Elevated Visuals’ Troy Zeigler has been a part of the TRA family since the very beginning.  Check out his TRA promo video from our 2019 event as we get ready for big things in 2020!

When Tasha Lindemann @tjl_photo isn’t snapping great shots at Posh and Catty Trails, she’s behind the lens at TRA.  TRA would like to shout out a big thanks to Tasha for all her help this year at both the trails and this event.  Enjoy her awesome photos from the 2019 TRA Double Cross and Dirt Jump Comp.

GT’s David Lieb owned the 2019 TRA Dirt Jump Comp.  1st place in the 20″/26″ combined event.

Clint Reynolds with a big one footed 360 table over the bowl jump.

Mason Ritter  – big front flip in the TRA Dirt Jump Comp

Colby Benoit whipping the bowl jump

Clint Reynolds went for the pass in the 2nd turn, but Josh Smith regained the lead in the last turn for the win.

Mauricio Estrada –  2nd place in the 26″ Double Cross

Chase Pauza – stretch no hander over the bowl jump

Josh Peschack whipping to the moon

Mike Gentilcore puts the heat on Adam Aloise out of the shark fin.

Joe Doherty was on hand to test The BMX in Our Blood.

Anthony Maimone – stretch no hander over the bowl jump.

Vick Behm and Colby Benoit battled it out in one of the best main events of the year.  BMX racing doesn’t get much better than this.

Tim Oliver enjoying some race laps after working hard all summer as part of the TRA event prep team.

TRA founder, Mike Gentilcore, lays a one footed table over the bowl jump during his moto.

Chase Pauza – tailwhip over the 1st straight step up in the TRA Dirt Jump Comp.

Clint Reynolds roasting.

Matt Cranmer leads Mike Stauffer down the 3rd straight.

Mason Ritter – seat grab Indian air over the bowl jump

Chase Pauza – tailwhip

Clint Reynolds – big smiles in his 1st BMX race.

Mike Gentilcore / Darryl Nau – hugs

Ever Peacock cutting through the infield with a big smile and no UCI officials to stop him.

Mike Gentilcore puts the heat on Adam Aloise out of the first turn shark fin.

Vic Behm unwinds from his 20″ Double Cross win with big air in the TRA Dirt Jump Comp.

Sunrise with TJL Photo

Anthony Maimone and Mike Gentilcore tangled in the first turn, crashed, cut through the infield, and re-entered the course in turn two.  Per TRA race rules, everyone kept smiling and having fun the entire moto.

Chopper Daley leads Adam Aloise out of turn two.

Matty Cranmer, Nothing over the bowl jump in the TRA Dirt Jump Comp

Josh Peschack ripping the big bowl.

Joseph Nazarak, superman over the 2nd jump in the TRA Dirt Jump Comp

Chris Janis checks out his excavator work on the new bowl jump while Colby Benoit blasts it.

Catty’s Chris Janis was the man behind the excavator controls for the new bowl jump reshape.

John Lynn chasing down Matty Cranmer over the Dirtsculpt shark fin.

Two-time TRA Double Cross Champ Vic Behm leads TRA Fast as Hell Comp legend Chopper Daley out of the first turn.

Mark Potoczny leads Jeremy Kaht out of turn one at the TRA Double Cross.

Thomas Sandfort leads Mike Potoczny down the second straight.

Brandon Grimm leads Mason Ritter with some classic BMX race style.

Mason Ritter – one-handed no-footer off the 9 ft. tall super-G bowl jump.

Mark Potoczny rails the Dirtsculpt shark fin.

Andrew Ortega over the bowl jump at the 2019 TRA Double Cross.

Danny Anderson ripped it up in the 26″ class.

Colton Martucci was a big help to the TRA crew during the 2019 course rebuild when he guinea pigged the new 9 foot tall bowl jump brakeless.

Cooper Pleva – no hander over the bowl jump in the 26″ Class.

Scott Scamehorn with some massive air over the bowl jump.

Anthony Maimone whips the step into turn two.

Powers Bike Shop from Richmond VA not only sponsored the 2019 TRA Double Cross and Dirt Jump Comp, they rode the course and created this awesome edit.  Now that is supporting the sport.   Thanks Guys!

Jess Grinager joined the TRA team to put together an official 2019 Double Cross and Dirt Jump Comp Edit.   Big thanks to Jess for capturing the vibe and feel of the event with this awesome clip.

