Hampton Roads Riders Show Super-iority
For some of Hampton Roads' youngest cyclists, last weekend was a chance to deepen their mark in the present era of BMX racing. For some, it was a step toward the brightest of futures.
But for all, the Battle at the Bay at Hampton's Supertrack was a moment to remember - in more ways than one.
Before the three-day race really got rolling - in every sense of the word - on Friday evening, riders held a Pro-Am in memory of Eddie Townsend, the former track director who passed away in January 2007. As Townsend's wife Kelli cheered from the bleachers, Maryland resident Matt Kelty grabbed first in the event, and he and the rest of the top eight finishers shared a prize of $2,000.
"Eddie's been gone a year and a half," Kelli said, "and BMX is what's kept me and my boys going (Townsend left behind two sons, neither of whom has reached the teen years). For them to honor him and his memory has been a blessing. (The Supertrack group is) my family. Hampton Supertrack is our second home. If we're not at our house, we're usually at the track. It's bittersweet, but we know he's watching us, looking out."
As he looked at the rest of the competitors in the 15-17 Expert race, Menardo Simon felt awfully small.
"It was a little intimidating, because everyone else was about three feet taller than me!" said Simon. "I wanted to beat these guys and make them look stupid for being older!"
He didn't, in totality - the Hampton High student ended the race in second place, one spot behind Pennsylvania's Kyle McRory. But he had one more chance to show why he's ranked in the top 10 for his age group in Cruiser racing, and took advantage, notching the 15-18 Cruiser race.
"I was pretty sure I was going to win," he said. "It was a resounding win."
Samantha Bly's had more than her share of resounding wins this season - she's one of the top 17-year-old bikers in the country. The Battle gave her two more winning steps on her tripe to national prominence, as she won the girls 17+ races on Saturday and Sunday.
"Maybe!" said Bly of whether her birthday was an extra incentive (she turned 17 on July 4). "I'd like to think that, but probably not. I was just keeping it smooth, going down the rythms. If I was going to jump something, I tried not to fall off, and if I did, to just keep going (she didn't)."
Still, Eddie's name was never too far from the crowd's collective mind; several members of the team he founded crossed their respective finish lines first. Member Ryan Greene, one the nation's top 16-year-old racers, won the 16 Novice race, and Matt Boller got the 19-25 Expert title. Townsend rider Dan Birmingham took home the 14 Novice events, and Hampton's Asher Scott, who's not a member on the Townsend squad, won the 15 Novice title.
"I wasn't too nervous," Birmingham said. "I never saw anybody around me or beside me. It was great to get another win."
Four years from now, Birmingham, Scott, Bly, and the rest of the local cycling crowd hope to snare a few more wins on a wider scale - 2008 will mark the first time BMX racing will be an Olympic sport, and they'd love to be there for the second round in 2012.
"That's going to be a proud moment for the entire sport," Kelli said of BMX Olympic riding. "We have a lot of Olympic hopefuls. Everyone needs a place to start, and the Supertrack gives them a place to do that."
