CYCLING: Cycling Australia was pleased to announce the BMX Freestyle selections for the Australian team which will contest the 2018 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in China in November, before BMX Freestyle Park makes its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

BMX Freestyle park sees cyclists perform a series of tricks during their ‘1 minute run’ across a ramp-filled course, with riders’ tricks being judged on difficulty, originality, style and execution.

The Australian team in China will be headlined by the Gold Coast's Logan Martin, who claimed the first-ever rainbow jersey on offer in the discipline in 2017 and for the first time, will have the opportunity to compete on the biggest stage of them all, the Olympic Games.

Martin said,

"I was so stoked when I found out Freestyle BMW had been added to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games", Martin said.

"It definitely shows that our sport is in fact a professional sport and now people within and outside the BMX world will start to treat it that way."

This year began ominously for Martin, following a training crash in March which broke his collarbone in four places and forced him to miss the opening round of the UCI BMX Freestyle Park World Cup.

Martin recovered in time to contest the Series’ second round in May where he finished second, before storming to a third-round win in July and gold in the BMX Park Final at the X-Games in the USA later that month.

Martin, who currently sits fourth overall on the World Cup standings told Cycling Australia,

“I’m stoked to have another opportunity to ride the UCI World Championship again this year and represent Australia,

“To have won the first-ever UCI BMX Freestyle World Championship last year was mind-blowing to me and I will most definitely be going for the gold medal again this year.

“I have had a rough start to the year, but my main focus was to get back to full strength leading into July’s World Cup and X-Games in which I won both Park events.

“It has been a much better start to the second half, and I’m feeling really good and strong on my bike. I’m looking forward to the next few events and to finish off the year strongly.”

Brandon Loupos celebrated victory in the opening round of the UCI BMX Freestyle Park World Cup, however, in unfortunate circumstances, the Sydney rider suffered a bike mechanical in round two and had his bike stolen just three hours before the final in round three.

The Gold Coast’s Kyle Baldock and Melbourne's Jake Wallwork round out the selections.

The 2018 UCI Urban Cycling Worlds Championships will take place in Chengdu, China, from 7-11 November 2018.

• Logan Martin (24) - Gold Coast, QLD  

• Brandon Loupos (25) - Engadine (Sydney), NSW  

• Kyle Baldock (27) - Gold Coast, QLD 

• Jake Wallwork (24) - Kilmore (Melbourne), VIC 
  
  

Cycling Australia/olympics.com.au