British Cycling confirms Darwen to host BMX Freestyle Championships

Junction 4 Skatepark in Darwen, which describes itself as ‘the UK’s only urban sports village’, will host the third round of the 2023 series, which will double up as the National BMX Freestyle Championship.

Last year saw the first National BMX Freestyle Series take place following on from inspiring performances by Charlotte Worthington and Declan Brooks at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Junction 4 in Darwen hosted an event in the inaugural series last year (Image: Adam Lievesley/Robin Pearson - British Cycling)

As with last year, events will be held in England, Wales, and Scotland, starting in April and going through to October.

Anthony Ramsay, owner of Junction 4 Skatepark, said: “We are proud and excited to be hosting the BMX Freestyle National Championships here at Junction 4 Urban Sports Village in Darwen.

“Over the last two years, we’ve worked incredibly hard to transform the facility from one of the smallest in the country to one of the very best.

“Our £1.2 million vision was supported by British Cycling and the Darwen Town Deal Board, and the fact we’ve been chosen to hold this event is a fantastic endorsement of the success of the project.”

The venue has outdoor and undercover ramps (Image: Adam Lievesley/Robin Pearson - British Cycling)

This year’s series starts at Adrenaline Alley in Corby, Northamptonshire, over the weekend of April 29-30 before moving on to Cardiff’s Rampworld on May 27-28.

Darwen will then host the third round, which will incorporate the national championships, over the weekend of July 22-23, before the series heads to Dumbarton, Scotland, on August 12-13, Darlington in the North East on September 2-3, and Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire on October 21-22.

Harry Tucker, chair of the BMX Freestyle Commission, said: “After a huge success last year, it’s fantastic to see the announcement of another six-round BMX Freestyle National Series for 2023.

Darwen will host this year's BMX Freestyle national championships (Image: Adam Lievesley/Robin Pearson - British Cycling)

"These events play a major role in bringing together the BMX freestyle community, as well as growing our sport by inspiring more and more people to pick up a BMX.”

Great Britain cycling team BMX Freestyle academy coach, Greg Illingworth, added: “The UK BMX community embraced the inaugural National Series wholeheartedly last year, and I cannot wait to build on that momentum in 2023.

“The series is important and exciting for the BMX scene. It’s also the primary source for talent identification for GBCT.

"In my role as BMX Freestyle Academy Coach, I’ll be looking out for the next generation of superstars and Olympians at the National Series.”