This topic in this episode was brought to me by Tony Stillinger, the owner of the "Extreme" team out of Florida. He's looking to increase the pro purses at races by creating a product line of goods and contributing money to the purses. Stillinger would eventually like a six race series strictly based on the money he generates from the product line.

To give context on what it's like to be a pro we reached out to Dale Holmes, a former pro who raced during the hey day of big checks in the 90's, Cam Bramer, a current young pro who is doing what he can to make a living in the sport he loves and former pro and all things BMX guru Alan Foster.

26 year old Philip Schaub is seeing a dream come true. He's made the German Olympic team for BMX. He got the call roughly two weeks after the European Championships in Verona, Italy. He was sitting at the table in his apartment when he got the call.

The qualification process to make the Olympic team started in 2022. Schaub said it was a two part process. He said a rider had to earn points racing the World Cups and World Championships. The second part he said was really up to the coach of the national team.

Schaub was nervous about making the team because of a severe injury. He had a disc prolapse in 2023. The injury was so bad that he eventually needed to have surgery. That surgery put him on the coach and it left him only ten weeks to get in shape and score some points at the World Cup in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

He did something right because Schaub will be in Paris when the racing begins August 1st at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium.

When this episode drops we'll be 18 days out from the Olympics and 24 days out from racing at the games. In this episode I look at all the countries who have riders heading to Paris, who are the riders and what chance they have of making it to the mains.

I've even added my own predictions as to who will win gold, silver and bronze in the men's and women's races.

Adam Welter races in the 41-45 expert class. The Minnesota native has been throwing a leg over a race bike for 36 years.

I met Welter when the family and I moved back to Minnesota in 2012. We eventually were on the same team, "Venom." The team would eventually become the #1 Bike shop team. I remember Welter as always having a smile on his face and happy to always give a kind word or a bit of advice for your racing. Whenever he was in the gate he was and is always in for the win.

Nowadays Welter is riding for BlackWidow BMX. The team is one of the most competitive in the country. He's scaled back the number of nationals he races since he got married and a baby but he's still as lethal as ever.

Welter started racing when he was 7 years-old. His first race was at the indoor track Elkhorn BMX in Wisconsin. He won his first race and the rest is history.

This interview took place during the Land O' Lakes Nationals.

Georges Kreuzkamp is German and Canadian. He's a man I believe I was meant to meet. I have a podcast, he has a well known Facebook page for older racers, I race BMX, He races BMX. He and I have a number of mutual friends even though we live in two different countries.

Kreuzkamp lives in White Rock, British Columbia. He rides for Factory Hydrogen and throws his leg over a Hydrogen OS20 and a cruiser. At the moment he's running NAG #1 in class and cruiser and he's also National #5.

Check this out, Georges younger brother is former NFL quarterback David Garrard of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

David Archibald is a winner and loves to win. His racing career started in San Diego, California. Within a short time his family moved to the state of Washington and he's been there ever since.

Archibald told he never would have thought that at the ripe old age he'd still be racing at 55. He's literally been racing for roughly 45 years. Within that time he's ridden for teams like Kuwahara, Crupi, Phoenix Factory Racing to Truth BMX.

Like I said he's a winner and the proof is in the pudding, he's been NAG #1, ROC #1, Redline Cup #1, District 3! and National #2. Archibald even had stints as an A-Pro and Vet Pro.

Archibald describes himself as relentless, mentally tough with endurance.

G.B.'s Ross Cullen is expecting the announcement this week of who is going to represent the elite team at the Olympics in Paris. The odds on favorite is Kye White.

Cullen is playing the long game and has his sights on the 2028 games in Los Angeles and the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia if Paris doesn't go his way.

At 23 years old Ross Cullen is a champion. He's already been a European Champion, twice World Champion, World #8 and a British Champion. You would think most people would call that a great career but not him. He's hungry.

When we spoke the other day he'd been home a few days after a long block of racing. I'm talking the Tulsa World Cup, World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the Music City National in Nashville to the European Championships in Verona, Italy. We talked about his season, travels, moving back to his parents house from Manchester, and what's next for the season if he doesn't make the Olympic team.

I like this dude, he's good people and with all the folks I've interviewed on this podcast I wish Ross Cullen nothing but success.

It's been a minute since I sat down with Austin McKan to talk about racing but this time things were a bit different. Austin has gone deep into coaching young riders. He even left Powerlite to start his own team.

When I caught up with McKan he had just gotten back from the World Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Things didn't go his way as a rider but as a coach he is over the moon the way his riders performed.

In this interview Austin is very thoughtful in his words when it comes to his riders. We touched on his coaching philosophy and we also talked about who we think will place top three at the Olympics for elite men and women.