Pixel8 bandits take to the BMX track

Last night a group of our staff were treated to a session at Manchester's fantastic BMX Race Track at the National Cycling Centre. We've been working with the NCC for a while now and they wanted to show their appreciation by letting us have exclusive access to the new £24 million pound BMX Track under the guidance of Pro BMX rider Sam Foakes who now plays a key role at the National Cycling Centre as the BMX Development Manager.

We arrived last night and were soon suited and booted with our own bikes (and more importantly, helmets and pads), we then we given a few basic tips on controlling a BMX and making ourselves comfortable. Sam then took us to a small section on the track to practice rolling over jumps to get to grips with the correct stance and how to maintain our speed. It wasn't long before we were introduced to the full track including the incredibly daunting starting ramp.

Despite no previous BMX experience between us, Sam had us mastering the starting gates in no time and competing in an 8 strong race with ease. Everyone gained enough confidence to tackle some of the most demanding sections of the track and a few of us definitely got some air!

We would definitely recommend heading down the the National Cycling Centre either on your own or in a group no matter what your skill level. They have very reasonable packages for private training sessions and if you fancy just popping down for a few laps, it's only £5/hour which includes bike and gear rental. A big thank you from all at Pixel8 who attended to Sam and the guys at the centre, we've already started planning our next session.