The 2019 TRA Double Cross and Dirt Jump Comp went down September 21, 2019 at the TRA compound near Bethlehem Pennsylvania, home of Posh and Catty Trails. The pro invitational fundraiser event, presented by S&M/FIT, drew 37 BMX riders from across the country and also debuted TRA’s first 26” Double Cross event featuring 11 riders. The 2-man course featured full-on trails style jumps with minimal pedaling, lots of pumping, and plenty of air time, close racing, and lead changes. After the race, an open wheel dirt jump comp was held on the same course with best run judged by the Posh and Catty locals, including 2019 NORA Cup winner Jason Lonergan.  With support from Odyssey, Empire, Powers Bike Shop, Dirtsculpt, Five Ten Footwear, Blackmans’s Cycle Center, Axlerad Screen Printing, Action Wheels Bike Shop, Penn Skate Skatepark, The Wheel Mill, and STAY STRONG, the event featured a $1500 pro purse with a winner-take-all cash prize in each class.

With a full field of top riders from all disciplines, including top trail riders like Clint Reynolds, park riders like Vinny Mannino, and vet pro racers like Brian Streiby and Josh Smith, there were a lot of different BMX styles on display. Similarly, various styles from downhill racers to slopestyle riders were represented in the 26” class. Once the racing started, all the different styles came together for some very intense, wild racing in both classes. In 20” Double Cross, Vic Behm continued his winning streak from the first event, followed by Colby Benoit and Josh Smith taking the final spot on the podium. In 26” Double Cross, Nick Fix edged out David Lieb, who took the 3^rd podium spot, and went on in the final race to pump past top downhill racer Mauricio Estrada down the first straight to take the win. The event concluded with the open wheel dirt jump comp which was held over the entire course. Clint Reynolds manualed the roof jump and 360 turndowned for 3^rd place while Mason Ritter saran wrapped one-handed his way to 2^nd place. The rest of the competition knew they were in trouble when top 26” slopestyle rider, David Lieb dropped in for his first run. With triple truck drivers, corkscrew flips, big 360 tables, and a flip whip, David destroyed the entire course and was clearly on the next level.

Everybody was stoked on the vibe and overall feel of the event which brought together all the different wheel sizes and riding disciplines to make for a super fun event that served as a fundraiser for TRA’s continuing mission to build its first public dirt park. Big thanks to all of our sponsors and volunteers who worked tirelessly to make this event a success.

Results:

20” Double Cross:

1st       Vic Behm

2^nd       Colby Benoit

3^rd        Josh Smith

26” Double Cross:

1^st        Nick Fix

2^nd       Mauricio Estrada

3^rd        David Lieb

Open Wheel Dirt Jump Comp:

1^st        David Lieb

2^nd       Mason Ritter

3^rd        Clint Reynolds

2019 TRA 20″ Double Cross Podium: 1st Place – Vic Behm, 2nd Place – Colby Benoit, 3rd Place – Josh Smith

2019 TRA 26″ Double Cross Podium: 1st place – Nick Fix, 2nd place – Mauricio Estrada, 3rd place – David Lieb

2019 TRA Open Wheel Dirt Jump Comp: 1st Place – David Lieb, 2nd Place – Mason Ritter, 3rd Place – Clint Reynolds

TRA BMX is proud to announce the 2019 TRA Double Cross and Dirt Jump Comp.  Presented by S&M/FIT, this pro invitational fundraiser event will take place September 21, 2019 at the TRA compound near Bethlehem Pennsylvania, home of Posh and Catty Trails. The event will include over 30 top dirt riders competing for a $1,500 Pro Purse and include two contests: the Double Cross – a one-on-one downhill trail race with both 20” & 26” classes, and an open wheel jump comp, all on the same course. With support from Odyssey, Empire, Powers Bike Shop, Dirtsculpt, Axlerad Screen Printing, Action Wheels Bike Shop, Penn Skate Skatepark, and STAY STRONG, plus coverage by Our BMX, DIG, Elevated Visuals, and more, the event is being held to raise funding and awareness for TRA’s first public dirt park in the USA, to be built in the Lehigh Valley area.

The TRA Double Cross course features massive bowl jumps with nonstop downhill trail action by Dirtsculpt and brings together some of the top riders in BMX & MTB for an epic contest with a backyard vibe and a worldwide reach. The course design is 100% trails, built the way riders across America build for themselves every day.  

