Nic Long's drive toward excellence as a BMX racer is fueled by something other than simply the motivation to be good at racing: he just doesn't want to be mediocre. He proved that in 2010 when he claimed his first World Cup win, upsetting Olympic gold medalist, Maris Strombergs, on his way to first place. He also scored the national title for men's elite BMX racing earlier the same year.

Nic, who joined USA Cycling's BMX Development Program in 2008, got into the sport thanks to his father, who also rides, and the fact that - according to Nic - his father hated the drama of team sports for kids. So baseball was benched for young Nic and he joined his dad at the track close to their southern California home. His younger sister joined them on the track and now races too.

With one unanimous voice, racers will tell you that there's nothing more unifying than BMX. A typical race weekend will draw entire families out to race in categories ranging from under-five all the way up to 60+, which is a bit striking given that BMX is only about 40 years old. What Nic enjoys most about racing is traveling the world, doing what he loves and seeing people that share the same enthusiasm. But besides racing, Nic also loves getting to spend time at home with his dad and little sister.

BMX, Athlete, Sports