Queensburgh BMX riders rake in awards
The hero of the day was none other than Rylee van Heerden, who is only 10 years old but secured the SA No.1 for a third consecutive year.
TEN riders from the Queensburgh BMX Club bagged top ranks at the SA Nationals Championships at the Overberg BMX Club in Hermanus, Western Cape recently.
The fourth and fifth legs of the SA cup were held on 9 October with the SA Nationals champs on October 10. There were about 130 riders participating in different age groups.
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Ten riders from the Queensburgh BMX Club received their SA numbers. Kendall Coombes (SA No.3), Amber Muller (SA No.4), Alex Vorster (SA No.3), Dominic Eggar (SA No.3), Altus Van Staden (SA No.2), Rylee van Heerden (SA No.1), Ashton O’ Connor (SA No.7), Alister Worthington (SA No.7), Leah Mitchell (SA No.2) and Tyla-May Smale (SA No.3). They are now rated according to their numbers for the following year until the next championships next year.
The hero of the day was none other than Rylee van Heerden, who is only 10 years old but secured the SA No.1 for a third consecutive year. In 2019, Rylee went to Belgium to compete in the BMX World Champs and achieved a World No.7 ranking. Back then she raced as an eight-year-old in a girls U12 age group.
Rylee was selected as part of the SA team that would have traveled to the Netherlands this year, but the race was cancelled due to Covid-19.
She doesn’t only ride BMX, Rylee also races mountain bikes and claimed SA No.2 in cross country mountain bike racing.
She’s an all-rounder when it comes to biking. She trains six days a week with her coach, Chris Axford, and does one day of mountain biking. She manages to balance both her passion for riding with her academics as she proved to be an A-grade learner at Westville Senior Primary School.
Rylee said she loves the sport as it’s fun and keeps her both active and fit. The chairman of the club, Theuns van Heerden was proud of his BMX club and said, “The great thing for us this year is we have so many youngsters, two seven-year-old riders who stepped up onto the platform and showed their metal. The best I’ve ever seen them ride was at SA champs. This is quite an achievement for all our riders at the club.”
The Queensburgh BMX Club trains each Friday from 16:00 until late. The club is the oldest BMX club in SA and was opened in 1984.
“It is the only club that is self-sufficient with no funding from any organisation other than our sponsors. We pay for our own bills and maintain the track ourselves, which is supported by the parents,” said van Heerden.
The main sponsors for the club are Soukop Queensburgh and ABM Insurance Brokers, but other sponsors are always welcome.
He shared an open invitation to parents in the Queensburgh area to go along to see what the club is about and what the children do. He encouraged them to get their kids to take up BMX riding as it’s a fun sport.
To learn more about the sport or to join the club, contact Theuns on 083 286 6908 or Nicolene on 084 529 7189.
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