USA BMX Music City Nationals Rocks Middle Tennessee in Music City

Near the banks of J. Percy Priest Lake, hundreds of professional and amateur BMX riders from across the country will descend on Nashville this Memorial Day weekend, May 26-28, for the USA BMX Music City Nationals.

 

The three-day event will be held at the Music City BMX track at 2901 Bell Road in Nashville. Races begin at 2:30 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday, with participants racing well into the evening. Parking is $10 per day, and fans are welcome to watch and cheer on their favorite riders as they expertly navigate jumps, twists and turns along the dirt track.

 

Spectators who can’t get enough of the heart-pumping action of the event can give their own wheels a spin at a free open house event at the track on Friday, June 9, where first-timers can borrow a loaner BMX bike and helmet (or bring their own) and take a spin on the track to get a taste of what BMX riding is all about. The event is open to anyone who isn’t already a member of USA BMX.

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“We’re so proud of the outstanding BMX community that our track operator at Music City BMX has fostered” said BA Anderson, CEO of USA BMX. “We’ve held numerous national racing events at this track, and we know it’s going to be a thrilling event.”

 

There are four sanctioned USA BMX tracks in Tennessee for riders of all ages to get their start in BMX racing: Bradley BMX (Cleveland), Music City BMX (Nashville), Morristown BMX (Morristown) and Shelby Farms BMX (Memphis).

 

One of the local racers participating this weekend is 17-year-old Lola Petillo of Nashville, who is at the Music City BMX track at least three days a week working on her skills.

 

The high school senior has been riding since the age of 5. “My dad has always been a bike mechanic, and when we were watching the Tour de France when I was 5, I asked him if they have something like that for kids,” Lola remembers. She took two days to learn to ride a bike before visiting Music City BMX. “I was terrified that first day.”

 

She said that while she didn’t have any friends into BMX at the time, it was easy to make friends at the track. “When you’re at a place like Music City BMX, it’s a very tight-knit community. I’d see the same people all the time.”

 

Petillo has been on the Factory Clayborn national racing team since the age of 7 and recently won a BMX scholarship at Lindsey Wilson College—one of a handful of universities that offer a collegiate BMX program.

 

“I’m really looking forward to watching the pros race,” Petillo said about this weekend’s event. “They just had a really big weekend in Tulsa. The stakes are getting higher, and more people are getting into BMX racing.”

About USA BMX - Established as the American Bicycle Association in 1977 and headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ABA is the nation’s largest cycling organization with more than 70,000 members with combined racing and freestyle events at more than 300 sanctioned BMX tracks across North America and Canada. ABA empowers and elevates the early stages of bicycle development by creating opportunities through facility development, programs, and national events. As a result, ABA has developed a structured blueprint. A cyclist can progress from humble beginnings on a balance bike to becoming a BMX Olympian by establishing these roots.

 

Through STEAM, scholarships, freestyle amateur events, the national series, the Olympics and new facilities built across the United States, these four pillars under the USA BMX organization will impact young riders and families: USA BMX Foundation, USA BMX Freestyle, USA BMX Racing and ABA Ethos.