BMX - short for Bicycle Motocross - is still a very new Olympic event, making its debut at the 2008 Olympics games in Beijing.
The BMX competition joins road, track, and mountain bike events to make bike racing the most exciting collection of sports in the Summer Olympic Games.
BMX is a new Olympic event, so there's not yet a huge "Hall of Champions" to look back on. But certainly there were some memorable performances in Beijing that got things started. The BMX athletes are a rare breed -- with the explosive legs of a racer, the strength and flexibility of an acrobat, and the steel nerves of a daredevil, you'll see athleticism and artistry here like nowhere else.
Races are held
over a short, tight, twisting circuit with multiple turns and jumps. Eight
riders compete in each race. They start from a manually-operated gate and
hurtle down a steep slope. First to the finish line wins. The challenge is not
to fall off as you whizz around the challenging course.
