Riga, Latvia 2003.
Dear Gerrit,
Many thanks for your invitation on celebrating the 25th Anniversary of European BMX. I am very proud and happy that I know you personaly as pioneer of BMX in Europe and you know me,
Janis Silins and other BMX pioneers from Latvia. We have lot of things happened in Latvian BMX since your last visit. As you maybe know, our BMX rider Ivo Lakucs was the member of Latvian Track-cycling team in Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and took 8th place in Olympic Sprint. He became the Elite BMX Europen Champion this year, even two rounds before the end of EC. We have already two years (2002, 2003) of practice in organizing a EC round in Valmiera city, the native city of Ivo LAKUCS and Arturs MATISONS (European leader of Junior BMX riders this year). I am happy you are still into BMX.
My best regards to your wife Mieke and your sons Peter and Nico. I will do all possible to be there in Dessel - Belgium on 27./28.09.2003 to meet you all, but I am not sure now. I will try to come together with Janis Silins and maybe, some former riders as Gundars Osis or our nowadays riders as Ivo Lakucs, Janis Vanags, Arturs Matisons or others. I am not sure, but we will try. I think we must meet there.
Best regards
Aldons Vrublevskis
Latvian BMX Federation, President
Latvian Olympic Committee, Secretary General
Special recoqnition European Hall of Fame
At the age of 6 (1976) Nico was already riding BMX bikes, which his uncle Pierre Karsmakers (former MX Dutch and USA National Champion) imported from the USA in the late '70s.
Officialy Nico was the first license holder in Holland and probably in Europe with an official registrated organisation. At the time his skills were very exceptional. Even in the USA, were he competed at the JAG BMX World Championships in 1979, American riders, among them several Pro's, were astonished by his technic and skills of ND doing one-handers, no-footers and such.
Besides racing, Later on Nico started his own company building and selling BMX bikes. He started WEBCO Bicycles in 1991. Up till this day (ending 2001) Nico is involved in building these bikes and selling them.
KD Quality Products AG, owned by Albert Knill in Switzerland, works with Nico on this. (KD stands for, Knill Does).
Besides all of this Nico still is actif as a trainer/coach on local level with his club "F.C.C. Lion d'Or" in Valkenswaard - Holland, on National level with the KNWU regional training sessions and at International level, when invited to give training/seminars and so on.
More then 25 years he has been involved in the sport of BMX and still lives the sport a loves. Nico never won a European or World title, did win several Dutch national titles and 2 third places at World Championships (Indianapolis-USA and Brisbane-Australia) but for sure deserves his place in the European BMX Hall of Fame as BMX racer/promoter of the absolute "first hour of the sport".
More information on Nico can be found in his University of BMX Advisor CV.
Inducted in 2001
Special recoqnition European Hall of Fame
A pioneer rider. still active in the sport (without a break) and competing at the highest level, celebrates his 25th anniversary in the sport in July 2004, has been nominated: Pieter Does, Holland. Update: end year 2004 Pieter Does stopped racing.
For more information about Pieter Does, check out his profile.
Inducted in 2004
Special recoqnition European Hall of Fame
Uli was one of the first BMX racers in Germany. Started in 1979 and competed in his first international race in 1980 at the AVRO GOLD CUP TV event in Waalre-Holland. In the early days, Uli was the "face" of German BMX.
In his country he was a trend-setter at the time because he was racing in the oldest age-class at the time (16+). BMX was new and many people found it kind of strange, boys of about 16 year and older riding these small 20" BMX bikes.
Uli's dad Helmut Heidtkamp, was one of the first pioneers of BMX in Germany in the Cologne area and did a great job getting BMX off the ground as an organised sport and promoting the sport of BMX in general.
By nominating Uli, we also honour his dad (died in the early '90 of cancer) for his pioneer work.
Inducted in 2001
Re: 25th years of BMX.
Dear Gerrit,
Many thanks for your invitation to take part in the 25th Anniversary at Dessel. Also many thanks for promoting and developing the good traditions of BMX. At last we also reach step by step one of our goals - organise a Rounds of European Elite and Junior Championship. Now we look for organising the final Rounds of EEC in 2005. But that is not so simply. When businees takes over the real sport then all things stands to difficult uprise. Sometimes we start to forget about democracy within an oganisation. All things that are happening now in UEC are not understable. So we all look forward to the Convention in Vallet which looks to be very "hot". I hope that during this meeting democracy will come back. After these reflections, it is really nice that we have people who look for good tradition establishing and I hope that we can find good people to continue pushing and promoting these traditions further more. I will do all what I can in participating in a positive way during this meeting, but now I am not sure therefore this is school time for me.
Best wishes to Your Family.
Your friend in BMX - Janis Silins (2004)
1986 European Champion
Special recoqnition European Hall of Fame
Tom Lynch, one of the most successful British riders who managed to rake the Superclass by storm when he was only 16 years old (in 1986). Tom stated "I still have me verses TEAM AMEV dreams". Insiders know exactly what Tom means by this!
Tom started out as a moto-cross rider but switched to BMX in 1980, competed in his first BMX events in 1982 and Tom finished his career in 1994.
Special recoqnition European Hall of Fame
One can call Philippe the pioneer and trend setter for French BMX.
He was the first ever National Champion of France in the oldest age class in 1979.
Philippe was a good promoter for BMX, competed also in the AVRO GOLD CUP TV event in Waalre-Holland in August 1980.
Inducted in 2001
Special recoqnition European Hall of Fame
Another pioneer rider has been nominated, Andreas Nyberg from Sweden.
Andreas was the first ever Swedish BMX racer in the, at the time, oldest age class and the first one from Sweden to compete in international events, among others, the 1983 I.BMX.F. Worlds in Holland and the Murray World Cup in Nashville Tennessee, USA.
Andreas still runs a Bicycle and BMX shop in Sweden.
Inducted in 2004
Special recoqnition European Hall of Fame
Xavier started racing BMX early 1979 and can be considered one of the pioneer BMX racers of France and leaded the way for a long period of time.
He never won a European and/or World title in the highest level class, however he still was a leading figure in International BMX for many years, together with Claude Vuillemot and David Kastler.
Xavier is still involved in BMX due to his profession working for a bicycle company in England.
A man who had to be nominated for the European Hall of Fame of BMX.
Inducted in 2001
Special recoqnition European Hall of Fame
Rainer started riding BMX bikes in 1980 and competed in an official event for the first time in 1982. He was one of the first German BMX'ers to travel with Gerrit Does to events in the USA in the early '80s.
Together with his Dad, Rainer started a BMX shop called "Rainer's Bike Shop". This shop still exists today. Since a couple of years, an Old Skool reunion takes place in Weiterstadt - Germany around September and among others, Rainer is one of the organisers of this event.
Rainer still rides his bike ('80's) once and a while.
As a leading, pioneer racer in the early days his nomination is a form of respect for the pioneer work he did.
Inducted in 2001
2012 Olympic Champion
2008 Olympic Champion
2010 World Champion
2008 World Champion
2014 European Champion
2013 European Champion
2008 European Champion
2010 Supercross World Cup
