BMX, less commonly known as
Bicycle Motocross, is just what it sounds like.
Racing on bikes in the form of a motocross race. It began in the early 70s when
kids too young to ride actual
dirtbikes, took their own bikes, and
modified them to imitate dirtbikes. They became single-geared bikes which were generally much
smaller than
mountain or
road bikes. They then began organizing races, and the
sport gained popularity with incredible
speed. Before long, it couldn't be ignored, BMX wasn't going away anytime
soon.
Not long after, flatland riding was born, which gave birth to a whole new way to ride bikes, known as freestyle. This is when you ride a bike in a halfpipe, skatepark, on trails, flat ground, or even the streets. This opened up the door to modern competitions such as the X Games and Gravity Games 2002, and has allowed for huge corporate sponsorships from organizations such as Hyundai, Right Guard, and Mountain Dew.
Many people wonder why these sports are so popular, there are several reasons. One is that in racing, it's fairly accessible in most areas, and not too expensive. It also is a good family event where the entire family can compete, and watch each other compete. Another reason is that in freestyle, there are unlimited possibilites as to what is possible, and it is entirley up to the individual. There are also so practice schedules or coaches to frustrate participants.
As is quite clear, BMX has a come quite a long way since racing on flat dirt tracks, and still has plenty of room to go even further.