We talk to team rider BMX racer Ross Cullen.

Ross on one of his Supercross bmx bikes

During these times, athletes of all sports have had to adapt. Whether it’s from finding new ways to exercise, staying mentally strong or practicing for competitions, the effects of COVID-19 have meant a drastic change all round.

Out Skill The Risk asked some of its very own riders to explain how their lifestyles have changed and to give an insight as to how training and keeping mentally strong has helped them stay prepared for competitions.

First, we spoke to Ross Cullen a GB BMX racer with some very impressive results to his name: Current junior European Champion, 2x World Champion, 6x British Champion and Youth Olympic Games flag bearer. Ross gave us some insights about his extreme sports lifestyle and some of the changes he has experienced since the beginning of this year.

Hi Ross, great to hear from you. Tell me how your competition plans were at the beginning of the year?

I was down to race most of the Europeans and World Cup series this year. It’s my first year in the Elite Men category, moving up from junior last year, and I was most looking forward to the home World Cup in Manchester. It would have been ace racing in front of the home crowd again in my first proper year as an Elite racer. The only race I did get to do was a national at the start of the year where I finished 3rd. I had also raced the day before. It was a British open Supercross race where there were quite a few riders from Europe as well as the GB boys. I got a main in that which was great! Sadly, there’s not much happening on the competition front right now.

What goes into a standard week for training and preparation for a competition?

I’ll talk about a standard week as, say, in winter block training. It consists of heavy gym sessions and track: 3 sessions on the track, 3 sessions in the gym and sprints on the watt bike or on the flat. We sometimes do double days, so we will do a track session in the morning from 11-2 pm, then hit the gym from 2-5 pm to increase our strength. Then we will have the next day off or, if not, do some sprinting.

A week leading up to the competition we will be doing fewer sessions in the gym and on the track. Gym sessions are less intense, but the weights will still be quite high, just fewer reps and more rest in between exercises. On the track there’s a lot less intensity as well; if we have been up or down on the gears to either gain strength or take some strain off the legs we will put it back into race gear a few weeks before. Then we work on the main techniques: cornering drills and race starts which are probably the most important things to focus on.

Ross on his Trek Remedy enduro bike.

What does competing mean to you, and what do you want out of it?

Competing means a lot to me. I love riding and racing my bike especially all around the world. I aspire to be the best in what I do and to be the best on a BMX. It’s a general love for the sport, not just racing that just comes with riding. I love testing myself against other riders and the adrenaline that comes from it. The feeling is amazing.

When you say what do I want out of it, the obvious answer is lots of shiny medals and podium finishes! I want to be the best in the world at what I do - an Olympic medal one day would be incredible. But that’s not the only thing, I love the experiences I gain and the lifestyle that comes with it. Even though I always want to go out and do the best I can do, at the end of the day I just love riding my bike, having fun, travelling and meeting new people. I, of course, would love to win as many races as I can and perform as best I can, but I just love the BMX way of life.

How has your training routine changed since the lockdown?

My training routine has changed significantly, mostly because I am having to do all my training from home! I’m doing some gym home workouts, static watt bike sprints and also getting outside for some bike sprints and road rides a few times a week! I can’t ride any tracks so it has been frustrating, but I am still training hard, pushing myself and getting stronger.

Do you have any advice on how people can stay positive and healthy in these times?

Admittedly, during these times it’s a challenge to stay positive and healthy! But some things that have helped me massively are having a structure to my day, planning out my week in advance with food prep, and gym activities. Having these gives me a sense of routine and something to focus on.

Helping athletes is one of Out Skill The Risk’s priorities and finding out just how our riders are doing during these complicated times is very important to us. Let’s hope that Ross can get back outside as soon as possible and get back onto that bike, down that racing course and competing in those competitions he thrives in!

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