If you’re of a certain age and hear “BMX,” you probably automatically think of Cru catching air in the ’80s flick Rad or Elliott and the gang pedaling furiously in the getaway scene in E.T. But at the Eagle Bike Park downvalley, the star is Finn Newell. This 8-year-old, whose track name is Ferocious Finn, is leaving everybody in his age group—and many older kids—in the dust.

If you haven’t ridden, raced, or watched BMX since you were little, you might not recognize the sport now. “My son’s bike looks nothing like the BMX bikes we rode as kids,” says Jason Newell, Finn’s father, who owns a local property management firm. “The tires are teeny-tiny thin, and everything is about weight management. Finn’s bike is carbon fiber, much lighter than regular bikes.”

The sport, which consists of whipping around a dirt track as fast as possible, is evolving and growing, propelled by the fact that BMX racing officially became an Olympic sport at the 2008 games in Beijing, followed by BMX freestyle’s debut in 2020 in Tokyo. (The lingo here matters: “Racing” is an all-out sprint on a dirt track with features like berms and rollers, whereas “freestyle” is more about doing showy tricks and catching big air.)

Perhaps unexpectedly, the Newells aren’t a big bike-riding family, something that everyone asks Jason and his wife, Kayce (co-founder of LKW Luxury Interior Design), when they hear about Finn. But the family of four does live just a few minutes from Eagle’s bike park, and lucky for Finn—who has been screaming around on two wheels since he first Fred Flinstoned a Stryder at 18 months—the sleepy downvalley bedroom community has one of the few certified USA BMX tracks in the state.

In 2007, Eagle residents spearheaded an all-volunteer effort to build a track across from the Eagle pool and ice rink that could be used as an official venue for USA BMX races. When it opened for racing in 2009, Eagle County BMX (known as ECBMX) became the highest elevation track in the nation at 6,700 feet. After the town added adjacent jump and skills zone areas to the track last summer, the entire facility became known as Eagle Bike Park.

“We were intimidated at first with the bigger kids on the track,” Jason explains. “When the racers are on there, you don’t want to get in the way.” But the family also found a sense of camaraderie, one that seems baked into the sport as a community of parents, seasoned riders, armchair enthusiasts, and even pros, cheers everyone on.

So, at the age of 6, Finn dropped into the track and took his first adorable lap. And he came back again and again, making an impression, accruing gear, and going to gate practice—a key component of BMX racing. Every race begins with a hydraulic gate at the top of the track; the mechanism catches the bikes’ wheels, allows riders to get into position, and steadies them until it drops and the race is on. “Gate practice only happens once a week, and it’s for practicing your start, which is the most important part of a race,” Jason explains.    

Last summer, at age 7, Finn officially began his racing career—and destroyed the competition. Because he’s so young, he usually races against significantly older kids. After his first season, Finn was ranked first in his class in Colorado, and he took first in Oklahoma’s Regional Gold Cup and second at the Grand Nationals, which the BMX community calls the “Greatest Race on Earth.” At this point, the trophies he’s won often dwarf him by a couple of feet.

This season, Ferocious Finn has big goals, and he’ll be racing on the national circuit, as well as the local and regional races. First up: Golden State Nationals in Bakersfield, California, at the end of April. “The better Finn gets, the faster he goes and the happier he is,” Jason says. “He loves this; it’s all he wants to do.”

BMX Basics

What

Bicycle motocross, better known as BMX, is an organized bike race on a dirt track. Races are a test of nerves, agility, skill, and speed.

Where

Finn and his fellow BMXers train at two USA BMX-certified tracks: in Eagle Ranch at Eagle Bike Park and about an hour west at Crown Mountain Bike Park in El Jebel, just outside of Basalt. (Upvalley, there’s a bike park in Minturn with a pump track, but it lacks a BMX component)

When

In Colorado, the start and end of BMX season depends on weather, but generally tracks in Eagle and El Jebel are open from June through September.

Gear

Starting out, you just need a bike and helmet. As you progress, you’ll want a BMX-specific bike (smaller, lighter, and faster than a mountain bike), pads, gloves, and a full-face helmet.

Practice and Races

In Eagle, BMX races are on Mondays, with gate practice on Wednesdays. At Crown Mountain Bike Park in El Jebel, the track holds gate practice on Tuesdays and races on Thursdays. “Many families from both tracks travel back and forth,” Jason says. “We are truly lucky to have two great tracks so close together.”

2025 Main Events

July 12: Eagle County BMX State Race, Eagle Bike Park

July 13: The Crown Mountain State Race and Gold Cup Qualifier, Crown Mountain Bike Park

Aug 30–31: 2025 State Championship Finals, Durango BMX Track