Sixteen Riders Set for Men’s BMX Semifinals

The field has been set for the men’s BMX semifinals after a four sets of five heats.

Heats are run with fields of eight riders, with points awarded by finishing position; the winner gets won and the last finisher, eight. As the day progresses the fields get smaller as riders with sufficiently low scores stop racing, their positions assured.

The first round of four heats was won by the fastest qualifier, Raymon van der Biezen, who got a great start and was never passed. In the second heat, Great Britain’s Liam Phillips got a jump on the field but American Connor Fields passed him by the third roller and went on to win. This pattern repeated itself until the fourth round when Fields didn’t race because he had secured his spot.

Dutchman Marc Willers rode home alone in the third heat as seven riders crashed. France’s Joris Daudet crashed low-side  in one of the banked corners, taking out USA’s David Herman right in front of his teammate Nicholas Long; seven bikes went down. This crash crippled the chances of Herman and Long, favorites who gained a lot of points through bad luck.

Twan ven Gendt won the fourth heat; Germany’s Luis Brethauer crashed in front of New Zealand’s Brian Kirkham, setting those two back.

Run Two, Heat One was another pole-to-pole win for van der Biezen, but the action behind him was terrific. Australia’s Kahlen Young passed New Zealand’s Kurt Picard in the first turn, but nearly lost second by the end.  Brazil’s Renato Rezende wiped out Ecuador’s Emilio Falla, who didn’t finish.

Heat two saw another crash, this time with Netherlands’ Jelle van Gorkom taking down two others.

Joris Daudet, who started the calamity in run one heat three, nearly won the next round, losing to Marc Willers by a few feet. The two Americans, Herman and Long, finished third and fourth, determined to make up for the crash damage.

Australia’s Ben Willoughby won heat four by three yards from Twan van Gendt.

Only seven riders started in Run 3 heat one; Renato Rezende couldn’t come back from his crash in the prior round. Latvia’s Edzuz Treimanis took the lead at the start, but Van der Biezens promptly took it back. Kahlen Young rode hard for third.

Kurt Picard crashed hard in this heat, hitting the lip of one of the first set of rollers; another rider went with him. There is a reason why BMX riders wear body armor.

Heat two was the same as the rest: Phillips got the best start, Connor Fields passed him by the first turn and won.

Marc Willers won heat three ahead of Daudet. The two American riders were running third and fourth, but one had a shoe-clip fail, so he slowed both, and both were passed for third just before the line.

[etssp 573]Heat four saw some great racing as Willoughby got the early lead with Colombia’s Carlos Oquendo in hot pursuit. Both were overtaken by Latvia’s Maris Stromberg who came from the extreme outside to avoid all the traffic. Oquendo pushed past into second.

Run 4 heat one saw another small field as the repeat winners sat out. France’s Quentin Caleyron got the early lead, but Kahlen Young got under him in the first turn. Caleyron took it back in the third turn and took the win.

Heat two saw a near-accident as Van Gorkom got the jump off the line but Frenchman Moana Moo Caille passed him in the first turn. There was some contact and Van Gorkom dropped back. Colombia’s Adres Eduardo Jiminez then shot to the front for the win.

The Americans Herman and Long won heat three-they desperately needed to, to make up for the first-heat crash and the mechanical issues of the prior round.

Heat four was a tight race between Willoughby and Kirkham. The New Zealander got the early lead but Willoughby cut under him in the first corner. The Australian tried too tight a line through the nest corner, letting Kirhkam by, while Oquendo also tired too tight a line and crashed.

Run 5 was a chance for the back of the field to compete, as most of the faster riders either sat out or started but didn’t race. Quentin Caleyron took the first heat and Kahlen Young pedaled in slow motion, surveying the crowd.

Heat two saw some hard racing as Latvia’s Rihars Veide jumped out front, pursued and then passed by Canada’s Tory Nyhaug. Van Gorkum finished third and Moo Caille crashed.

Heat three was do-or-die for the Americans. Nicholas Long took the early lead with Switzerland’s Roger Rinderknecht squeezing past David Herman. Herman forced his way back into second, but Rinderknecht had few enough points to eliminate Long, who won. The American needed Rinderknecht to finish no better than fourth.

Oquendo won the final heat, passing Kirkham in the first corner.

Here are the riders who will be advancing to the Semifinals: