthusiasts love speed! The organizers of Caen BMX Indoor knew a month before D-Day that their event was going to be able to take place, the weekend of February 19 and 20, 2022. “It’s a bit of a race, smiles the organizer Pierre-Louis Saillet. We had a narrow escape two years ago (the first confinement had been decreed a few days after the 11ᵉ edition), we are very happy to be back after last year’s cancellation. »
3,500 tons of sand
The success of the “mini-Bercy”, as Sylvain Huet, then president of Caen BMX, imagined it in 2009, cannot be denied. This year again, 1,500 drivers are expected on the track. In the space of three days, 3,500 tonnes of sand will have been transported by 150 trucks. The organization, which requires 220 volunteers, is titanic. “Ten people are mobilized for ten months to prepare for this event, explains Pierre-Louis Saillet. We are one of the largest events in the region founded and run solely by volunteers. There are no employees. »
National delegations will come
A budget of 350,000 euros is needed to carry out this event, which each year welcomes around 6,000 spectators over two days. All eyes will be on racing, the flagship discipline of BMX. The riders will set off for 340 to 400 meters of bumps and turns. They must demonstrate explosiveness, power and agility are required to come out on top. The departures will be linked for two days. A few stars of the specialty will be present. Olympic champion and world champion Bethany Shriver is expected. The British delegation will be there, as will that of the Netherlands.
Caen is registered in the official calendar of the UCI (International Cycling Union). This is a qualifying round for the world championships. Nations also score points for Olympic qualifications.
Initiations and demos at the urban sports fair
The Caen BMX Indoor is one of the two biggest events of its kind in France. It attracts well beyond national borders since 200 foreign pilots are expected. Before the world championships in Nantes, at the end of July, the stakes will already be high. However, the competition itself will only be part of the weekend’s attractions. At the same time, the sixth urban sports fair should attract many curious people. “There will be demonstrations and initiations,” says Pierre-Louis Saillet, referring to freestyle, breakdance, graffiti and even diabolo.
A world cup race
The other expected meeting will be the skatecross World Cup round. Contrary to appearances, this is a roller race with bosses. The best French and several Europeans will be present among the 150 participants. Here again, as for the BMX dirt event (aerial tricks), the show is guaranteed…
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