It was a memorable nine-day trip for Echuca siblings Imogene and Samson Mclean, who travelled to Rock Hill, South Carolina, to compete in the UCI BMX World Challenge.
Imogene (10) competed on Sunday, May 12, in the Cruiser 12 and under class and on May 14, in the 11 Girls 20” competition, while Samson (8) competed on May 13 in the 9 Boys 20” class.
While neither sibling was able to make it past the first stage of competition, it was an amazing experience to compete against the best BMX racers in the world on a big stage.
“The whole stadium, it’s massive,” said dad Daryl McLean.
“It’s not like anything we’d experienced at any BMX race. There were tens of thousands of people there and big grandstands.”
The racing on the track was also unlike what the pair had experienced in the past.
The physical nature of the competition was quickly apparent, with Samson, in particular, being bumped and jostled almost off the track on multiple occasions in his heats.
The event was also different than locally in terms of what qualifies as acceptable race conditions, with Imogene’s races on Tuesday taking place in torrential rain that had created pools of water on the track.
“It poured rain the whole day, so the track had maybe a couple inches of water on it in spots,” said Daryl.
“No matter what they race, unless there's electrical storms they keep racing.
“In Australia, if it rains, you don't ride, really (so there were) a lot of crashes over there, but our kids managed to stay upright.”
The event was an opportunity for the siblings to meet some of the other best riders from around the globe and also snag some unique memorabilia in the form of jersey swaps with their fellow competitors.
They both came away with a Team USA jersey, with Imogene also picking up a Team Netherlands kit and Samson grabbing Team France colours to go along with the pair’s Australian representative kit.
The cost of kits and flights was self-funded, and the family had asked for donations ahead of the event to help with some of the costs.
The campaign was successful and the trip was partially funded by donations from businesses and individuals.
The McLean siblings’ next major event will be a Victorian state round in Melbourne on June 23.