Riders compete in the USA BMX Sunshine State National at Sarasota BMX in 2018. Photo by Phil Diederich, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Just like the vibrant arts and culture sector, sports are a similarly vital part of Sarasota’s recreational ecosystem. Sarasota County itself is home to two Major League Baseball Spring Training stadiums, Nathan Benderson Park has become one of the biggest rowing and paddling sport venues in the nation and Lakewood Ranch houses the area’s newest professional soccer team, the Sarasota Paradise. Earlier this month, Visit Sarasota County (VSC), in partnership with Sarasota BMX, announced that Sarasota County will host the two final rounds of the UCI BMX Racing World Cup in 2026 and 2027 at the Sarasota BMX track. First built in 1974, the Sarasota BMX track is the oldest continuously running BMX track in the United States. In 2016, the track underwent a major renovation, transforming it into a BMX Supercross track with higher ramps and better lighting and electrical systems capable of holding events like the UCI BMC Racing World Cup.

The UCI BMX Racing World Cup consists of eight rounds of racing across four international venues each year. The events at Sarasota BMX in 2026 and 2027 will serve as key qualifiers for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, with athletes from all over the world competing for a spot on their respective national teams. “Each event for 2026 and 2027 will feature two days of competition,” says Pete Harvey, Visit Sarasota County’s Director of Sports. “It will probably be about 30 nations competing with around 230 athletes across the board.”

Harvey and the team at VSC worked together with Sarasota BMX and Sarasota County Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources to make a bid with the UCI to host the events. Harvey says that the ability to successfully get these bids lies largely in the relationship between VSC and Sarasota County Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources. “Most of these facilities are owned by the County. Our relationship with them and their vision to see that sports tourism can coexist within this community is what makes this possible,” says Harvey. “We work collaboratively to put together a long term plan, meeting monthly to see what’s out there. It’s not a relationship that a lot of communities have.”

UCI BMX World Cup Final Rounds, October 31 to November 1, 2026, October 2 to 3, 2027

Riders compete in the USA BMX Sunshine State National at Sarasota BMX in 2018. Photo by Phil Diederich, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

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