Unleash Your Inner Champion: The Power of Character Traits (part 1)

Hey Racers,

Did you know that your character makes or breaks your BMX Racing? While I have won over a 100 professional races, I lost about 1000, and I was always analyzing my attitude and approach, tweaking it to make it better and this is what I have found…

 1. Showing Up with Purpose: Making Time and Effort Count

Time and effort are the currency of progress in BMX racing. Let's talk about showing up at the track. How frequently you train there matters. Are you hitting the track multiple times a week or merely a few times a month? Your dedication sets the tone for growth. My tip: Just schedule it! For example, my local track in Santa Clara used to practice Tuesdays and Fridays, and it would simply be a non-negotiable for me to plan those days around packing the car with the bike at 4pm and take the 15min drive to the track. I used to get made fun of for showing up to the track the week of a big race, I remember someone saying ‘Oh Greg is here, there must be a race coming up” and that’s when I realized I wasn’t fully committed to racing and more importantly, wasn’t committed to opportunity! When I changed my attitude from “a race is coming up, I need to go to the track” to “I am going to the track to be ready for opportunity of racing” I completely upgraded my speed and skills by default. So consider shifting your attitude towards commitment to the opportunity of racing…

Effort at the track is equally vital. When you step onto the track, are you going through the motions or are you laser-focused on your goals? If you arrive with a clear plan, knowing what you want to achieve from each session, you'll optimize your track time. It's a trait of champions to show up, know their objectives, and bring unwavering intent to every moment. 

I remember just showing up, going with the flow on what others were doing, and I was riding with guys that struggled with their own racing, so I just “became a product of the struggle.”

So, it became really clear to me when I turned pro, to act like a pro with my effort, with my focus and more importantly having a professional structure. And when I say professional, I don’t want you to interpret that as something so serious that it takes away the fun. I am simply saying having a structure of what you’re going to do, execute it and then allowing for some fun time at the end of practice for jumping, style and games. 

Note to parents: I had a parent of a 6 year old tell me that he would tell his kid to a do a lap like a pro, and then he can do a lap for fun, and he would just plat this game of alternating efforts. And at 6 years old, this was a perfect idea to integrate both fun and discipline.

Remember, cultivate the habit of showing up with consistency, purpose, and structure. This trait defines your character as a dedicated BMX athlete. And if it makes sense, allocate some fun in the structure towards the end as a reward.

When No One Is Looking

This principle of showing up to train applies beyond the track too—training away from it is where major gains are made. Your commitment here speaks volumes about your dedication to mastering the sport.

So schedule when you’re going to do at home training around your weekly practice and racing routines.

Integrate sprint training, strength work and any other alternatives that mimic track skills such as gates, manualing, turning, as well as track speed fitness workouts. This is where you can leap frog the competition!

I remember just thinking I was fast enough, I was going to the track and all seemed fine, then I would attend a race outside my region, a gold cup qualifier, a state race, and sometimes a national and race kids that were simply stronger and fitter.

By doing the work at home, utilizing the 4-5 days away from the track to improve speed, strength and fitness allowed me to tap into my potential and easily become a national caliber racer who could win races away from my home track…

In Gratitude,

Coach Greg Romero

3x Olympic Coach • Over 100 Pro Victories