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NATIONAL CHAMPS & BRITISH OPEN C1 2019: Gallery & Results

This past weekend marked the first ever British National Championships for BMX Freestyle Park. The event took place at Adrenaline Alley in Corby, a perfect venue for this kind of contest. The GB team and most of the park riders from around the country ride the park regularly.

In the lead up to the Olympics most federations around the world are making the most of the opportunity to host a national championship and C1 contests. The National Champs took place on the Saturday, the British Open happened on Sunday. Riders from all over the world were able to enter the Open for an opportunity to win UCI points and some cash.

Words by Greg Illingworth
Photos by Mike Drummond / Tom Horton

RESULTS

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Women:

Charlotte Worthington
Emma Finnegan
Isobel Burrell
Kayley Ashworth
Valeria Ward

Men:

Alex Coleborn
Declan Brooks
Kieran Reilly
Ben Wallace
James Jones
Callum Rafferty
Kaine Mitchell
Jack Clark

BRITISH OPEN C1

Women:

Charlotte Worthington
Emma Finnegan
Isobel Burrell
Kayley Ashworth
Valeria Ward

Men:

Alex Coleborn
Declan Brooks
Jack Clark
Ben Wallace
James Jones
Tomass Grinbergs
Shaun Gornall
Isaac Venn

The rider list was filled with some of the best park riders Britain has to offer, however a lot of good riders didn’t enter. The reason most absentees gave was that they are not after UCI points or qualifying for the Olympics. While this is most likely played a part in their decisions it can also be argued that competing against the GB team at Adrenaline Alley might be a little too intimidating for a lot of riders.

“They had the entire building on edge with every trick they did”

From Charlotte Worthington’s absolute domination of the women’s contest to the entire GB men’s line up placing in the top 5 for either the Nationals or the Open, it was clear that British Cycling has the right riders on their team. Speaking to head judge Dave Cleworth, after the event he said, “This is one of the most difficult contests I’ve ever judged. The level of riding was as high as any contest and so many riders put together almost flawless runs.”

Gallery below by Mike Drummond

National Champs: 1. Coleborn | 2. Brooks | 3. Reilly

Without harping on too much about how good the riding was, it’s worth mentioning Alex Coleborn and Declan Brooks throwing everything on the line in their finals runs. They had the entire building on edge with every trick they did.

One of the stand out moments of the weekend without a doubt had to be the Youth Jam – Hosted by Team GB and Catfish. The energy and positivity from the little ones was infectious and they all embraced the opportunity to ride with and seek advice from their idols. Before the kids were given generous hampers supplied by Tall Order, Federal Bikes and Source BMX, a few hilariously wild games of “Foot Down” took place with all members of the GB team joining in. The kids and parents all walked away buzzing on BMX.

“Riders from all over the world were able to enter the Open for an opportunity to win UCI points and some cash.”

All in all it was a successful weekend of BMX and good times. Although, it would have been great to see more of the UK BMX scene support this event. All evidence leads to positive intentions from the federation and they have clearly set a goal to support and grow BMX freestyle.

Gallery below by Tom Horton