The first round of the BMX took place yesterday to determine the seeding of the riders for the moto stages. The riders compete individually against the clock for a time which will decide what place they will start at in the next phase of the competition.

There were two crashes in today’s stage, Brook Crain (USA) cased a jump and slammed hard, thankfully she was only winded and has said that she will compete in Friday’s semi-final. Edzus Treimanis (LAT) crashed in  the same place as Brook, making an impressive face plant, causing a bit of bloodshed, before being led off the track. Edzus has not yet stated as to whether he will be fit to start in today’s rounds.

Edzus Treimanis (LAT) after his crash on Wednesday

Today we will see the men compete for a place in the semi-finals, as the woman only have 16 riders they automatically go through to the semis earning them a day off to relax and perfect their technique.

Today’s quarter-final will be held over five runs where a rider will earn points on each run depending on where they place. After the three runs, two best riders from each heat progress to the semi-finals. The remaining riders will then compete in the final two quarter-final runs and the best two from each quarter-final will progress to the semi-finals.

With eight riders on the track at once they will be vying for the best position out of the start gate. The start position in the gate is chosen by the riders, the fastest rider in the seeding gets first pick and then second fastest gets second pick and so on.

London 2012 Olympic BMX Track

There will likely be plenty more crashes today, especially when the track is new, fast and challenging. With riders completing the individual rides in under 40 seconds, viewers will not be disappointed watching them fight for the finish.

Today’s heats will take place as follows: