- Gate Starts is one of the most important aspect of BMX Racing I would say it is about 80 Percent of the race.
- To get a super fast gate start you have to be focused, relaxed and comfortable.
- Firstly you need to be able to balance on the gate by yourself which takes a bit of practice but once you have learnt how you will never forget it.
- Secondly you need to place the Crank arm parallel to the bottom bar of the rear triangle. That is your starting point from there all starting styles are different. I like to go 2 clicks down from that but others I know like to keep it simple and parallel with that bar.
- When standing up both legs should be straight with a slight bend in the front leg. Your hands should roll slightly more forward on the handlebars to increase the power when accelerating out of the gate. You must be comfortable though.
- Some people feel more comfortable to watch the lights and others like to listen and watch the gate it really does not matter which you choose as long as you keep it constant.
- When snapping out of the gate please make sure that you are throwing your weight forward and not pulling the bars to you or up cause then you are going in the wrong direction and that is pointless.
- It should be one movement going forward by throwing all you weight forward and powering as hard as you can.
- Gate starts are so important that you really should be practicing them over and over and over and over and over. I can’t stress enough that the key to great gate starts is a simple easy style with hours and hours of practice.
And remember always ride it like you stole it.
the-rone