NZ4 (BMX)

Monday, 25th March 2024 at 11:50am

Lucy Larnder (Year 9) competed in the New Zealand National BMX Championship in Hawkes Bay recently (15 - 17 March) securing a spot in the finals and earning the NZ4 plate.

Competing in 6 motos (races) on Saturday, Lucy gained enough points to qualify for the 14 Girls’ BMX finals, held on Sunday, where she raced hard, and with a "little bit of luck" ended up finishing in fourth place.

New Zealand National BMX Champs hosted some of New Zealand's best riders, alongside expat riders from Australia, all aiming for NZ ranking plates in each age group.

Lucy, who now holds the NZ4 plate on her bike for the rest of the year, is off to Adelaide in a couple of weeks, representing Waitakere BMX Club, to race against the Australian riders in the 14 Girls' event.

Competing at a local, national and international level takes a lot of practice with Lucy training up to three times a week - not to mention the ongoing support from her family.

"My dad pays for the competitions and bike repairs."

Lucy enjoys the thrills (not so much the spills) of combining the speed and technique of a good race and has been riding BMX since she was about 6 or 7 years old.

"It's a lot of fun!"