For father and daughter Adam and Nyah Monsant, BMX racing isn’t just about competing on the biggest stage, it’s also about bonding as a family.
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The duo has been making the state rounds in the past few years. Adam competes in the over-50s men’s class, taking out first place in the state titles, while Nyah rides in the 15s girls class, collecting third place.
Both Monsants are currently nationally ranked — Nyah is seventh in the national rounds and Adam is third, with both pending results from the final national competition in Perth.
Due to there being no BMX track locally, they travel often to Bendigo and Shepparton to train, with both of them being members of the Bendigo Dragons BMX Club, and they race regularly in Melbourne.
Adam said he didn’t think Nyah would love the sport as much as she did and he was thrilled she had made friends through her time racing.
“I thought Nyah would just get into it a bit and get out of it, but she really loves it, she gets right into it, I'm just basically tagging along with her,” he said.
“She’s met a lot of cool friends out of it and I think that's what keeps us going as well.”
Adam also reflected on his own journey with BMX and how his passion started in his youth.
He is glad he can share that with his kids now that the sport has more exposure.
“I raced years ago when I was a kid, when they had a track here in the ’80s in Echuca,” he said.
“You can see now that country towns wouldn’t have the people and the funding to run a club like they did years ago. The whole sport has changed now.
“My kids were getting into the mountain bikes, and I thought with skills training you just can’t beat the BMX and the pump tracks where there’s so much skill involved.”
Adam and Nyah will travel to Perth for the final national competition of the season from Monday, October 7, to Sunday, October 13.