The City of Rio de Janeiro, host of the 2016 Olympic Games, announced today that the Olympic BMX Venue in Deodoro Olympic Park is now complete and has been officially “delivered” by the contractor, Elite Trax, Inc.
The BMX track is the first of six Deodoro Cluster venues to be delivered in 2015, and will host a test event on October 3-4 when the “International BMX Challenge” comes to town.
You can tell by this view from the starting hill that the 2016 track is back to a more traditional layout (or as traditional as a BMX Supercross track can be), versus the tunnel and initial box jump of the pre-test event track in London. Ultimately, the tunnel on the women’s side stayed, but the box jump was out.
That said, it’s no cake walk course. This shot (below) from a few weeks ago, showing trackbuilder, Tom Ritz, driving a roller, atop a rhythm section roller, proves there is deep challenges ahead for the 48 who make it to the Games next August. Photo by Ana Carolina Fernandes, via Elite Trax Facebook Page.
This track also has something no other Olympic track can claim: it’s own graveyard. Take a close look at the in-progress photo, and you will see the boneyard behind what appears to be the third turn. There is no gate leading between the two, so that’s a good sign.
After the 2016 Games pull up stakes, and head to Tokyo for 2020, the BMX venue will remain–along with the MTB an canoe slalom courses as part of the Deodoro “X-Park.”
The Olympic Countdown is ON at BMXNEWS.COM, showing 350 days on the countdown, til the first gate drops. Keep it right here for ongoing Rio 2016 BMX updates.
Top Photo courtesy Rio 2016. Gotta admire that younger rider on the left. Bolting down the 8-meter hill as one of the first riders on the Rio 2016 track.
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