{{Short description|Type of cycling circuit}} alt=|thumb|A mountain bike rider doing a trick on a pump track A '''pump track''' is a purpose-built track for cycling. It has a circuit of rollers,{{efn|Rollers are small tabletops that give you extra speed by 'pumping' the jump.}} banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders "pumping"—generating momentum by up and down body movements, instead of pedaling or pushing.<ref>[http://www.bermstyle.com/pump-tracks/ "Guide to Pump Tracks"], ''RIDE BMX Magazine 2001 BizArt, Simon Baker'' bermside.com</ref> It was originally designed for the mountain bike and BMX scene, and now, due to concrete and/or asphalt constructions, is also used for skateboarding, and accessible to wheelchairs. Pump tracks are relatively simple to use and cheap to construct, and cater to a wide variety of rider skill levels.
thumb|Pump track in Werbach, Germany
== History == Skateparks experienced a boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, most of them were designed to be used by experienced or professional riders, and thus resulted in some injuries.<ref>{{cite journal | last1=Everett | first1=W. W. | title=Skatepark injuries and the influence of skatepark design: A one year consecutive case series | journal=The Journal of Emergency Medicine | date=2002 | volume=23 | issue=3 | pages=269–274 | doi=10.1016/s0736-4679(02)00528-0 | pmid=12426018 }}</ref> The first new era pump track in the United States was built in 2004 at The Fix Bike Shop in Boulder, Colorado, by professional downhill bicyclist Steve Wentz.<ref name="casj-intro">{{cite web|url=http://adventuresportsjournal.com/biking/pumpin-an-introduction-to-the-world-of-pump-tracks|title=Pumpin': An Introduction to the World of Pump Tracks|work=California Adventure Sports Journal|date=23 October 2009 |access-date=July 10, 2014}}</ref>
== Track design == Most pump tracks link a series of rollers to steeply bermed corners that bring the riders back around.<ref name="casj-intro" /> At first they were built mostly out of dirt, and later concrete or asphalt. Paved pump tracks also have the advantage that they can be ridden by skateboarders, in-line skaters, and foot-powered scooters.<ref name="lpt">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O1kgTn585c https://www.youtube.com] Leavenworth Pump Track (in Washington).</ref> The size can vary from 50 m{{Sup|2}} to over 8000 m{{Sup|2}}.{{fact|date=October 2025}}
<gallery>File:BMX tracks Parque La Carolina in Quito. Ecuador.jpg</gallery>
== Bikes == thumb|left|One of the bike types that can be used on a pump track Since momentum, or speed, is gained by the rider pumping, such as on the down-slope of each roller, the best bikes to use have no suspension, which would absorb useful energy.<ref name="pb"/> Bikes usually have a rigid frame, such as BMX-style bikes, which most efficiently convert the rider's motions into forward thrust. Some bikes have been designed which are custom built for a pump track, with features such as an offset crank, which stabilizes the pedals, and lowers the rider's center of gravity.<ref name="pb">[https://www.pinkbike.com/news/specialized-stumppumper-concept-bike-2012.html https://www.pinkbike.com] Specialized Stumppumper Concept Bike - The Ultimate Pump Track Weapon.</ref> {{clear}} thumb|Participant at the world final in Springdale, USA
== World Championship == In 2018, Velosolutions with Red Bull organized a pump track world championship. 67 riders from BMX and MTB raced at a world final in Arkansas. David Graf and Christa von Niederhäusern, both from Switzerland, were crowned the first Red Bull Pump Track World Champions. The series continued in 2019, with 25 international stops.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pinkbike.com/u/RedBullPumpTrackWorlds/blog/the-red-bull-pump-track-world-championship-is-back-with-great-news.html |title=Details Announced for 2019 Red Bull Pump Track World Championship |author=Red Bull Pump Track Worlds |website=Pinkbike |date=2024-10-11 |access-date=2024-10-16 }}</ref> At the same time as the 2009 UCI World Mountain Bike Championships in Canberra, Australia a Pump Track World Championships was held<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-09-02|title=World Championship XC Racing starts in Canberra—Plus: 4X, DH practice are underway and the impromptu Pump Track World Championships is in the books|url=https://www.bikemag.com/news/world-championships-xc-competitions-begin-in-canberra/|access-date=2020-06-17|website=BIKE Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kramer|title=Pump Track World Championships|url=https://the-riotact.com/pump-track-world-championships/13505|access-date=2020-06-17|website=The RiotACT|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=PUMP TRACK WORLD CHAMPS|url=https://spokemagazine.com/content/2009/09/03/pump-track-world-champs|access-date=2020-06-17|website=Spoke Magazine|date=3 September 2009 |language=en-NZ}}</ref>
== See also == * BMX * Dirt jumping * Single track * Glossary of cycling
== Notes and references == {{notelist}} {{reflist}}
{{Commons category|Pump tracks}}
{{Cycling}}
Category:Cycling infrastructure Category:Cycle sport Category:BMX