New to Girlracer’s BMX team is Chloe Mai Napier. Known for her fearless riding style as well as her passion for all things purple (from her hair to bike accessories!) Chloe is an up and coming racer with a bright future. 20 year old Chloe has been racing since 2006 and according to her “has loved every minute of it!” She competes at the highest level of the sport for women in the UK, racing in the Junior Female class. Out of 20 riders in the class, Chloe is 6th after 8 of the 10 rounds in 2009.

Fastlane BMX Racing Magazine supports Chloe with a bike and parts, with No Limits Adrenaline Sports providing some of their stylish clothing and a practical race stand. Come race day, the top four riders in the Junior Female class all receive support from trade teams (bike shops and/or manufacturers) which makes Chloe’s achievements all the more notable.

Chloe competed in the two rounds of the European Championship Series that were held in Cheddar in June, and would love to race the full European circuit next year, but realises that backing from a big sponsor is necessary for a campaign of that scale. In her own words; “Maybe if I keep working as hard as I am at the moment, I could get a sponsor to help me out.”

At a Regional level, Chloe competes in the South, racing for Brixton BMX Club. She is leading the Summer Series which will give her the #1 plate for the British Championships in Cheddar. In the Winter Series, Chloe is planning to race against the boys for a greater challenge.

Chloe does backline sound engineering and works as a production assistant at places like Brixton Academy, Wembley and other London music venues and festivals.  This also allows her time to ride her bike, which she does 6 days a week, either at the track or local skateparks.

There is a lot of debate within BMX racing about the use of “clips” which are pedal systems that have come into the sport from road cycling and mountain biking; (the shoe has a cleat that clips into the pedal making pedalling more efficient and giving the rider greater power.) They are controversial because riders “on clips” supposedly don’t need as much finesse as riders using traditional flat pedals (there is also a view that clips are dangerous as the rider may not be able to disengage from the bike quickly if needed.) Chloe’s view is;
“ Nearly all the girls I race wear them and people tell me all the time that I should ride them.  Yes they make you faster but I have seen people’s skill level and confidence go down when they start riding on them.  I want to have a lot more skill and race experience before I start using clips.”

Watch out for Chloe on the podium at major BMX races!

Sponsors.

www.fastlanebmxmag.com - www.nolimitssports.co.uk - www.brixtonbmxclub.com