Q&A With BMX Rider Josh Piazza

BMX has been around for much longer than people realize. In the 1960's, BMX was developed in California, around the same time as Motocross racing. Over the years, it was popularized and became a big part of the X-Games, and eventually was introduced to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Our ambassador, Josh Piazza, fell in love with the sport at 15 and has continued on his journey to go pro ever since.

Q: How did you break into the BMX world, and when did you decide you wanted it to be more than just a hobby?

A: I always road bicycles as a kid, but I did not get into racing until I met someone where I lived that raced when I was 15. It is not very common where I live since there is no track here and the closest track is almost 2 hours away. I took a few years off and when I started back racing at 19, that was when I started to take it more seriously and wanted more out of it than just something to do as a hobby.

Q: In the past year (your first year Pro), what have you learned, and have you changed anything about your style?

A: I learned a lot this year moving up to the A Pro class. This year has been kind of rough racing wise and although I learned a ton in the racing aspect, most of all I learned how important it is to take care of your body. I battled with back injuries twice this year and am working on getting over one right now. There will definitely be some changes made to my training to help prevent that this year.

Q: What is the training like for a BMX rider?

A: My training consists of weight training and a lot of on the bike sprint training. Leg and core strength are probably the most important things to work on in the gym, although BMX is a full body sport so it is important to train everything. Typically I am in the gym two days a week and sprinting every other day with one rest day. And since I don't have a track close by track work is usually done on the weekends. I also make sure to eat really clean and healthy as well as hydrate with Grape Ultima to keep me in top racing form.

Q: What events do you having coming up in the 2016 season?

A: Since I am coming off an injury I am not exactly sure when my season will start. It all depends on when I am able to get back on it and how long it takes me to get to 100%. If all goes well I plan on starting my season at the Circle City Nationals in Dothan, Alabama on March 18-20.

Q: Besides BMX, do you partake in any other sports or activities?

A: Outside of BMX the only other thing I really do is working out which right now is geared towards racing. In my free time I like riding skateparks and really anything with wheels.

Q: What is your dream or goal as a BMX Rider?

A: My goal right now is to be able to turn up to AA Pro within the next 2 years, and anything further than that is just icing on the cake.

Josh Piazza is an A-Pro Class BMX Rider, has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and is also a Certified Personal Trainer through ISSA. Josh is currently training full time as he pursues his dream of being an Elite pro BMX racer.