USA Cycling and USA BMX Announce format for 2015 UCI BMX World Championship Qualifications

Filed under General on February 26, 2015 | Comment(s)

USA Cycling and USA BMX are announcing that qualifications for the 2015 UCI BMX World Championships will take place in both the eastern and western United States.  

“We are excited to allow more riders the opportunity to compete for the 16 spots available in each classification and look forward to having more riders represent the United States,” said Micah Rice, USA Cycling Vice-President of National Events.

The new format will utilize racing at the two USA BMX National Series races over Memorial Day weekend, May 22-24.  Events will take place at Music City BMX in Nashville, Tennessee and at Duke City BMX in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“We have had single qualifying events at both of these venues in the past.  They are both outstanding venues with great community support and we look forward to the change,” said John David, Chief Operating Officer at USA BMX.

The UCI Challenge Classes will race on Saturday at each venue and will use the same format followed in Nashville two years ago and in Albuquerque last year.  The UCI Challenge Classes will be placed at the beginning of the program and will run in the place of opens.  This format gives riders the opportunity to compete in both the World Qualification race as well as the USA BMX National. 

To qualify for the World Championships, riders will be required to make the main event. By qualifying eight (8) riders at each event, it will qualify 16 riders for each of the Challenge Classes.  The 2015 UCI BMX World Championships will take place in Zolder Circuit, Belgium from July 17 through July 25.

Riders not qualifying through the qualification process will be able to apply to the USA Cycling Selection Committee following the USA Cycling Principles of Athlete Selection.  The Discretionary Athlete Nomination form is available on usacycling.org by clicking on Athlete Programs, then Team Selection, then scroll down and click on “BMX Discretionary Athlete Nomination Form.”  The nomination is not meant to circumvent the qualification process.  Preference will be given to those riders holding a USA BMX National Age Group ranking and having competed in the qualifiers.  

“We have riders who race all year to earn a national or age group ranking; our goal is to have those rankings become part of the qualification process,” said John David.  “It would not be fair to announce those changes for 2015, but we will unequivocally look at ways to work with our partners at USA Cycling to ensure that we collaborate on qualifying the best possible representatives in 2015 and beyond.”

The 2016 BMX World Championships will be held in Parque de las Ruedas, Medellin, Columbia and the 2017 Championships will be held in Rock Hill, South Carolina.