BMX star shares knowledge with local biking community

The Nelson BMX Club couldn’t believe its luck when New Zealand’s top BMX rider Rico Bearman agreed to stage coaching classes at its Tāhunanui base last week.

Club secretary Rachel Rogers saw Rico was conducting training clinics in Christchurch and reached out to the world number six ranked rider to share his expertise in Nelson, as part of their rebuilding programme.

“I try to do as much as I can to help out and give back to younger kids,” says Rico, who won first world age grade title in Australia when he was only six.

The 21-year-old has been winning ever since, claiming five world amateur titles before turning professional with an American BMX team Speedco when he was 18.

Rico was crowned UCI Under-23 World Series Champion in 2023, then transitioned to the elite racing ranks, representing New Zealand at the Olympic Games in Paris last year.

One of his Nelson students, 11-year-old Flynn Staufer was impressed.
“I did a quick Google search and found out he is pretty cool. His coaching is like quick. Bang, bang, bang,” enthuses Flynn.

Being fearless and fast is the key to Auckland-raised Rico’s success.
“I love the adrenalin. I am a competitive person, enjoy winning and I guess I am good at it,” declares the current New Zealand BMX champion who has been based in Las Vegas and Florida.

Rico reckons he has been lucky, with few major injuries along the way.
“I did both my elbows and wrists at the same time. It took about six weeks to recover.”

His classes attracted as many senior riders as juniors, with mountainbiking convert Scott Giblin joining his 10-year-old son Jake in soaking up tips like the importance of getting out of the starting gates quickly.

“It is instant fun. You just come down here and crack into it straight away. You don’t have to wait for big grinds up hills,” enthuses Scott.

The Nelson track was established in 1978 and since Rachel and her husband Rangi, the club president, got involved the lay out has been revamped and a membership drive launched.

“The track has changed over the years, but we still have the four corners. We have updated the clay surface with gravel ,” explains Rangi.

The Rogers were drawn to the sport by their son Waipapa, who dreams of becoming a professional BMX rider, so having Rico share his insights was priceless.

While the Nelson club gears up to host a big regional competition at Easter, Rico is setting his sights on retaining his national title in Invercargill in April before returning to race in the United States and Europe.

His ultimate goal is to become the World No.1 elite rider.

“In BMX anything can happen. The competition is that close,” he concludes.