Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
One of the two pump tracks at Houston's RockStar Energy Bike Park.
Kris Sonderup took his daughter to a BMX race in South Carolina three years ago, and he was slightly wowed by the crowd.
It was a national event, and the track in Rock Hill had attracted more than 1,000 racers.
But the owner of Lincoln’s Cycle Works was even more impressed by what was happening nearby.
The neighboring pump track — an asphalt-covered circuit of banked turns, humps and small jumps — was teeming with riders, killing time between races and building their skills.
Sonderup had heard of pump tracks, but now he was seeing one in action. They’re typically shorter and narrower than traditional BMX tracks, and more accessible — riders can catch air if they’re comfortable, or stay on two wheels if they’re not.
They’re also designed so riders don’t even have to pedal; by pumping their handlebars over the rollers, and carrying their speed through turns, they can coast all the way through.
“It just really boggled me how busy it was. All three days we were there, there were kids, and adults, riding around on this,” he said. “And it just really opened my eyes.”
Enough to make Sonderup, also a board member of Star City BMX, wonder: Why doesn’t Lincoln have a pump track?
“And he’s been on me for years about putting a pump track in,” said Josh Larson, who operates the Star City BMX Track near Oak Lake Park.
But it wasn’t just Sonderup’s idea. Other Lincoln BMXers would race at far-flung venues with adjacent pump tracks and return to Lincoln with the same question.
“A lot of our families, we travel a lot nationally to these events,” said Tim Beckmann, president of the Star City BMX Board. “They're becoming extremely popular across the nation.”
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department has fielded the question, too.
“People have brought that up to us on more than one occasion,” said J.J. Yost, the department’s planning and facilities manager. “That, ‘Boy, it would be great if Lincoln had one of these.’”
It will soon. Larson is sketching designs — and planning scouting trips to tracks in other states — for Nebraska’s first pump track, which could open next year if the group raises enough money.
The timing is right, Beckmann said. The number of racers and recreational riders at Lincoln’s BMX track is exploding. In 2019, it drew an average of 47 participants to an event; so far this year, it's averaging 86.
Every time Beckmann goes to the track, he sees families on it, having fun.
“The last year, we've seen our sport grow tremendously. COVID has had a negative effect on a lot of places, but the biking community is a safe sport you can do and socially distance.”
They identified a potential home for the pump track just south of the 32-year-old BMX track. But because the entire property is owned by the city, they needed permission to build.
And they got it earlier this month from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Star City BMX plans to build an asphalt-covered pump track in the shaded area, just south of its BMX track near Oak Lake.
“They brought some good information to the table from folks that have traveled around the country and observed other tracks,” Yost said. “It seems like they've got a really good idea here, so we were pretty pleased with their proposal.”
The approval came with a couple of conditions, he said: First, Star City BMX needs to obtain a permit to build in a floodplain. And the pump track — like the BMX track — needs to be open to the public when Star City BMX isn't hosting races or other events.
The group is trying to raise $30,000 to build the first phase, and has already allocated $12,000 for the project, so it recently launched an online fundraiser to raise the remaining $18,000.
After the group gets the floodplain permit, and Larson completes the design, it will start moving dirt, carving and shaping the track. It will cover it in asphalt once there's been enough test-riding and tweaking.
And Star City BMX members hope to have cyclists — and scooters and skateboarders — going around it as early as next summer.
“It's not just for BMXers; it's for all cycling, and for anything on two wheels,” Larson said. “I think it will give everybody somewhere else to ride and have fun.”
* To donate, go to the Star City BMX Track Facebook page and click Fundraisers.
* Or contact the group directly at starcitybmx@yahoo.com
Debbie Thurber (left) talks with her son's girlfriend Amanda Stutzman, as Thurber walks with walks Bo, a 10-year-old coonhound lab mix, and Stutzman with Niko, a 7-month-old newfoundland poodle mix, along the shore of Holmes Lake on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Lincoln East's Meagan Waters (7) celebrates a point scored against Lincoln High in the Spartans' 3-1 win over the Links on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, at Lincoln East High School. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Nebraska forward Lat Mayen puts up a shot during practice on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, at Hendrix Training Complex. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Lincoln Southwest's Markus Rutledge returns the ball in the No. 1 singles during Heartland Athletic Conference tennis tournament, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, at Woods Tennis Center. JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star
Freeman's Kloey Johnson reacts after nearly getting a double play against Bishop Neumann on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, at Hackberry Softball Complex. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Wahoo's Kylee Kenning swings at a pitch from Beatrice on Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, at Hackberry Softball Complex. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Nebraska celebrates a kill in the third set against Michigan State on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, at Devaney Sports Center. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
A Nebraska cheerleader stands on the sidelines before the start of the game on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at Memorial Stadium. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Nebraska's Broc Bando walks off the field after defeating Northwestern 56-7 on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at Memorial Stadium. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost (right) arches his back to follow a booming Husker punt as he talks to defensive coordinator Erik Chinander as they watch warm ups before taking on Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at Memorial Stadium. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Tiny Tim, a long-haired dachshund owned by John Bender of Monument, Colo., is dressed up in Husker red for the game against Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at Memorial Stadium. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Lincoln Southwest's Taylor Korecky robs Southeast's Katelyn Neumayer (not pictured) of a home run on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, at Doris Bair Complex. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Fans raise their hands in hopes of getting a basketball before the men's game on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. EAKIN HOWARD, Journal Star
Lincoln High's Beni Ngoyi (8) pulls in a pass in front of Lincoln Northeast's Antonio Washington in the second quarter on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, at Seacrest Field. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Nebraska's Lauren Stivrins (26) looks at the video board as the team waits to be introduced before a game against Michigan on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, at Devaney Sports Center. GWYNETH ROBERTS, Journal Star
Lincoln Southwest's Jack Baptista (3) bobbles, then catches the pass for a first down as Omaha South's Julian Mejia looks on in the first quarter on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, at Seacrest Field. FRANCIS GARDLER, Journal Star
Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com.
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
Peter Salter is a general assignment reporter who has worked at the Lincoln Journal Star since 1998.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
On average, the Lincoln Bike Kitchen gives away about 100 bikes during its annual holiday donation drive.
The entrepreneurial spirit prompted two North Platte teenagers to open their own businesses.
Doug Long broke into the business by selling a few e-bikes at his hardware stores. Now he's moving into a 3,000-square-foot building.
The new bike lanes east of downtown could be open by next year.
One of the two pump tracks at Houston's RockStar Energy Bike Park.
Star City BMX plans to build an asphalt-covered pump track in the shaded area, just south of its BMX track near Oak Lake.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.