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#4690

2012 First-Class Forever Stamp - Bicycling: BMX Racer

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U.S. #4690

2012 45¢ BMX Racer

Bicycling

 

Issue Date: June 7, 2012

City: Minneapolis, MN

Quantity: 10,000,000

Printed By: Ashton Potter

Printing Method: Offset

Perforations: Die Cut 10 ¾

Color: multicolored

 

Children in...  more

U.S. #4690

2012 45¢ BMX Racer

Bicycling

 

Issue Date: June 7, 2012

City: Minneapolis, MN

Quantity: 10,000,000

Printed By: Ashton Potter

Printing Method: Offset

Perforations: Die Cut 10 ¾

Color: multicolored

 

Children in California wanted to mimic motocross heroes they had seen racing on television.  They customized their Schwinn Stingrays to imitate motorcycles and raced around homemade dirt tracks, complete with jumps.

 

The 1971 motorcycle racing documentary, On Any Sunday, opened with a scene of these children racing their bicycles on dirt tracks.  After that, the sport of bicycle motocross, or BMX, quickly spread through the nation.

 

Custom bikes replaced the Stingray, and banana seats were no longer the hottest craze. Dirt racing was still popular, but the tracks became more sophisticated as adults got involved.  Some riders branched out to skateparks, empty swimming pools, and parking lots, where the difficulty of the trick became more important than the speed.

 

BMX freestylers now eagerly show off their “Howyadoin grinds,” “Footjam tailwhips,” and “Crankflips” at the annual Summer “X” Games, an Extreme Sports competition.

 

BMX racers even began competing at the Olympic Games, starting in 2008.  Professional gear and large crowds set these athletes apart from the children in California decades earlier, but the thrill of the race is still the same.

 

 

 
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