This private non-profit fundraiser event is intended for riders, trail builders, industry and media, dirt park operators, and families who run BMX tracks to come together and experience the future of BMX competition in a form that can truly grow the sport for riders of all ages across the USA. The event will be limited to the first 40 riders entered and attendees to the capacity of our 1 acre field parking area. If you are interested in competing or attending, you must contact TRA BMX for an official invite. Per TRA rules, no clipless pedals or carbon fiber bikes are permitted. This is a family-friendly, alcohol free event held in a manner that respects our neighbors and zoning ordinances.

For more information, check out www.TRABMX.com. You can also check out Posh and Catty trails at www.PAWOODS.com and see behind-the-scenes footage from Dirtsculpt, the creative force behind some of the world’s largest BMX dirt events including ESPN‘s X-Games and more, at www.Dirtsculpt.com.

TRA BMX proudly supports Posh and Catty trails.  Check out this awesome 4th of July Jam edit by Jess Grinager.

Get ready for the annual TRA Fast as Hell Comp on Saturday, October 20 at the Annual Catty Halloween Jam!  There will be 3 classes: Kids (14 & Under), Ams (15 & over) and Pro (18+).  The kids class will run on roller run starting at 12:45 PM.  The Ams and Pros will run combined starting at 2:00 PM on Fonzy to ’79, with each class scored separately.  Registration is from 11 am to contest start time.  Awards will be presented at 3:30 PM, with awards to 3rd place.  1st place Pro will be awarded the 2018 Pro belt and a 50% cash payback prize.  Each class will have approximately 20 minutes to run, and riders can take as many runs as they want (usually 3 or 4 laps) during this time.  Each rider’s fastest run will be used to score.   To keep the contest fun for everyone, there is no running order.  You simply put the TRA mini plate on your handlebars, get on the hill, and go.  Once your front wheel crosses the starting line, the TRA staff will handle the rest.

The contest is open to all ages and wheel sizes, MTB’s welcome.  Suspension forks and any motocross style bicycle components can be used.  But of course under TRA race rules, road bike components (clipless pedals, carbon fiber frames/forks, belt drives, etc.) are prohibited.  Enjoy some real BMX racing on real BMX trails!

It’s spring build season at the TRA BMX compound.  Every year we keep 60,000 sq. ft. of jumps and turns running all summer long without the need for daily watering or tarps.  The rugs we use let us get it going after a long hard winter without the need for hand shovel stacking and packing…not something we ever thought would be possible when we started.  Heavy snow, strong winds, and frost are all part of winter trail life in the Northeast.  And when the spring thaw comes, it’s time to get the jumps running and coated before the thunderstorms start.  While the techniques shown here may seem obvious for those who have been doing it for decades, there are lots of new builders out there just starting out.  For those of you who’ve asked us how we do it, this article is for you.  We want to spread the knowledge so our sport can grow and the next generation can start out with better tools than we had.  Rugs, ATV’s, soil hardeners…all of these can be used together or alone to make life easier at the trails.  Once the surface is properly prepared, maintenance is a breeze.

Under a blanket of snow, all the transitions are perfectly preserved using layers of tarp and carpet.  A row of logs across the top and a row of pallets across the bottom keep it all in place against the winter winds.

Utility ATV with car tires. We use these at the trails too. Combined with carpets over the winter, this cuts shovel packing down to almost zero.

Hoses are neatly coiled in cans over the winter.   You can drop 1000′ of hose in no time using the cans to avoid tangles.  We run four 250′ sections so multiple sections of the track can be reached as needed.

ATV first roll.  Dark areas show the frost that hasn’t been rolled in yet.  You don’t have to rake or pick up rocks…just roll it right in and watch last year’s surface come right back.  We roll once to keep the moisture in and again for final prep before applying soil hardeners.

This turn was prepped in less than two hours on a berm that was untarped  all winter.  A few light shovel pats to press in any raised tire marks and it’s ready to spray with soil hardener.

Soil hardeners make the impossible possible.  We go all Summer long without the need for tarps or watering.  During the Summer’s strong torrential downpours, there is barely any erosion damage.  We’ve started using this at Posh on the pump loop and on some of the bigger runs as well.

The last two straights of the TRA pump track are soiltac’ed and ready to go.

We’ll keep updating this article as we go.  Ride soon!