It’s winter. Stop bitching. Race your bike.

I’m standing in the starting gate clipped into a bike I’ve never ridden before—and I’m shaking. I fear that at any moment my body will give in to the leftward lean I’ve been trying to fight. I focus on the announcement, “Racers ready….” The gate drops before I fall over, and I’ll actually get a decent start.

Two months ago, when I first heard that gate-start PA announcement, I wasn’t ready. I was getting worked over by 10-year-olds riding miniature bikes that seemed lighter than my wheelset. I couldn’t stand in the gate at all and, if I got any air on the track (though I rarely moved fast enough to worry about it), I flat-landed the step-ups. The track itself wasn’t intimidating, but racing elbow-to-elbow with up to seven other people certainly was. But after just a handful of race sessions, preceded and followed by practicing the course, my confidence was building in short order. And thanks to expert BMX riders patiently offering advice about gear ratios and gate-start technique (not to mention loaning me a proper BMX bike), I’m actually feeling competitive.

Racing indoor BMX this winter was my roommate’s idea. Normally my winters are reserved for powder days while my bikes freeze in the garage. In fact, I’m sure that part of my shakiness in the gate can be attributed to my currently dehydrated, calorie-deficient state. I haven’t eaten for nearly 12-hours and the last five of those were spent skiing knee-deep at Alta. But a lap on the BMX track—though it’s an all-out sprint—lasts less than 60 seconds, and I’m counting on Gatorade and Red Bull to get me through the evening. Each adrenalin-fueled, hyperventilation-inducing race makes me realize how much I love riding bikes, and how rad my roommate is for motivating me to put my bike on my roof rack on a powder day.

Aside from the cold muddy hell of cyclocross racing, I didn’t even know bike racing existed in the winter around this frosty area. But BMXers here in Salt Lake City, Utah make it happen by commandeering a heated equestrian arena. The track is built on Friday afternoon and bulldozed on Sunday afternoon; the corners are tight and the dirt is loose. There are about 20 similar indoor tracks in the U.S., found mostly from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest, and most hold a weekend of racing per month throughout the winter.

Apparently word of mouth is spreading the BMX bug, recently enough local downhill racers rallied that the Mountain Bike class had to be divided into two groups. Most of the big-wheeled crew rides dirt jumpers, but a few riders show up on full suspension rigs. None of us know what we’re doing, but we’re having a blast. We’ve been told that along with the 8-year-old Boys’ Novice class, the mountain bike classes are some of the most entertaining races to watch. Riders are pushed off the track, line changes happen in the air, everyone zigzags randomly through the whoops, and miraculously, we finish without drawing blood.

When there aren’t enough mountain bikes to run a moto, I race Cruiser class, which is designated as 24-inch or larger wheels—hence me standing in the gate on a bike I’ve never pedaled before. Minutes ago I was told that riding a true 24-inch cruiser would take two seconds off my race. I think that’s a lie, but since there are only three of us in the Girls’ Cruiser class today, I’ll make it to the final moto no matter what. As we sprint for the first corner, I’m surprised that this short, light BMX bike feels this good, this solid. By the time we hit the whoops, the little rigid bike and I are one. My dirt jumper is fun to ride and all, but the cruiser accelerates like a rocket and handles like a go-cart. I like it.

I don’t win my race. It doesn’t matter. I may have discovered BMX twenty years late, but next spring when I’m standing on my downhill bike and listening to the countdown beeps on the starting platform, I know my start will be solid and I’ll be able to rail corners with increased confidence thanks to my recent experience on the track.

Indoor and outdoor BMX racing occurs year-round across the country. To find a track near you, visit the American Bicycle Association or the National Bicycle League websites.

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