The Elite of BMX Freestyle Park and Flatland will head to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to battle for the title of UCI World Champion. The competitions will be part of the 2025 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships (4-8 November) which also include the trials discipline.
In this first of two event previews, we examine a few of the contenders for the BMX Freestyle rainbow jerseys of UCI World Champion.
Men Park: global field
More than 60 participants from all over the world will compete for the three podium spots in Men Park. The field will be reduced to 24 riders in the semi-final from which the top 12 riders of the day will transfer to the final on Saturday 8 November.
Eyes will quite naturally be on multiple and defending UCI World Champion Logan Martin. The Australian won his first rainbow jersey in Chengdu, China, in 2017 and repeated his win in 2021 (Montpellier, France) before his third title in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) last year. He was also crowned Olympic Champion at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Among his very strong rivals for the title is Japan’s Rimu Nakamura, 2022 UCI World Champion, who finished 2nd at the UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup round in Shanghai, China, mid-October.
That round was won by Justin Dowell (USA) who has been riding extremely well recently and sits in third place in the UCI BMX Freestyle Park ranking. At the top of the UCI Nations Ranking, the USA brings six riders to the Men Park category with Nick Bruce and Marcus Christopher amongst those also on their roster.
Great Britain comes with high hopes in the form of Dylan Hessey, recently crowned European Champion, while Argentina’s reigning Olympic Champion José Torres Gil can be expected to shine on the field of play that features a large middle section full of box jumps, spines and spoxes. He has been close to a rainbow jersey in the past but is this his year?
Women Park: Roberts going for seventh title
Can Hannah Roberts (USA) claim a seventh UCI world title in Riyadh? Having moved to Salt Lake City in order to ride more at its indoor facility, Roberts is in good shape and can throw the big tricks on demand. Her recent win in Shanghai is an indication of what she’s capable of, but there are no guarantees of victory.
Miharu Ozawa is a star on the rise. The Japanese youngster had some bad luck at the latest UCI World Cup round but when she brings her trick variations on blackflips and 360s she’s a rider to look out for.
But the main competition can be expected to come out of China. Taking positions 2 to 6 at the 2024 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Abu Dhabi, the Chinese sent a clear signal that the American favourite has some strong competition. Those last few runs of the Women Park final will be high quality and promise to be nail-bitingly tight.
Women Flatland: Japanese favourite
Judges will be looking for flawless runs in the Flatland competition, but that’s not the only criteria. Originality, versatility, flow, style, difficulty of tricks, variety of the moves, and control over the combos are also taken into account. Everything needs to come together in one amazing performance for an athlete to hope to pull on the rainbow jersey.
Japan and Hungary occupied positions 1 to 4 in the Women’s Flatland at last year’s UCI Urban Cycling World Championships, and will be looking to dominate again. One of the headline riders will be Japan’s Chiaki Todaka who, aged just 15, won the UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup round in China just two weeks ago.
Men Flatland: all to play for
With the retirement of 2024 UCI World Champion Matthias Dandois (FRA), the Men’s Flatland rainbow jersey is sure to change hands. Riders from nine different nations have signed up to chase the title, with the progressive Yu Katagiri (JPN) being one of the top favourites. Only few can compete with the original moves from Katagiri over a three-minute run.
Among those looking to topple him are talented riders such as American Continental Champion and last year’s bronze medallist Jean William Prevost (CAN), as well as Julien Baran (FRA) and Viki Gomez (ESP)-
When to watch
Following qualification rounds for all riders throughout Thursday and Friday, the BMX Freestyle Flatland finals will take place in the afternoon and evening of Friday 7 November.
The BMX Freestyle Park semi-finals will be on Friday for the men and the next morning for the women, with both finals in the evening of Saturday 8 November.
Highlights from last year’s UCI Urban Cycling World Championships.
About the host
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, a country which has a long-term vision to improve the lives, health and well-being of its citizens. Since the launch of ‘Saudi Vision 2030’ nine years ago, sports participation in the country has increased by more than 300%. The UCI Urban Cycling World Championships will also be organised in Riyadh in 2026, and come on top of the more than 115 international sports events hosted in Saudi Arabia since 2018. In addition to the organisation of competitions and development of athletes, the Saudi Cycling Federation promotes cycling as a way of life, creating improved cycling infrastructure - including dedicated cycle paths - to encourage bike use by all citizens.