The BMX World Cup Comes to Tuttle Avenue

This weekend, more than 400 riders from over 25 countries race in the final two rounds of the 2026 UCI BMX Racing World Cup, and they're doing it at Sarasota BMX on North Tuttle Avenue. It's the only U.S. stop on the tour, and the season titles in all four elite and under-23 divisions get decided here.

Our little track's big moment

Sarasota BMX has been racing since 1974, and it's billed as the oldest continuously running BMX track in the country. In 2016 it was rebuilt to World Cup standards, including an 8-meter starting ramp built for elite racing. It still runs year-round programs and coaching, so the track the world's best ride on this weekend is the same one local kids ride the rest of the year.

What's on the line

These rounds fall in the qualifying window for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, so riders are chasing Olympic points as well as season titles. Each round is finished in a single day: a qualifying run, a last-chance qualifier, then heats of up to eight riders until eight are left for the final. Expect bikes not much bigger than a kid's, speeds over 35 mph, and jumps up to 15 meters long.

A hometown rider to root for

Rayne Lankford, a 24-year-old pro who now calls Sarasota home, broke his femur and five ribs and collapsed a lung in a training crash on this same track in April. He's been working his way back with the goal of racing on Halloween weekend. If he lines up at the gate, give him a cheer.

Racing runs Saturday and Sunday, and every spectator needs a ticket. If you can't make it, the UCI streams the races live on its YouTube channel. Sarasota is set to host World Cup rounds again in October 2027.

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