Airdrie BMX racer Abygale Reeve was full speed ahead in her 10th season, winning every major race and series in her age group that she took part in.
“I think it’s a really good accomplishment, but you have to move forward from all of these,” Reeve said, adding that she is always looking ahead to the future and bigger goals.
Reeve, 15, was a force to be reckoned with this riding season, coming out on top in nearly every race she competed in.
The former Bert Church High School student, who competes in the Junior Devo division – designated for riders aged 14 to 16 – capped off her season by winning the Canada Cup Junior Devo Division for the second year in a row. She was also crowned Alberta’s provincial champion in her age group for the ninth year in a row in 2021, was the Alberta Series Champion for the eighth consecutive time, and was the Alberta Junior Devo Champion for the second year in a row.
Reeve has been riding BMX since the age of six, when a parent of a teammate on her hockey team invited her out to try the sport.
“I got hooked immediately,” she said. “It’s an individual sport, I can rely on myself. And I just love the environment and the atmosphere of BMX.”
Since then, Reeve has become extremely dedicated to the sport, recently making the decision to complete high school online so she can travel and compete in BMX races around the world.
At the end of October, Reeve said she is travelling to Houston, Texas to compete in a massive race. After that, she said she will be spending a month in Phoenix, Ariz. to train while enjoying the warm weather.
Then she will be heading to Tulsa, Okla., for another big event.
“[It’s] pretty much the Superbowl of BMX – the biggest race,” she said of her upcoming race in Oklahoma. “It’s called ‘The Biggest Race on Earth’ for BMX.”
The rider explained that BMX competitions are divided by age group, where there are three motos (races) in a day.
She added that BMX is like golf, in that at the end of the riding day, riders want the lowest number of points. Riders get points based on their standings in each of the motos – one point for first place, two points for second place, and so on.
If there are more than eight individuals in the age group, Reeve said that there are four motos in a day. Riders have to qualify to race in the fourth moto – which she called ‘the main’ – and a rider’s place in the main is their final ranking.
BMX is about more than just hopping on bike and going around the track, according to Reeve. She added that some elements of her training include lifting weights, completing flat, uphill and downhill sprints, and practicing her technique on the bike.
“You have to do lots of stuff off the bike now,” she said.
Next season, Reeve will be moving up to the Junior Division, designated for 17- and 18-year-old riders. Following those two years, she will be competing as an Elite – a professional BMX rider.
Her parents are her number-one fans and have helped her get to where she is today, according to Reeve. They get her to and watch all of her races, and are always there to support her.
“They’re my biggest supporters throughout this whole thing,” she said. “And I know that even if I don’t do good, I know that they’re still proud of me.”
