It’s been six years since Cochrane BMX Association hosted the Provincial Finals (Grands) & Alberta BMX Championships but this year the tournament makes its way back to the modern west, highlighting the riders, tracks, and the local BMX community.
From September 5 to 7, the local track will be host to Alberta’s best BMX racing talent as they compete for hardware and bragging rights.
“It’s like the grand final of the provincial racing series,” said Laura Spruyt, volunteer coordinator for Cochrane BMX. “It’s our last event of the season, so it’s a really big one.”
Cochrane BMX earned the right to host the event after submitting a successful bid at last year’s Alberta BMX annual general meeting. With nine active BMX clubs across the province, the hosting opportunity rotates among those willing and able to take it on. The last time Cochrane hosted the Grands was in 2019.
It is estimated that about 500 competitors will participate in the weekend competitions, a promising turnout but a far cry from the popularity the sport had pre-pandemic.
“At that time there was probably like 800 riders,” Spruyt noted. “We also had a club membership of over 200 riders then.”
As time went on, the BMX community has started to pick momentum back up. Right now there are about 40 members from Cochrane BMX and events like the Grands could help draw more interest. This was the case for Spruyt who aside from being a volunteer is also a rider together with her son and daughter.
“I know for my son, when he was four, he went and watched the provincial race at the Cochrane Track and the next year he started racing,” she recalled. “Five years later in 2020, my daughter and I started. She was six at the time and we’ve been riding since.”
In addition to the competition, the event serves as a vital fundraiser for Cochrane BMX. Planned raffles and prize draws will support ongoing maintenance and upgrades to the local track, including the potential addition of a pro set, an advanced feature typically used by elite riders.
“We just did a rebuild of our track this season,” Spruyt explained. “Hopefully we'll have one built for next season.”
Competitively, the stakes couldn’t be any higher as those who wins at the Provincial Championships earn themselves a spot at the World Championships.
This year’s World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark saw three Cochrane BMX representatives who earned their spots in the prior season.
Moreover, the top 8 finishers of each class will have the distinction of carrying the coveted ‘AB Plate’ plate, essentially marking them as one of the best riders in the province.
Cochranites are encouraged to come out and cheer on the athletes during the free, family-friendly event. Races begin at 10:15 a.m. daily and take place at the Cochrane BMX Association track.
