Striking gold: Hodag BMX to host Gold Cup Finals race in 2026

After hosting the Wisconsin BMX state championships last month, Hodag BMX track operator Robbie Deede hinted that bigger events might be in the future of the facility located inside Rhinelander’s West Side Park.

Last week one of those bigger events was revealed.

Hodag BMX has been selected to host the 2026 USABMX Gold Cup North Central Regional Finals. The event, which will attract hundreds of riders from around the Midwest, is slated for Sept. 11-13.

Hodag BMX will be the epicenter to cap off a nearly nine-month series across the western Great Lakes and Upper Midwest. There will be 18 qualifying events, beginning Jan. 4 at an indoor facility in Rock Island, Ill. The qualifying series will include events in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. 

Rhinelander will be one of six Gold Cup regional final venues nationwide next year. Other regional venues announced by USABMX are Apollo, Penn.; Grants Pass, Ore.; DeSoto, Texas; Evans, Ga. and San Diego, Calif.

“It’s really to the scale of the national-qualifier event size,” Hodag BMX track operator Robbie Deede explained. “I was actually just talking with the track operator in South Dakota where (this year’s Gold Cup Regional) was held at the Aberdeen track. It was almost 700 riders for an individual day, so we anticipate anywhere between 500 and 1,000 riders will participate per day at the track.”

Riders will accrue points during the qualifying series, with their two best scores counting toward the championship. Those scores will be combined with results from results from the Saturday and Sunday of the Gold Cup Final to determine champions in each age group and skill level, who will earn championship jackets. The top three in each division will earn special number plates to honor their achievements. 

Hodag BMX hosted a Gold Cup qualifier in 2023, and 2016 prior to that, but 2026 will mark the first time the venue has hosted the finals for the event. 

Deede said the club put in its application about one year ago, and while he was confident about the track’s chances of landing the race, staging the Wisconsin State Championships last month assured the club it was capable of hosting a large-scale event.

“We were very excited to host state championship and, for us it was really a plan and a test,” he said. “If we can host the state championship, then the next step is being able to hold the Gold Cup final or National (qualifier) — which those are quite similar in the scale. So, for us, it was really kind of a test run this year and talking about what we’re gonna do for the next level in getting the Gold Cup final.”

While the track has made several improvements over the last few years, Deede said one of the biggest pieces that needed to fall into place for Rhinelander to land a Gold Cup Final was growth in the city. Recent additions of hotels and new businesses were vital to support the influx of people expected to travel to Rhinelander next September.

“My family, with several other racers, went over and participated in the Gold Cup finals in Aberdeen and the community is gonna be crawling with BMXers and BMX families,” he said. “They’re gonna be out at our restaurants, staying at our hotels visiting, experiencing Rhinelander, and looking for stuff to do while they’re here on their stay for the long weekend.”

Deede said the news of USABMX staging a Gold Cup Final in Rhinelander was not just a victory for the Hodag BMX Club, but for the area in general.

“I just love it because it’s a microcosm of the entire community,” he said. “What the other members, other sports are doing in our community is phenomenal. When I see that the mountain bike people doing with RASTA (Rhinelander Area Silent Trails Association), what I see going on with the (Hodag) Dome when I see going on with the Rhinelander Ice Arena, why not? Let’s make the Rhinelander community a destination for sporting events for gatherings and make it like a hub for youth sports. 

“The community, the fire department, the police department the Chamber of Commerce, the Rhinelander Community Foundation, they’re in. They’re all in on this with us. The business — Mel’s, Bikes N’ Boards, all of our sponsors and donors — they wanna see this happen. They see what we’re doing and they’re supporting it and it’s just it feels really good.”  

A number of club riders competed in this year’s Gold Cup North Central regional final, and the club had several class winners, which are determined by age, gender, skill level and bicycle type. James Wergin of Hazelhurst was on the podium in two events, taking first place in both the 15 Expert and 15 Cruiser classes. Raven Brooks of Crandon took first in the 17-20 Intermediate class, Brandon Hakala of Tomahawk won the 26-35 Intermediate class and Ryker Hakala of Tomahawk won the 5 and Under Novice Class. Makayla Lanaville of Pelican Lake was the runner-up in the 21-30 women’s cruiser class and Trevor Martin of Rhinelander took third in the 15 Cruiser class.

“Our rider skill level locally is progressing, so we’re building features for those riders to be able to continue to advance their skills here and beyond,” Deede said. “I’m trying to make it so that our riders, wherever they go, they are comfortable. It has shown. Our riders are very comfortable. We brought home many Gold Cup plates this year we had many state champions, and the skill level at our level, at our local track is very impressive.”

Deede mentioned the club will be looking at some possible track modifications and tweaks to accommodate high-end riders for next year’s event but, many of the improvements planned for 2026 will involve updating the spectator experience at the track.

“More seating, looking at just general acoustics so people being able to hear better throughout the entire park,” he said. “As we get more people we’re gonna have to use more of the park, which we have a phenomenal site to build off of. It’s 11 acres in that park.”

The club is wrapping up its 26th season of racing at West Side Park. In addition to hosting the state championships, Deede said the club has worked to build its next generation of riders, graduating 20 kids from its inaugural BMX Beginners League. The final race of the fall series will take place Oct. 31, which will include some special Halloween-themed events. 

The 2026 season is slated to kick off this coming April, with all eyes geared toward making next September’s event a success. Deede said that could open up even more opportunities to stage regional- and national-level events at the track.

“This was the goal, man. This is where we wanted to be, and now the next step is put on one of the best Gold Cup finals that we possibly can and then look to become a standing national-caliber site that USABMX visits routinely,” he said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].