2022 for the UCI World Cycling Centre’s BMX Racing group: a UCI World Champion and more

With gold and silver medals at the UCI BMX Racing World Championships, the UCI World Cycling Centre’s (WCC) BMX Racing group had plenty to celebrate in 2022.

The athletes also had their share of injury and disappointments. But they came out of the season heads high and smiling.

We look back at the season and its highs and lows.

Simon Marquart in rainbow stripes

The obvious high of 2022 was UCI WCC trainee Simon Marquart being crowned UCI World Champion at the end of July.

His rainbow jersey took more than a few by surprise given that the Swiss rider, winner of the overall UCI BMX Racing World Cup in 2021, had been sidelined for around two months after breaking his shoulder earlier in the year. Although he had been back in competition before the UCI World Championships in Nantes, France, nobody – not even he - was sure of his shape.

He explains: “I struggled a lot in the buildup to the UCI Worlds and there were times when I seriously doubted I would be able to line up. So, overcoming all these challenges and winning the title was huge. Before the race I wasn’t sure I could win but on the second day of racing I felt things coming together and was feeling better and better each round.”

His UCI World tile was all the sweeter after his injury, a particularly frustrating period: “I tried to distract myself with as much training and physio as possible. I struggle if I can’t train, even if I am healthy. I was back in the gym three days after the crash and was working on my lower body. I try to see every injury as a chance to work on areas that have been neglected.”

Having achieved his childhood dream of being crowned UCI World Champion and wearing the rainbow stripes, Simon encountered a few problems living up to the prestigious jersey. At the last four rounds of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup in Bogotá, Colombia, in October, he did not manage to get any further than the quarter-finals: “Wearing these stripes definitely comes with new challenges which I need to learn how to master. I think it’s mainly the pressure and expectations I put on myself which I struggled with. But the good thing is that the first UCI World Cups in the stripes are out of the way now and I have a lot of time now to process and learn from these races.

“I am very excited already for next year. I have a long off season in front of me where I am able to really work on my weaknesses and getting used to this new situation. I am sure that I will improve in all aspects and be ready for the upcoming season.”

He believes the steep learning curve of 2022 will have armed him with the necessary tools to embrace the next season: “Struggling with this injury and nearly throwing in the towel two weeks before the UCI Worlds and then ending up winning just showed me once again that you just can’t give up, no matter how bad the situation you find yourself in might be. Which is also the case right now. So, this year was probably my most valuable year. I’ve learnt a lot from it and am still learning.”

Zoé Claessens: second in the UCI World Championships and UCI World Cup

Twenty-one year-old Zoé Claessens finished the season as she started: strongly!

Her two third places in the last two rounds of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup saw her move up to second in the overall standings of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup.

She was second, too, at the UCI BMX Racing World Championships, three weeks after winning two consecutive rounds of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup.

She says: “At the beginning of the year one of my goals was to be consistent in the UCI World Cup. I won two rounds and came 2nd overall. I came second in the UCI World Championships just a few centimetres away from winning. I'm still a bit disappointed but it gives me even more motivation to train and try to win in the years to come.

“I will train hard during the winter period to become better, and we will see what happens,” says Zoé, who is also proud to have successfully reconciled studies with sport at the highest level.

Positivity for all UCI WCC trainees

Quite apart from the UCI World Championships medallists, the other trainees also celebrated considerable achievements this year:

Colombian Gabriela Bolle finished the season on a high note, making the final of the sixth round of the UCI World Cup in Bogotá, in her home country.

“We’ve been looking for improvement and a lot more consistency during the races and to finally put all the things together and make my first UCI World Cup final of the year on home soil was really special for sure,” she says.

After breaking her ankle in May and undergoing surgery, Sae Hatakeyama, of Japan, was out of action for four months. Her comeback to racing in Bogotá was therefore quite remarkable: she made the semi-finals in three of the four Colombian rounds. Great things should be in store for 2023!

Meanwhile, 2022 saw Thailand’s Komet Sukprasert become his country’s first Asian Champion in the discipline, and Ecuadorian Pedro Benalcazar take the silver medal in the Men Junior competition at the Pan-American Championships.

Pedro is also proud to have reached the Under 23 final in round 7 of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup and the semi-final at the UCI World Championships, “but the whole year was a highlight for me! Having the opportunity to live outside my country for 6 months and living in Switzerland for 3 months with a great group, competing in Europe has been a dream and great learning opportunity that has made me better in all aspects.”

The same sentiments from Sweden’s Einar Lindburg, who although disappointed with his season, was again crowned National Champion in 2022 and is already looking ahead: “My goal for 2023 is to perform to the best of my ability. I’m always aiming for wins and finals but sometimes other people are just simply faster. As long as I can go out there and give it my all, I’ll be happy!”

The final word goes to UCI WCC Performance Manager Liam Phillips: “2022 saw some changes within the UCI WCC’s BMX Racing team after an intense Olympic year in 2021. New riders came in to start their journey with us, while our existing riders continued their progression to place themselves among the world’s best at major events. As always, there were incredible highs – not least Simon and Zoe winning medals at the UCI World Championships - but also lows, with Sae’s season being hugely affected by major injury. It is all part of the learning curve, and our athletes came out of the season stronger and more mature. As the riders enjoy their off season, we look forward to 2023 and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”