BMX back on track at Princess Vlei Eco Park

Hard work pays off for BMX club

BMX enthusiasts from across the city, especially the little ones, could hardly wait to put their bikes and the track to the test, at the launch of the newly-refurbished BMX track, at Princessvlei Eco Park in Elfindale, at the weekend.

“So it all started in November 2023 when we arrived with spades, rakes and lots of black bags to start clearing the track of weeds and unwanted stones and rocks,“ said Princess Vlei BMX Club chairman, Kurt Greybe.

He said the club was established in December last year to help grow the sport in the southern suburbs and to offer the children and adults from the surrounding communities an opportunity to develop new skills, ride their bikes in a safe location and become fitter.

An avid rider himself, Greybe said he got involved with BMX in an effort to expose his 7-year- son, who also loves his bicycle, to another form of cycling while including the competition aspect into his life which has taught the youngster many skills in the three years that he has been racing.

Finally, after many hours shovelling sand and gravel in the sun, club members now have a track they can call their own.

“We are hoping to attract more young people by having more open days and using social media to show how we have progressed as an NPO while also sharing the benefits of BMX riding or racing. It’s important to state that not everyone has to race,” Greybe said.

He said although the track has been around for many years, approximately 15 to 20 years, there has never been an official club based at Princessvlei.

“We started our first clean-up session in November 2023. We needed to pull our families onto the track to help us maintain it,” he said.

Although happy with the fruits of their labour, a few obstacles remain, he said.

“We have had challenges with water supply as the taps are very far, we have had guys riding 4X4s and motorbikes on the track soon after we had it rebuilt, he said.

“Drainage is a challenge so after heavy rains we have quite a lot of work to do. Safety is an issue at the track so we need a fence of some sort to ensure we can ensure that riders are safe while riding. Lights would be a real blessing as it’s really great to ride at night,” said Greybe.

As is the case with many NPOs, one of their biggest challenges is a financial one he said, as it requires quite a bit to maintain the track and to get it up to standard to host major events.

“We would love to have an official race event later this year, in an effort to be added to the race calendar for 2025,” he said.

“Funding is a key need. We need a start gate that is a mechanical gate with a start timer and start lights that riders stand behind in order to start the race, he said.

“This is a very expensive piece of equipment that requires lots of funding. We also need to buy maintenance equipment like rollers, compactors, water supply, lights, fence and pay for the monthly salary of the maintenance team.”

“We need security on the days of events. We would also like to invite children from surrounding communities to run training camp days during school holidays and weekends. We want to ensure the site gives back to the community as it has so much to give,” he said.

For more information about Princess Vlei BMX Club, call 071 689 5723 or visit the club’s Facebook and Instagram pages.