SA Elite #1 Kyle Dodd

Hot off his 3rd consecutive Elite SA BMX Championship title win, we chat to Kyle Dodd about his 2015 racing season, his career, the championship and more.
Meet him here and find out what it takes to be SA’s fastest BMX racer.

First off, how did you get into BMX racing and who have been some of your inspirational riders?
My cousin at the time was doing MX and did BMX for fitness and suggested my Dad take me past Germiston BMX to see whether I would enjoy riding. The rest is history. Growing up as kid I loved watching the American series and my 2 favourite riders were Donny Robinson and Kyle Bennett. Donny was always the smallest guy in the gate and his size never deterred him and since Kyle Bennett had my name I grew up wanting to be as good as he was (RIP KB). The biggest adjustment was watching these guys race on video and the day finally came where I got to race alongside them which was a bit overwhelming and it’s safe to say it took me a few races to get used to that.

You have just come off winning the 2015 SA National championship. Tell us what this victory means to you and your career?
Well, having been off for 5 months due to my injury I sustained and not knowing whether I would be able to continue racing, coupled with postponing my studies which I am currently doing through UNISA, this for me was a huge achievement. My goals were to attend the Olympic Test event in Brazil and to race the SA Championships and this was achieved thanks to Cycling South Africa and the Prime Institute and their panel of physicians who worked long hours to get me back on track. Every title you win feels great but winning them back to back in such a tough class just makes it feel that much greater.

Give us a rundown of the national’s weekend and how it all worked out for you?
Saturday formed part of the NAG (National Age Group) series and since I’d missed the July event and not being able to take the overall win for the year, I used this time to regroup and familiarise myself with the track and riders but I was happy to win 7 of 7 races. The riders have definitely stepped up their game and my only real concern going into Sunday’s SA Championship event was Alex Limberg as he had grown a lot as a rider in the past year so it took a little time to work him out. Overall I was overwhelmed to have retained my Elite #1 for the 3rd consecutive year.

What have been some of your highlights and lowlights of the 2015 season?
A highlight above the win is being able to continue with my profession that I live for. My lowlight was during my recovery and having to sit trackside and watch the riders get faster, and there was very little I could do about it.

Which are your favourite tracks to race on in SA?
My favourite tracks would be Alrode in Gauteng and Giba Gorge in KZN. Alrode has always been a fun track to ride, the straights are long which enables riders to create some speed and the track is quite simple, therefore there are not too many mistakes that occur which creates awesome racing. Giba Gorge as some people may not know has built a Supercross track, it’s well maintain so it’s super smooth and there are many different lines that one can choose from. My favourite part of that track is the big 8 meter start-hill we get to ride down. I don’t think you can have more fun around a track especially going down a hill at 60km/h.

Which track internationally has been your favourite?
My favourite international track would have to be Copenhagen, Denmark. The reason is because it’s a simple yet fast SX track, it allows every rider around the world to push their speed limits to the max and it also makes for close racing which keeps it interesting for us riders as well as the fans watching.

To make sure you’re competitive in the Elite class, how often do you ride and train?
My training consists of a 6 day week and of the 6 days some days I train twice a day. Whilst I’m in South Africa and not travelling I try and race most Sundays since our calendar is set at the beginning of each year.

What does your normal week’s training regime consist of?
Monday, Wednesday and Friday is core, suppleness and flexibility at the gym and the afternoon consists of road sprints.
Tuesday morning I start off with squats at the gym followed by BMXBMX track riding in the afternoon. I like to alternate from track to track for variety.
Thursday morning gym sessions consist of Plyometrics and the afternoon is spent riding at the BMX track.
Saturday morning is spent at the gym doing squats and the afternoon session would be spent riding the track that the Sunday’s event is being held on.
Sunday’s are either a rest day or a race day.

What goes through your mind when you are locked and loaded in the start gate?
You always want to have positives thoughts, its all about wanting to get a good start and have a safe and smooth lap. The most important thought getting into the gate is accepting nothing less than a win!

When you have some downtime, what do you like to do for fun?
Everyone loves their free time to try other things, and being a sportsman anything I do in my downtime is always sports related. We have a property at the Vaal so enjoying a day out on the water doing all sorts of water sports is always fun. I have a MX bike, so during the off season I enjoy time out with my friends riding various MX tracks. I enjoy Mountain biking and Road cycling with my Dad and I do play a bit of golf now and then.

What are your goals for your BMX career and where would you like to see it take you?
My biggest goal at the moment would be the Olympics, because I have been training and working so hard during the past 4 years to get myself there. I would be proud to make my mark as a South African Olympian for a sport in our country as not many people know about it and hopefully it will get the name out there and grow our sport amongst people. They would be more aware of our awesome sport to possibly try BMX out for themselves.

Short term, what’s the plan for 2016?
The plan is to get through the qualifying rounds at the 4 SX events coming up next year to secure my place in the Olympics as a South African BMX rider and to ensure that more than one person in the history of our sport can achieve it.

Your bike setup?
My frame of choice is a Haro because I love the geometry of it and I am so comfortable on it.
Fly JB handlebars with lock on grips so they don’t come off, with A BOX break setup.
Cliq chromoly forks.
Alienation rims with Titanium spokes and Stealth hubs because they are instant engagement.
Tangent plastic race seat.
Shimano cranks, with 44T front gear and a 16T back gear with a KMC chain which is the strongest in the business so I don’t break it.
Tioga tyres for the smoothest ride around the track.

Any shout-outs?
A huge shout out goes to my family for always standing by my side, through any issues whether it was good events, travelling as well as injury. A big thank you to Jeep South Africa, POC, Fly and Red Bull for their support throughout the season and years of partnership. Cycling South Africa for their support getting me to and from races and a big thank you to them for getting me through injury and back on my BMX keeping the dream alive. Last but not least the one person who created me as an athlete, the person who always ensures my fitness, strength and mental aspect is always solid, my coach Jonnathan Chislett.

Photos by Daryn Varney Photography and Darren Goddard / Cycho Media.