Gold Cup weekend a success for Hodag BMX

The Hodag BMX Club stood out both on and off the track last weekend as it hosted one of its biggest events of the summer. 

Riders from all around the Midwest flocked to Westside Park and the Hodag BMX track for its Badger State Games and Gold Cup regional qualifier doubleheader weekend.

The count for Saturday’s Gold Cup qualifier — the first to be held in Rhinelander since 2016 — rivaled that of when the track held a state championship qualifier earlier this month. The participants came from all over the Midwest, and there was even one rider who came from New Orleans to run in the event. 

“There were a lot of really positive comments to the community, to the volunteers,” Hodag BMX track operator Robbie Deede said. “I can tell you there are kids from Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois that would have never been to Rhinelander, Wisconsin if not for there being a BMX race here.”

In addition to riders racing for point for Gold Cup regionals, which will take place in early October in East Moline, Ill., 20 riders threw down in the Hodag BMX Pro-Am Open. The riders ran through three qualifying heats for 16 spots in the semifinals and from there, made either the A or the B main, based on their semifinal finish. 

    Devin Nelson (4) of Friendship and Nathan Davids (18) of Kaukauna battle for position in a qualifying heat of the Pro-Am Open during the Hodag BMX Club’s Gold Cup Qualifier race in Rhinelander Saturday, Aug. 5. Davids won the Pro-Am, taking the lead from Nelson on a last-corner pass. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

The A-main did not disappoint. Devin Nelson of Friendship got the hole shot and led much of the way, but got a challenge on the inside from Kaukauna’s Nathan Davids entering the third and final turn. The two appeared to make slight contact at the exit of the turn, knocking Nelson off course. Davids went on to get the win ahead of Oshkosh’s Josh Johnson and Nathan Hathcock of Belvidere, Ill. Nelson fell back to sixth after the contact.

“I go back and watch that video is Nate actually tags that triple super hard and he lost a ton of momentum going into Turn 2, but it was all drive and determination,” Deede said. “He pushed so fast through that rhythm section. He got himself in the right position and as soon as that rear tire cleared of Nelson, he made the cut and was right there.”

Mya Poters of Junction City made the A-main and took home a $150 bonus as the top female finisher in the field. A pair of Hodag BMX riders — Max McConnell and Cole Biermeier — barely missed out on the A-main but came back to finish 1-2 in the B-main.

“Mya, she’s 16, but she’s been getting faster and faster and she made the call and beat some very fast boys and got into the A-main,” Deede said. “She never ceases to amaze me. She was the first out-of-towner to win our Hodag Havoc open and first girl. She’s won it twice this season. Then making the A-main with 20 of the fastest kids in the Midwest, it was very impressive. 

“We had the local boy, Max McConnell, he won the B-Main. He was on the outside looking in, just short of making the dance. Him and Cole went 1-2. They beat Trinadee Stoflet, who’s a nationally-ranked rider. She’s a very good rider. The company inside of those races was just amazing.”

Local riders fared well during both days of racing. Hodag BMX regulars won in 10 different classes on Saturday. Jackson Wergin took the 11 Cruiser and 11 Expert classes; Eli Franklin won 12 Expert. Greyson Drake (6), Ivan Crass (8), Wyatt Underwood (14) and Kody Kallio (15) took Intermediate wins. Drak Deede (5) and Domaniqe Davis (13) won in Novice category while Brody Haff picked up a win in 13 Cruiser.

Jackson Wergin (11 Cruiser, 11 Expert) and Haff (13 Cruiser, 13 Expert) doubled up on Badger State Games gold medals Friday. McConnell (15) and David Houg (17-20) won in Expert classes; Corbin Schoeneck (12) and Underwood (14) scored Intermediate wins; Drak Deede (5), Lilly Franklin (7), Colton Welch (10) and Keegan Preisler (14) scored Novice wins. Biermeier (15) and Jayce Wergin (13-14 Girls) picked up wins in Cruiser classes.

“Our kids picked up a lot of first places and that’s the cool thing too,” Robbie Deede said. “I’ve seen the club kind of ebb and flow over the years. The club’s in a really good spot. We have kids that are some of the front runners for state championships. We have kids that are front runners for regional championships and we have kids that are pushing 150 career wins already, which is insane to think about. It’s very, very impressive.”

In addition to hosting the Badge State Games, last Friday night’s race at Hodag BMX was also the track’s annual Race for Life event. Deede said the track raised more than $1,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through the event. 

It was an important weekend for the club, too. Deede said pulling off events like this successfully not only fortify the club’s coffers, but open up the possibility of hosting more large events in the future. 

“Weekends like that support clubs like this — small, nonprofit, volunteer-based clubs. Having weekends like that, being able to bring in riders, being able to host events like that, that really does help the club be able to improve and provide to the community,” he said, adding that the track plans to make the Pro-Am Open a yearly event. “Hosting large events like this, we’d like to see a state championship, we’d like to see a regional final here, who knows, maybe someday even a national here. It would all be really cool to do. We’re getting the facility to a point now where we feel we can do that. Obviously, there’s always stuff we want to keep doing, but we’re staying progression-oriented. It’s just make it a little better every year, every day.”

Deede thanked the volunteers, donors, sponsors, riders and families that helped make last weekend’s event a success.

“This place is so cool because of the community, the Rhinelander and greater Northwoods community, that make this place awesome — the riders, the parents, the families,” he said.

Things are far from done for the season at Hodag BMX. The summer series continues to run most Mondays and Fridays through Labor Day weekend, and the club is slated to host a clinic with former Olympian Nic Long Tuesday, Aug. 22. A fall series will kick off Friday, Sept. 8 and run through the end of October, and the third annual Hodag BMX-mas race will take place Saturday, Dec. 9.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at jeremy@rivernewsonline.com.