Asphalt, also referred to as tarmac, pavement or bitumen – as we like to call it: Black Gold. It is the base of our pump tracks and something we consider to be of very high value. It puts a lot of smiles on ours and many others faces. From building with it, to riding and winning on it. Pump tracks are the future and bring people and communities together. As long as it has wheels, you can shred them. Every track is built to the highest standard and with an eye for detail for the best user experience, over and over again. And who knows better how to build them than Niels Bensink?
He is your current UCI Pump Track World Champion and main shaper and quality coordinator at Velosolutions Canada West. For him it all started 20 years ago building pump tracks in his backyard in the Netherlands, now it has evolved to giving back his knowledge to the next generation in hopefully a city near you. He sure knows how to build a pump track, but he also knows how to ride them, fast too.
Last year, Niels and the Velosolutions Canada West crew, completed 8 tracks all across the country. We would say he is a builder by day and a racer by night . All summer season he finds himself on the job site operating machines, raking gravel and asphalt and shaping every inch of track, all while training for and racing the Crankworx World Tour and UCI Pump Track World Championships after hours. As if laying asphalt wasn’t hard enough already… If you ask him why? Simply because he is passionate about this young up and coming discipline. Maybe being part of the Velosolutions crew is the secret to success .
In Black Gold he showcases some of BC’s finest pump tracks. Like the brand new one in Pemberton and North America’s biggest track in Chilliwack with a total length of 475m. The construction of the Pemberton Bikepark started exactly one year ago and took us 2 months to complete (pump track and dirt jumps). To top off Niels’ season he finally accomplished his main goal of not only getting on the World Championship podium, but standing on the top step and putting on the rainbow jersey. This video shows us the hard work, dedication and art that goes into building pump tacks and shredding every inch of them. For Niels, black eventually turned to gold. Film/edit: Liam Wallace
After the incredible showdown last year in Chile with Niels Bensink (NED) and Christa von Niederhäusern (SUI) taking home the rainbow jerseys in Santiago, the 2023 season promises yet another thrilling ride as the best pump track riders in the world line up to battle it out for the first place on the podium.
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Niels Bensink on track in Chile to claim the rainbow stripes in 2022 Photo: Dan Griffiths
This time around the Velosolutions Pump Track in Neuquén, Argentina, will play host to the 2023 UCI Pump Track World Championships on 18 November. With around 16 to 20 qualifiers lined up for the 2023 season, the stage is set for epic battles on a global level with a qualifier win that gets you all expenses paid trip to Neuquén. Here are the best places to race pump track in April and May.Â
Paris, Texas USAÂ
Paris, Texas
Bonjour, Y’all. The quaint little town in North Eastern Texas, Paris is all set for 2023 with the down home hospitality the South is known for and is sure to be on the menu again. Covering an area of 15,000 square feet, the Pump Track Paris is located on a two-acre lot at the Love Civic Center, also home to the world-famous Eiffel Tower with the Red Cowboy Hat. The track has features like no other – Texas-style! Shades, benches and spectator areas make this a one-of-a-kind experience.
Event date:Â
29 April
Deqing, China
Deqing, China
Featuring one of the longest Velosolutions Pump Tracks in the world at 425m with 14 berms and an adjacent jump line and kids’ track guaranteeing all round riding fun to the max. That’s a lot of pumping! Located in the scenic Valley Magic Shangzhu, which offers a variety of outdoor activities, including a climbing tower, a giant labyrinth, giant pandas and a selection of picturesque gardens.
Event date:
29 April
Füssen, Germany
Füssen, Germany
The picturesque Bavarian town on the edge of the Alps never fails to captivate visitors, framed by imposing high mountain peaks and an idyllic lake landscape. Füssen’s historical Old Town towers over the banks of the River Lech and it’s the ideal starting point for trips to the royal castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. The park features a skate area with a bowl, street plaza, mini ramp with a kids pump track and a jumpline. The main pump track covers an area of 900m2 and is set up to make for a fast and technical ride come race day.Â
Event date:
6 MayÂ
Middelkerke, Belgium
Middelkerke, Belgium Photo: Benny Proot
The seaside resort of Middelkerke plays host to the Belgium Qualifier for 2023 and the newly constructed Krokodiel Urban Sport Park is sure to be one of the largest urban fun zones in Europe. The main pump track is 294m in length and will provide a challenging ride, testing skill and endurance to the max on race day with a kids track, several wallrides, jump track, 3 bowls and skate elements providing additional entertainment.
Event date:
13 May
Hawick, Scotland
Hawick, Scotland
If you’re expecting Hawick (pronounced something like Hoick, possibly Hoyck) to be like most other Scottish Border settlements, think again. Quaint and rural with a small-town atmosphere and steeped in history since circa the 12th century? Yes, but we’re here to race, and it will be a special one. Their Velosolutions Pump Track is 304m in total length and the largest pump track facility in Scotland, that’s 6 tennis courts worth of pump track, technical and is set to make for some fine racing on 21 May for the UK Qualifier.
Event date:
21 May
Saint-Laurent de la Salanque, France
Saint-Laurent de la Salanque, France
It sure is good to be back in France, it’s the first French Pump Track Qualifier since 2019 in Lyon and it could not be a better location! Located 19 kilometers northeast of Perpignan, the beautiful town of Saint-Laurent de la Salanque is situated in the heart of Northern Catalonia surrounded by the sea and the mountains. Their pump track is 235m in total length and race ready for what is sure to be a qualifier featuring some of the world’s finest pump track riders.
Event date:
21 MayÂ
Vittoria Bike Park, Italy
Vittoria Park, Italy
The 50.000m2 Vittoria Park is situated close to Milan, Italy, with more than 4 km of tracks including different road and gravel surfaces, a replica of Strade Bianche gravel, a Paris-Roubaix cobble stone section, mountain bike features like stone gardens, roots and rock sections, drop offs up to 1,35 m, a 380 m jump line with banked corners, as well as a pump track which fits all UCI standards to host qualifier events, a jump training air bag and a skills-and-tricks area. That’s a mouthful. Some of our best qualifiers have been on Italian soil and we can pretty much guarantee that this one will not disappoint.Â
Event date:
28 May
Head over to the brand new website  pumptrackworldchampionships.com for registration and more information. Switzerland, Sweden, South Africa, Nepal, Chile, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Canada East and more are all busy lining up for the September to October period before we head to Argentina in November for the final battle for the 2023 rainbow stripes. Â
Vineta Petersone takes home the bronze medal in Chile Photo: Dan Griffiths
