The first known organized BMX race in the United States was held at Palms Park in Santa Monica, California and hosted by Ron Mackler on June 10th, 1969. Knobby tires were added, sissy seats were removed and frames were modified with gussets, for strength. Over 5000 miles away and roughly a decade later, riders in the United States were modifying cruiser bikes for off-road use. These bikes would be modified by attaching an additional crossbar to their step-through frames. FXers would move on to ladies’ bicycles, due to the agility of their smaller frames and wheels. This magazine commemorates a 1956 FX raceĭutch riders initially used widely available adult bicycles. While BMX historians point to the Queensday race as the origin of modern BMX, the first events to lead to regularly organized races took place in the United States. Ron Mackler organized America’s earliest races This race took place on dirt with berms and prototypical ‘pie plates’ that displayed racer numbers.
The first recorded organized race took place on ‘Queensday’, Apin St. In mid-’50s Holland, riders from several villages were involved in Fietscross ( FX for short or ‘bicycle-cross’ in English). This was happening across the United States and Europe. Before the name BMX existed, kids and teenagers used bikes to emulate their heroes in the world of off-road motorbike racing (motocross). Anthonis regionīMX stands for ‘Bicycle Motocross’.
