Aubrey Rayner only just started competing in BMX races this year, but with 10 straight victories out of the gate, she’s quickly leaving her mark on the sport.
With those wins, the 10-year-old Huu-ay-aht youth, who lives in Parksville, has been bumped up to the expert class in girls BMX.
She discovered the sport about eight months ago, and since then has been winning races and having a lot of fun.
“I’ve always like biking,” she said. “I used to mountain bike, but this is so much fun, and I really like to compete now.”
Rayner has won a number of Vancouver Island championships in both the girls’ class and cruiser races. The girls’ class features a 20-inch bike wheel (pictured), while cruiser is a 24-inch wheel.
She placed second in the province in her bike class for the season and was ranked fifth in class and fourth in cruiser going into the Grand National race in Chilliwack October 10-12.
She earned her place among the best in the country at the national races.
She said by placing well in the 2014 season, she will have earned a lower number on her plate next season. In 2014 she was given No. 204, next year she will be given No. 4 in class and No. 2 in cruiser.
The Grand Nationals mark the official end of the season for Rayner, but she will still be riding this winter. She said she will be training and racing at the Abbotsford indoor track, as well as in the U.S. at the Peninsula indoor track, in Port Orchard, Washington.
She said she loves the sport because it is something she gets to do with her father, Stephen Rayner. And with the off-season ahead of her, she plans on doing a lot of riding with her dad.
“My dad and I ride a lot together, it’s how I got started,” she said. “I really enjoy having something I can do with my dad. I ride my bike with my friends, but they don’t do this kind of thing.”
Through the sport of competitive BMX, Rayner said she has made lots of friends and she looks forward to continuing to do more of the same next season. With lots of girls getting into the sport, Rayner said it makes it a lot more fun to be involved. As for her goals, she wants to go to the Olympics somewhere along her track.
“Next year I want to be the very best, I want to be number one,” she said, “In order to do that I have to keep riding my bike lots and training hard.”