The word ‘legend’ is used too freely and without truly considering its actual meaning and magnitude. But, Tom Lynch is a true legend – not only of our sport where his impact was huge, but also in life through his many significant contributions and ongoing efforts towards better cycling for everyone. Tom went up against, and beat, the best of the best in true David and Goliath fashion. Who can forget the sight of ‘wee Thomas’ on the gate against the entire Dutch Amev team, many twice his size but Tom took them to the cleaners winning the 1986 European Superclass championships along with six national number ones and a…

Andy Ruffell needs little introduction. At age 11, Andy saw the BMX episode of CHiPs and dreamed of one day being able to upgrade his Raleigh Grifter for the real thing. Before BMX teams were a thing in the UK, Andy built a reputation as one of the best park riders in the UK, credited as one of the first UK BMXer’s to perfect aerial 360s and giant airs. In 1980, Andy joined the UK’s first BMX race team, Team Ace, before being quickly snapped up by Ammaco Mongoose to become Mongoose’s first factory sponsored European rider and the National Titles started to add up. As BMX blew up in…

Jerry Galley will forever be the “rider’s rider” in freestyle circles. No other British rider produced the edge of seat excitement that was evident whenever Jerry took a run. Effortlessly talented on vert, bowls, dirt, mini and street, Jerry could do it all. He’d make the hardest tricks look easy and blast the biggest airs imaginable. From his early days riding Romford to his World Championships vert runs everything he did was pushed to its very limit. Long before going viral was even a thing, photos and footage of Jerry were some of the most eagerly anticipated in the whole of bmx.  Jerry encapsulated a shift in attitudes, and credibility as…

Geoff Catlow’s journey in BMX began in 1986 when he started taking his son Effraim to UKBFA contests. Shortly thereafter, Geoff began volunteering his time to help run and organise these comps. His involvement with BMX freestyle grew in 1987 when he became UK Hutch Team manager overseeing a legendary group of riders including his son Effraim, Lee Reynolds, Jamie Bestwick and John Yull. By the close of the 80s Geoff saw that freestyle was changing and that there was a need for a new kind of contest that reflected the direction of the sport. In 1988 The King of Concrete Competition was born. Initially called the “Sea Air Comp”…

Luli Adeyemo’s BMX journey began in 1986 with a second-hand Raleigh Burner. Despite initial struggles with staying upright, Newark Cavaliers Club and Coach Darryl Pointing’s support honed Luli’s skills, particularly in speed out of the gate. In 1986 Luli secured a wild card to the World Championships in Slough, her debut International event and emerged as the 14-15 girls’ World Number One. This marked the inception of a stellar BMX career, marked by numerous British Championships, National Titles, European Podium finishes, and even a victory at the 1990 ABA Grands in the US. Now residing in Australia, Luli recently earned a women in leadership award for her advocacy in promoting…

The Higginson’s in BMX. Martin Higginson started working on the BMX News publication in early 1981. After a few months, the financial backing for the paper stopped. So Martin’s dad, Arnold, financed the continuation with a new name, BMX Weekly, and still in paper format. Nigel Higginson became involved in taking the pictures and writing content, and Marjorie looked after the books while Jonathan raced for the brand. Later BMX Weekly became a magazine format and turned into a bi-weekly publication reaching 46,000 copies at its peak. Everyone wanted to see themselves in print, and especially see the race results. It was crucial for all to know when and where…

Pete Middleton is truly a pioneer of British BMX. Hailing from Walthamstow, East London, Pete won the first EVER official BMX race in the UK back in 1979 at Brockwell Park. A few years later he won the first ever money prize given at a race at the Isle of Man and the first official UK Pro Money race at Ipswich. Team-wise, Pete rode for Ace, Skyway, Mongoose and ASR. In 1983 Pete placed 6th at the World Championships 14+ Open final against America’s best and another big win in the Superclass Trophy at the Olympia Champion of Champions in 84. In 1985 Pete won the Pro Class at the Pleasurewood Hills Lowestoft International and was the winner…

Congratulations to Phil Townsend for being inducted into the 2023 British BMX Hall of Fame in the Outstanding Contribution to BMX Category. Four Decades in British BMX and Phil Townsend is still going strong behind the scenes at the races. Discovering BMX in 1984, Phil saw an advert in the local newspaper for a race at Royston and took his son Richard who took the win and was immediately hooked. From Club volunteer to NBMXA, EBA, GBBMXF and now British Cycling, Phil was behind introducing BEM race softwear back in 1999 and finish line cameras in 2005. Phil basically did whatever he could to keep the sport up-to-date behind the…

Lee Reynolds started riding BMX in 1981. After initially riding dirt jumps he built his own wedge ramp and quarter pipe and just 2 years later he learned how to air! By the mid 80s Lee was appearing in magazines and riding in UKBFA comps.  He was an early pioneer of halfpipe riding while much of bmx was still rooted in quaterpipes. At age 16, Lee was picked up to Ride for Hutch and later rode for Haro and Airwalk. In the 80s, he progressed his huge airs, stretched variations and his unique style marked him out at comps including Bercy Paris and the legendary 2HIP series. He caught the eye…