Reed Langford of McDonough said, along with offering free events under the lights at a local park, hosting bike motocross (BMX) races enables him to display his love of family, his faith and his country.
“It’s the only sport where fathers and sons – and moms and daughters too – can come out and compete against each other,” he said. “You can’t get that in football or any other sport. People like our track because we’re more of a family-style atmosphere. We still pray before each race, and we still sing the National Anthem before each race.”
Langford is putting the finishing touches on renovations to a BMX track he operates inside Sandy Ridge Park, at 1200 Keys Ferry Road in McDonough. He said he, along Lance Maguire with USA BMX track development, have been working in recent weeks to improve the track, which opened nearly 20 years ago.
Langford acknowledged that weather-related issues have hampered the renovation effort in recent months.
“Water’s been our No. 1 enemy this year,” he said. “I think it rains more in Georgia than it does in Seattle. Over time, it just starts to get worn out and stale, for lack of a better word.”
However, Langford said he and Maguire have completed a significant amount of work on the track, in an effort to offer something new for even longtime riders at Sandy Ridge.
“We’ve torn down every straightaway, and we’re just basically remaking every jump,” said Langford.
He added that when it is finished, the revamped track will feature a different configuration than it did previously.
“The rain tends to wash everything away, and you lose your track so you have to build everything back up.”
The track, one of 450 BMX venues in the country, is maintained by the Sandy Ridge BMX Parents Association. Six BMX tracks are currently operating in Georgia, four of which are in metropolitan Atlanta.
Langford said although the Sandy Ridge track is popular with biking enthusiasts, increasing the public’s awareness of the facility has been a challenge in recent years.
“Our biggest issue is that people don’t know we’re here,” he said. “It’s at one of the smaller Henry County parks, and we’re kind of nestled in the back of it.”
Still, Langford said word of mouth about the track has improved, thanks to people who have visited it and raced on it.
“On a normal weekend, we probably have anywhere from 50 to 60 riders,” he said.
He said the track hosted a pair of races in May, each drawing approximately 200 participants.
“It was wall-to-wall BMX out here,” he said.
The track offers a free one-day trial for anyone who wants to give racing a try. Langford said the facility welcomes riders of all experience levels — and even those with no experience at all.
“Nobody sits on the bench at BMX,” said Langford. “Every-body plays. It’s more of an individual sport. You get what you put in.” For more information, visit sandyridgeBMX.org or the Sandy Ridge Facebook page.
