2020 USA BMX Land O' Lakes National Race Report

Filed under General on September 14, 2020 | Comment(s)

There’s something about the cool late summer mornings that make racing a little more exciting than usual. It could be that fall is close which means that the number of nationals is quickly dwindling, and the Grands are near. In Minnesota this used to mean that the end of the season was just a stone’s throw away but thanks to the mega facility known as Rum River BMX, that no longer applies.

If you’ve never been to this facility just imagine your local outdoor track as it sits, then imagine constructing a building right on top of it. That’s exactly what you’ll find in the small town of Isanti, right down to the asphalt corners and covered starting hill. It’s truly an amazing place to visit.

The Land O’ Lakes national was originally scheduled to take place back in May but fell victim to coronavirus restrictions. That being said, this may have been the first national indoor BMX race in the world since spring and it could not have happened without the awesome volunteer base that Rum River has.

The track boasts one of three Sqorz timing systems in the US and it demonstrates the future of our sport. We’re not sure exactly when timing systems will replace the traditional scoring methods currently used but it will certainly happen at some point. The track even offered an extra bit of cash to the Pro Open class during the national to show off the system. Supercross’ Kamren Larson put on a clinic nearly every lap and took home all the cash.

If you live outside of upper Midwest you may have never heard of the flying Theisen brothers but trust us, you will. This duo calls Saint Cloud, Minnesota home, which is just a short drive from Isanti. They younger of the two, Jacob, was the star of the weekend with triples each day (he was the only rider to triple all weekend). We’re pretty sure that he never lost a lap. Big brother Lucas also made sure his presence was known by winning 9X on days one and three and winning Open on Sunday, making it a double for the day. These kids work extremely hard at their craft and it definitely showed this weekend.

Powerlite’s Lola Jonjevic also displayed dominance in Minnesota. The part time speed skater is no stranger to going fast. She also practices Jiu Jitsu and is used to choking out the competition. She rattled off a perfect weekend by winning 12 Girls Expert and 11-12 Mixed open each day.

Two wheeled superstar, 12-year-old Ryder Lawrence, also had a perfect weekend with 6 wins of his own. We’re not sure if he has more fun winning races, going big at your favorite freestyler’s backyard dirt jumps, or hauling the mail at a downhill race. He does it all and is great at each.

Local hotshot Bryce Blumer has put in more laps at Rum River than most and it showed in the 13 Cruiser class. He won each day in put himself in serious contention to turn his plate gray in just a couple of months.

Another racer that caught our eye was Oregon’s Deegan Russell. He rides for Legacy Racing and took home all of the big trophies in the 8 Intermediate class. He’ll probably move on to Expert by the time you read this and should be mixing it up with the best in no time.

The 7X class was owned by this month’s Carve feature, Tucson’s Anthony Agraan. This little guy rides with a purpose and that purpose is to win. He’d do just that each day in the class and two days on his cruiser. Expect big things from this one who hails from the home of Corben Sharrah.

Nag #1’s Landon Burian and Kaitlyn Larson did a bunch of winning over the course of the weekend. Burian added three wins in the 10 Girls Expert class and a pair of wins on her cruiser. Larson did one better and added 6 wins to her 2020 campaign. Both of these ladies were impressive every time the gate dropped.

If you’ve ever wanted to visit Rum River BMX and haven’t yet, you need to do it sooner than later. The place is simply impressive and the people make it a spot that you’ll want to keep coming back to. Hats off to TO’s Josh Robinson, Alissa Chartrand and their army of volunteers. Your efforts will certainly keep kids, young and old, having clean fun in the dirt for many years to come.