Sam Willoughby International BMX Facility

Our long-serving canteen coordinator, Michelle Alexander, has recently taken on additional commitments that prevent her from being available most Saturdays. Michelle will continue in her overall coordinator role, but we urgently need a Saturday canteen leader along with a small support team to keep this important service operating during race meetings.

If you can help, even occasionally, please contact Michelle or a committee member. We’d love to avoid reducing canteen operations, as it remains an important service for both members and visitors, while also providing valuable income for the club.

Planning to join us next week or due to renew your AusCycling membership?

The AusCycling membership system will be offline from 3–5 August while the new JustGo platform is introduced.

If you need a new membership or renewal, please complete it by Sunday 3 August.

Celebrating A Rider’s Rider

The weather may have denied Joel Marsh the opportunity to race for a World Championship yesterday, but it couldn’t deny him the recognition he has earned.

Like BMX fans around the world, we were left disappointed that the Championship Class racing at the UCI BMX World Championships couldn’t be completed as planned. Riders spend years preparing for moments like these and everyone would have loved to see the racing decide the outcome on the track.

What we can celebrate, however, is an outstanding achievement by one of the southern BMX community’s own.

Congratulations to Happy Valley BMX Club rider Joel Marsh on finishing 6th in the world in the Men’s Under 23 category.

Results tell only part of the story.

Over the past 18 months, while our BMX community has navigated the closure of SWBMX and adapted to life back at Happy Valley, Joel has remained a constant presence. Not just at major events and international competitions, but at Tuesday night gates week after week, making it an integral part of his training program.

When repairs were required to keep the Happy Valley track operating for the benefit of riders across the southern clubs, Joel wasn’t standing on the sidelines. He was out there alongside the contractor, helping undertake the work needed to ensure our riders continued to have somewhere to train, race and enjoy the sport we all love.

That’s why this result means so much.

The world sees a rider who has earned a place amongst the very best Under 23 BMX racers on the planet. We see someone who has never forgotten where he came from, who continues to support his local BMX community and who leads by example every time he turns up to the track.

World-class athletes are often measured by podiums and trophies. BMX people tend to measure something else as well — commitment, character, work ethic and a willingness to give back.

Joel embodies all of those qualities.

A genuine rider’s rider.

Congratulations Joel. Happy Valley BMX Club, the wider southern BMX community and BMX supporters across South Australia are incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved, and we’re excited to see what comes next.

6th in the world. Thoroughly deserved. 🦘