The future of organised BMX racing, or any organised gatherings for that matter, are up in the air. For the BMX racer it means everything from local racing though to world championships have been postponed indefinitely.

We say Keep Calm and Ride BMX.

Keep Calm and Carry On was a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 in preparation for World War II. The poster was intended to raise the morale of the British public, threatened with widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities. Thankfully we’re not about to go to war but I think some people need to be reminded the reason we all started BMX was for fun, and that aspect is still there today.

Sure it’s disappointing not being able to compete, but given what health officials are trying to achieve; curving the impact on our health system, it’s worth the wait.

While you are waiting for normality to be restored there is plenty you can still do on your bike.

1. If you can still access your local track go ride, it’s likely to be a ghost town
2. Crank up your seat height and go for a street ride, I do this regularly to clear my head
3. Head to your favourite jumps or pump track, this is my favourite I enjoy a good fun session at the jumps as much, if not more than, a long day at the track
4. Find a way to keep training. Do your sprints, if you can’t get to gym your could find exercises to do that use your own body weight or other substitutes, just search Google for suggestions

Check out the video recently released by the guys at Supercross BMX.

As much as you are struggling with these crazy times your favourite bike shop is likely to be too.

Maybe it’s time to check your stockpile of consumables? Do you have spare tires, tubes, brake cables, chains and grips? I normally would keep spares of each because the closest bike store to me is about 40 minutes drive away and you never know when you might need them.

What about your tools, do you have everything you need? I’ve seen stores start to limit their trading hours, which means less access to store mechanics for repair work. If you are mechanically minded it might be time to kit yourself out with your own tools. If you already have your own tools, it’s time to check them over and see if anything needs replacing. I tend to turn over chain breakers and tire levers faster than I should, and allen keys tend to have a short live too before they round out (maybe I need to go up market and spend some more money on quality tools).

Don’t forget you can still ride your bike and what could be a better way to pass the time? Just remember to stay safe.