Why BMX is More Than a Sport — It's a System

I get asked a lot why I'd recommend BMX racing to someone. My answer is always the same: because it gives you something back.

I'm Brad Bellette , founder of Ride Together Australia, and I started riding BMX at 51. I've seen firsthand what this sport does for people of every age — and I want every rider in regional Australia to get the chance to experience it.

For kids, it starts simple. A bike, a helmet, a track. But what BMX racing actually delivers is something far more valuable than a hobby — it builds confidence, discipline, and a community . The kid who rolls up nervous to their first Friday night session and barely makes it through a moto is a different person six months later. They've learned to get off the gate. They've fallen off and gotten back up. They've raced against kids from across the state and held their own.

That's character development, and it happens faster in BMX than almost any sport I've seen.

For adults, it's something else entirely. I started at 51. My powerlifting background told me BMX was a power sport — explosive gate starts, sprint-distance racing, real physical demands. What I didn't expect was the community. In the Masters categories, there's a spirit you don't find in a lot of competitive sport. Before a national event, riders in their 50s and 60s will look at each other and say, "Stay upright, don't fall off." And mean it as genuine camaraderie, not just banter.

But here's what doesn't get talked about enough: not every kid gets access to this. In regional and remote Australia, the track might be an hour's drive away. The coaching might not exist. The competition season might mean flights and accommodation that a family simply can't afford.

That's the gap Ride Together exists to fill. We work closely with AusCycling to connect regional riders with accredited coaching, competition funding, and equipment support — so geography and finances don't become the barrier between a rider and the sport they love.

BMX racing is one of the most genuinely inclusive sports in Australia. Categories run from:

• Mini Wheelers — as young as two or three years old
• Juniors and Age Groups — structured competition through the teen years
• Cruiser and Superclass — elite-level racing
• Masters — 30+, 40+, 50+, and beyond

Yes, beyond. I started at 51. I competed at the UCI World Cycling Championships at 55, finishing 60th out of 120 in the 55+ category. The Masters categories are fiercely competitive and ridiculously good fun.

Every kid deserves the chance to find out what BMX can do for them. Every adult who thinks they're too old or too late deserves the same. If you're in regional Australia and you've been curious about BMX — or your kid has — don't let the distance or the cost stop you.

That's exactly why we're here.