BMX racing’s Jim McMahon sometimes feels a kinship with football’s Jim McMahon. Both have a bit of rebel in them.
McMahon of Bartlett is the driving force behind “The Hill,” a bicycle motocross racing track in Elgin. And like the punky former Chicago Bears’ quarterback, McMahon likes to look at life in a slightly different way.
“Some people might think I’m a little crazy for devoting so much time and energy out here at `The Hill,’ but I don’t care,” McMahon said on a recent Saturday filled with BMX racing. “It’s been slow building interest in the sport, but we’ve definitely turned the corner. And the kids are the ones who benefit.”
McMahon, 50, who also owns Sundance Cycle in Bloomingdale, embarked on a mission six years ago to build a BMX track for Chicago-area riders; at the time, the nearest track was in Rockford. McMahon worked with the Elgin Parks and Recreation Department for the land to build the track, designed the course and talked to other bike shop owners for help.
“We wouldn’t be out here today if it wasn’t for Jim McMahon,” said John Freeman of Lake Marion, a race-day volunteer and parent of two BMX racers, Leslie, 11, and Jonathan, 9.
“A facility like this needs someone to drive it, and Jim’s the man. He’s the nucleus. Everything starts with Jim. His efforts mean a lot to all the kids out here. And it means a lot to me, because it provides a great family sport we can all get involved with together.”
So far this year, more than 400 BMX racers from throughout the Chicago area have competed at “The Hill,” where races are held from April through late October. The winding course is 1,260 feet long, with a starting gate that holds eight racers, a countdown light, banked corners and all sorts of hills and bumps.
Top BMX racers get their single-speed bicycles up to speeds of 35 m.p.h. About 90 percent of the riders are males, most of them under age 18. Although the track is experiencing success these days, it was slow going at first.
“I thought it would be like the farmer in `Field of Dreams,’ ” McMahon said, sporting a Mongoose Bicycles hat. “You know, `Build it and they will come.’ Well, they didn’t come at first. But I have a stubbornness about me, and I didn’t give up. I’ve worked with kids for years, and there’s no doubt the best way to keep them out of trouble is to keep them busy.
“Something like this would be easy in Europe, where the Tour de France is huge. Cycling has never caught on like that in the United States, but we’re making progress. And BMX racing is a great American sport. We’re outside in the fresh air, there’s speed involved and it’s exciting. Kids are really taking to it.”
BMX racing involves bikes with a single gear and stresses speed and agility over short spurts. Its counterpart, mountain or off-road biking, uses bikes with multiple gears and stresses endurance on much steeper climbs.
BMX racing was born in the early 1970s in California, where the sport is still extremely popular. There are also a number of BMX tracks in Texas, Arizona and Florida. At one time there were a dozen BMX tracks in northern Illinois, including a top-notch facility in Itasca. But the sport was on life support by the mid-1980s, and the only track that survived was “The Rock” in Rockford.
“There were two activities that just about killed BMX racing: skateboarding and freestyle trick riding,” McMahon said. “Throughout the last half of the 1980s, 90 percent of the bikes we sold were trick bikes, even though we’re primarily a BMX store. But I always felt like BMX racing would make a comeback, and that’s why we built `The Hill.’ “
The track originally took several months to build. Since then, it has undergone several improvements, such as building up certain hills to add to the difficulty. And the track requires ongoing upkeep and repair, because of use and constant erosion.
In “The Hill’s” early days, McMahon used to release his Sundance Cycle staff on Fridays to come out to rake the track for Saturday’s races. “My mechanics should have been in the shop fixing bikes, but we didn’t have any choice,” McMahon said. “Today we have a big group of parents and other volunteers called the Elgin BMX Association, and they help out in a huge way.”
Mark and Kathy Zablockij of Elgin have been members of the association since 1991, and their 12-year-old son, Marco, is a BMX racer. “Jim is one of the nicest guys, and he does so much for the kids,” Mark said. “If it wasn’t for Jim bending over backwards and sticking to his guns in the early years, we wouldn’t be out here having all this fun today.”
McMahon has a long history in bicycle racing. He grew up in Westchester and attended Proviso West High School. He went to Southern Illinois University on a partial basketball scholarship, where one of his roommates, Dave Youngston, was an Olympic cycling hopeful. The roomies would go on training rides together.
After college, while he was working as a teacher at Triton College in River Grove, McMahon dabbled in motorcycle racing. Then, in 1978, when his son Ross turned 9 years old, they both tried BMX racing. And a year later McMahon’s daughter Dylan, then 11, picked up the sport. Today Ross, 26, lives in Grayslake, works at Sundance Cycle and races mountain bikes. Dylan, 28, lives in Winfield, works at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago and plays a lot of tennis.
McMahon competed in BMX races until 1990, when he devoted his efforts to coordinating races. “I still race mountain bikes on occasion, just to fulfill my competitive urges,” he said.
Races at “The Hill” are normally held on Saturdays and are open to all levels of competitors. The day often begins with a clinic that McMahon puts on for novice BMXers. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends at noon. Racers ride warmup laps, while race organizers devise and post the pairings on the onsite computer. The track is also hosed down to keep the dust at a breathable level. The national anthem is played at 1 p.m., followed by three hours of races, which are sanctioned by the American Bicycle Association.
There are three racing classes (novice, intermediate and advanced) in 15 age groups; separate races are run for girls. Many riders wear flashy outfits, just like BMX pros. Others wear jeans and sweatshirts. Everyone wears a helmet. An Elgin paramedic is on hand on race days to tend to any bumps and bruises. And McMahon, the track announcer, keeps everyone informed about what’s going on.
“We get a real cross section out here,” McMahon said. “We’ll get men in their 50s, who know that BMX racing is a great way to stay in shape. And I get a real kick out of our little guys. They’ll put their helmet on, get out on the track, fly around and make some great moves. Then they’ll go play with their Tonka trucks in between races, which is when you realize how young they are.”
Leslie Freeman of Lake Marion is one of the youngsters who is enthusiastic about the BMX experience at “The Hill.” “BMX racing is loads of fun,” said the 11-year-old. “I look forward to it all week. And no matter how well I do, I enjoy it. It’s exciting, and I can beat my little brother.”
Scott Cramer, a 26-year-old graphic artist from Marengo, is one of the top racers at “The Hill.” He started BMX racing at age 10, and he has been coming to Elgin to race since the day it opened. Cramer is sponsored by several companies, including Fox Racing, Echo Helmets and Zeroline Racing.
“For me, BMX racing is like a disease I can’t get out of my system,” said Cramer, bathed in sweat after his ninth practice run. “I just love the thrill it gives you.
“All of the riders out here appreciate what Jim’s done over the years. In my mind, he’s one of the true founders of BMX racing in the Midwest. He’s very influential. He knows how to get things done.”
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“The Hill” is located in the Elgin Sports Complex on Spartan Drive, east of McLean Boulevard and south of U.S. Highway 20. For more information on “The Hill,” call Sundance Cycle at 708-980-3136.
