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On this episode of the Lane 8 BMX Podcast, we head to St. Michael, Minnesota, where Crow River BMX is in the middle of a full-blown revival. With a brand-new track rebuild and the Land O' Lakes Nationals set to return this July, this longtime Midwest staple is again ready to shine on the national stage.

Jason Kempel and Dan Isaacs, the co-track operators leading the charge, are joining me. We talk about the decision to bring back the original Crow River name, the challenges of rebuilding a track from the ground up, and the behind-the-scenes work it takes to host a national event. Their passion for the sport and community is front and center in this conversation.

If you care about the future of BMX, local tracks, and the people making it all happen, this one’s for you.

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In this powerful episode, we reconnect with Dutch cyclist Elwin Remmerts—once an elite rider with his eyes on the top, now navigating a new chapter shaped by resilience and perspective. After a devastating crash left him with a severe concussion and a heart injury, Elwin made the difficult decision to step down from elite competition.

But this isn't a story about giving up—it's about transformation.

Now working full-time, building a life with his girlfriend, and rediscovering balance, Elwin opens up about how the crash, while physically and emotionally taxing, ultimately put him on a path to a more meaningful and grounded life. We talk about identity, recovery, and what it really means to live fully—on and off the bike.

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Jeff has won every lap except one since the beginning of the season. Let that bit of information sink in. He only lost the one lap because of a flat tire. He says the results folks are seeing is because of carefully laid plans two years ago. Upshaw says what you're seeing is a faster first straight and an increased focus all the way across the finish line.

Currently Jeff is in Ohio visiting family and putting in work for his next races. Minnesota, Upshaw is coming to put on a show. This year his goals are firmly planted at the worlds and turning the number two plate into a one.

Jeff is always a fun interview and one of the coolest cats I've ever gotten the chance to sit and chop it up with. Enjoy.

And, yes it feels good to be behind the mic once again interview the brightest and the best. I just needed a bit of a break.

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Kristaps Veksa is originally from Latvia. Yep, the same country as Maris Strombergs is from.

He recently competed in the pump track world championships in Durban, South Africa. Ryan Gilchrist took home the rainbow jersey.

Veksa began racing around five years old in 1999 in Saldus, Latvia. He had a BMX track right behind the apartment building he lived in. So, of course he was at the track all the time. He finished sixth in his first race. Since then he's won the Latvian national championship multiple times.

He turned elite right after finishing school. It was a time when there was no U23 class so he jumped right into the deep end of racing with the big boys. He says it was a difficult time getting adjusted to the increased competition. Veksa says his break through moment came when he made the main of a euro cup in Latvia with Strombergs and Edzus Treimanis. He ended up fourth in that race.

Veksa says he decided to stop racing for a multitude of reasons. So, he decided to move to Germany. He never stopped riding but simply didn't race. Veksa began training kids on how to race. He got the bug to compete again but this time it was on a pump track. Hitting the pump track eventually led him back to a BMX track. This time he passed on racing in the elite category and went straight to the challenge class. The culmination of his hard work was winning worlds in 2023 in the 25-29 challenge class.

At the moment Veksa is working in a bike shop in Germany, riding for Radio frames, and he just proposed to his girlfriend.

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Justin Travis is the director of business development for USA BMX. He's got 17 years of experience in recreational programming of action sports. Sports like BMX racing, skateboarding to skydiving.

I've been looking forward to speaking with Justin about some of the upcoming tracks to built and where and exactly how BMX is doing across the country compared to other sports.

This interview is one of several discussions Justin and I plan to have about the sport we all love. I got lucky because he's so busy and travels quite a bit to get him when I did before Grands.

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According to the Cycling Museum of Minnesota, BMX became popular in the Land of 10,000 lakes in the 70's, with the first race in the state believed to have taken place at Rydjor Bike shop in Austin, Minnesota in 1974.

In the mid 80's is when I started racing in Minnesota. I grew up in a time where I raced on tracks from Eden Prairie, Albert Lea to Richfield, where the famous Taft Park track was and is now gone. Hell I even raced indoors at the Armory in Downtown Minneapolis during the winter.

In all that time I don't remember a state series. To me points were all about district points.

Presently Minnesota has a thriving Minnesota BMX scene and state series. The state has 10 tracks where every track gets a qualifier. The series begins In July and ends late August. The finals is held at the ever famous "Rum River BMX' in Isanti, Minnesota.

I recently sat down with Sam Falkowski and Tim Dobosenski who are on the committee that organize the series. It's the second year of the committee and they have big plans for the series.

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So, I've decided to start a series that will hopefully cover the country. I'm interested in how the state series for each state in the union is doing. Now what I mean is how have they been running, how many races they have, how many racers participate, how well is the series doing, what are some of the challenges they face and what does the future look for their particular state series.

Since I live in Florida it would only be right to start right here. Thanks to Drew Motley, Tom Johnson and Domingos Lammoglia I was able to contact head official Bill Robins.

Here's what I will tell you, Bill took me to school on how the series runs, how the tracks work together, ridership and the partnership between the Florida state series and USA BMX.

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Stefany Hernandez is a national treasure in her home country of Venezuela. BMX is in her blood and from day one it was all about tapping into her greatness. Her brothers started racing first. She says her mom would take her to the track while still in the womb. Stefany got third in her first race and it lit a fire in her belly to succeed.

She would eventually travel the world to France and Switzerland to live, train, and work. She credits French coach Thomas Allier for taking her to the next level of competition. The world stage.

Stefany would eventually win a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, become world champion, and hit World Cup podiums.

In 2021 she called it quits on her career and moved back to Venezuela. Currently she is working on multiple ventures to help BMX in her country, the youth of her area, and helping out in the family business.