MOSES LAKE – Local BMX rider, Alli Kay Tatum, recently competed in the Union Cycliste Internationale BMX Racing World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. For her first time traveling internationally for BMX, Tatum said it went smoothly.  

“Overall, it was super organized, my first time there it was a totally different experience, but they had (the track) laid out and really organized,” she said.  

On July 27 and 28, Tatum got to practice on the track for a couple of hours. It was a valuable time to learn where her turns were going to be, what kind of hills she would have to climb and most importantly getting comfortable with the gate.  

“I felt like the track was a little more technical and harder, but when I got out for my first lap it was a lot easier,” Tatum said.  

Getting out of the gate strong is one of Tatum's most important strategies to having a good race. A fast start at the gate can be beneficial to ultimately winning. However, this race had rules Tatum had to adjust to, she said.  

In USA BMX, riders must stay in their lanes for 30-feet after launching out of the gate. At UCI, riders can move wherever they want when the gate drops.  

“It's like a free-for-all; you can move wherever. You can cut people off whenever. So that was definitely a big change from USA to Denmark,” she said.  

When she raced July 31, Tatum finished 50th out of 68 riders in the women's 17-24 age group. She raced three times, slowly improving her time throughout. In her first two races, she finished sixth with times of 44.537 and 43.880. In her third race, she finished fourth with a final time of 43.068.  

Tatum said she felt nerves got the best of her in the first two races but was able to work through them by her third. In her second race, another rider got out of the gate at the same time and cut her off quickly.  

“My first race was I was trying it out, because I was super nervous in the gate, a little bit tense... my last race was really good. I got out and I was aggressive. I think my last race was definitely my best race and was my fastest race too,” she said.  

Tatum said she will benefit from the race as a rider. Competing against BMXers who are faster than her gave her valuable learning experience, she said. After speaking with home camp at Moses Lake BMX, they gave her a lot of praise.  

“They think I did better than I think I did. I thought I did better than I thought I was going to do, but they all think it's really cool that I was able to go because I was the only person at my track that went,” Tatum said.  

Tatum said she was able to meet several riders from other countries.  

“I think there's three different girls that I talked to, and they were all from different countries, and it was good talking to them and seeing how it is (for them),” she said.  

After the racing was done, Tatum and her family went sightseeing. She said they went to Sweden for a day and got to tour some hot spots. She found the experience overall to be fun and is motivated to make another run at UCI.  

She plans to try and qualify for the world championships that are going to be held in Australia next year. In the meantime, she is preparing for more local races.  

“There's a lumberjack nationals at the end of this month in Tri Cities, and I'll be going to that one, then at the end of September, I'll be doing state finals,” she said.  

    Alli Kay Tatum before competing in the UCI BMX Racing World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark. Tatum finished 50th out of 68 riders in her group.
  

    Local BMX rider, Alli Kay Tatum, before one of her three races at the UCI BMX Racing World Championships. Tatum said her third race her best of the three since she was more aggressive out of the gate.
  

    Alli Kay Tatum pushing over a hill just ahead of a few other riders at the UCI BMX Racing World Championship. She said the experience made her a better rider after getting to race people that were faster than her.
  

    A sign for the UCI BMX Racing World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark. Alli Kay Tatum said she got to meet several riders from around the world at the race.
  

    Alli Kay Tatum leads a pack of riders through a turn during one of her races. Tatum said she wants to qualify for next year's world championship in Australia.