'I trained with BMX Olympian Charlotte Worthington'
Charlotte Worthington MBE is making and breaking records. The champion of Freestyle BMX - bicycle motocross - has set new standards for the sport, winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics after being chosen for UK's cycling team, and becoming the first woman ever to perform a 360-degree backflip during a competition. She's also the first British woman to win a BMX world medal, and she took bronze in the 2019 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships.
Even more incredible is that she only took up the sport seriously seven years ago, when she was 20, first as a hobby and then training intensely until BMX was added to the Olympics in 2017.
Now, she practices full-time in the aptly named Adrenaline Alley skatepark in Corby, where I went to see the spectacle of her soaring and leaping, then took the BMX out for a brief spin, to find out for myself what goes into excelling at this (usually) male-dominated sport.
An example training week for Charlotte Worthington:
5-6 x 2-4-hour BMX skatepark sessions
1-hour moderate cardio sessions to build endurance in legs and body as a whole
Fast cardio, to be prepared for intense one-minute bursts in a competition [the Olympic BMX Freestyle competition will take place in an urban park where riders will perform as many tricks as possible in 60 seconds]
How are you training for this Olympic season?
'It's coming up real quick! Currently, we've still got another qualifier yet to go - we just did one in Shanghai. My current Olympic training looks like:
5x 2-3-hour BMX training sessions
4-5x 1-1.5-hours gym sessions
I’m honing in on the getting fitter for that one-minute effort.'
You took up BMX seriously relatively recently at the age of 20. Why did you make that decision and what drew you to BMX originally?
'I was always in the skate-park environment, whether it was on a skateboard or actually riding scooters for about seven or eight years. When I got to the age of 19, I had a full-time job working in a kitchen.
'I wasn't getting to ride my scooter as much and I'd done everything that I wanted to do on it. I felt like I needed a new challenge; something fresh. BMX became that thing. It was in the environment in the skate park that I loved. I already had a lot of friends that did it. Everything became new and exciting again, and I did that for a year as a hobby, said yes to a few opportunities and that very quickly snowballed into the Olympic journey.'
What has your proudest achievement been?
'I've had many proud moments, but I think the best one I've had is winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics. But it wasn't necessarily the result; it was because of the journey it took to get there.
'There was a lot of highs and lows that I wouldn't have been able to get through without my team, so I'm really proud of how I showed up in those moments. But I've done a lot of amazing things since the Games and there've been a lot of other challenges that I've overcome since then.'
Have there been any particular difficulties or challenges?
'Post-Tokyo, I had to learn how to prepare for a contest in a different way. Before Tokyo, we had a course that was a 90% replica of the real thing, which allowed us weeks of preparation before the Games instead of the usual practice time slots days before at the event.
'I took that approach into every competition, but in the extreme - I was trying to take part in contests as hard and stressful as the Olympics all the time as now my expectations were very high, and I was training too intensely. It ended up beating me down and knocking my confidence, until eventually two years later I was totally burned out and had to step back.
'I had to learn to be more adaptable and train in a way that was easier to maintain. I've learnt a lot since then and am in a much better place.'
What's your nutrition like?
'I really like food; I've got a great appetite and as I've mentioned, I've worked in a kitchen. I try to eat a rounded diet, always making sure I've got a salad in the fridge, along with a good grain like quinoa. I mix up my carbs, eat a large variety of vegetables, and plenty of protein and meat. If I were to name a particular [way of eating], it'd probably be the Mediterranean diet, because I get plenty of fish. Don't get me wrong though: I'm going to include some cake and dessert!'
Have you suffered any injuries?
'This sport is pretty unforgiving if you're not prepared. Most things I've injured: I've dislocated my shoulder four times and had two surgeries on it. I've broken my ankle, had numerous concussions, tore my glute muscle - that was a pain in the bum! - and had various bone bruising and fractures. So you can't rely on luck. It's so risky and dangerous that if I'm not prepared out there, I could be putting myself at risk.'
How confident do you feel about this competition season and the 2024 Olympics?
'This competition season, the women's BMX freestyle game has definitely changed. The bar has been raised ever since a new [standard] was set at the Olympics - by me! - that I have to try and maintain and keep up with. But we've seen a lot of new faces; there's been some turnover with the regular riders that would usually compete. So it's definitely a bigger challenge this time and it's going to require some work.'
During our session, Charlotte demonstrated three extremely impressive tricks on the BMX, as shown in the video above. Here, she explains how to do each one.
First trick - no-hander
'The first trick that I did is called a 'no-hander': you take your hands off the bars. The key is to actually take the handlebars into your waist, which has them secure and in your lap. Then you can take your hands off and get full extension and put your hands back on. It's one of my favourite tricks.'
Second trick - toboggan
'The second trick that I did is called a toboggan. This is because you turn the bars halfway at 90 degrees to make a 'T'. Then I use one hand to grab the seat at the same time. So you want to have the bars extended out and you're holding the seat. This is a very flowy, stylish trick and it's another one I really like even though it's super simple.'
Third trick - 360
'The third one is known as a 360 - you're spinning with the bike and landing on the other side of the ramp. It's growing in the women's field and it's become a defining factor as to who can 360 over a big box versus onto the deck of a ramp.'
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