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What features are found on BMX dirt tracks?
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Individual Neutral Athlete Gleb Syritsa, a Russian passport holder, cycling past Les Invalides during the men's road cycling individual time trial at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
BMX dirt tracks are designed with a variety of features to challenge riders and facilitate competitive racing. Regardless of the specific track layout or length, all courses begin at an eight-lane starting gate situated at the top of a starting hill, which provides riders with initial acceleration.1
Common obstacles found on these tracks include:
- Rollers: A series of small hills, often appearing in groups of two to four or more.1
- Jumps: These come in several varieties, such as double jumps (two hills spaced apart), step-up jumps (a short hill followed by a taller one), and step-down jumps (a tall hill followed by a smaller one).1
- Table tops: Jumps that feature a flat plateau at their peak.1
- Rhythm sections: A combination of jumps of varying sizes.1
- Berm turns: Banked curves that can be 90-degree, 180-degree, or long sweeping turns.1
These features are essential to the sport of BMX, allowing riders to navigate the course while performing technical maneuvers.1