the essential
On October 27, Auch will host the first regional pump track championship. Nearly 100 riders and hundreds of spectators are expected to come and discover this spectacular sport, popular in Cycling.
At the end of the month, Auch will become the regional pump track capital. Indeed, the city will host the first Occitanie championship of this discipline which is emerging little by little: “In June, a young person called me to offer to organize this pump track competition. In reality, I did not know what this discipline was like…” laughs Patrick Mathéou.
Like the president of the Auch Gers Gascogne Velocipedic Union (UVAGG), many people have missed out on the growth of this spectacular discipline. Pump track is a sport that is practiced on a loop track made up of bumps and banked turns. Thanks to this arrangement, it is practically not necessary to pedal because the pumping movement of the body allows you to move forward.
100 pilots from across the region
On October 27, Auch will become the epicenter of the pump track in Occitanie. Nearly 100 drivers and more than 300 spectators are expected around the track located near the Couloumé park.
The capital of Gers can boast of having one of the best infrastructures for practicing this sport, according to Maxence Crouail, at the origin of the project: “It is a track approved by the French Cycling Federation (FFC) and it respects the standards of the discipline. There are not many tracks like this, near Toulouse, which can host a competition.
MC – Maxime Dacheux
He tells how he came up with the idea for such a project: “I have been doing BMX racing for 14 years and pump track for 2 years. Organizing a regional pump track race was a personal desire. I needed a club affiliated with the FFC, so I contacted the UVAGG and that’s how it happened.”
This pump track enthusiast particularly appreciates the diversity present in this discipline: “It’s a social place where BMX, skateboards and mountain bikes can ride. It’s booming, especially among BMX racing and downhill riders. and mogul jumps.”
“We will be able to discover something else”
The pump track is a boon for the flagship Gers club which intends to attract new members during this first event: “We are very enthusiastic, it’s a new experience, a new organization, we will be able to discover something else. It’s a popular sport, especially among young people, it’s more technical with all the turns,” reacts the president of the UVAGG.
The competition is open to all licensees and other cycling enthusiasts: “There is a young person from Pavia who practices BMX and who contacted us to find out if he could register… Of course!”, indicates Patrick Mathéou. This regional competition will be an opportunity for the Gersois to come and discover this recent discipline which is starting to become known in France.
