Asked to describe the sport in which he is a double world champion, Tomas Woods has it down to an elevator pitch: “It’s basically BMX in a wheelchair.”
In WCMX – short for wheelchair motocross – athletes perform tricks over 90 seconds to accrue points. Similar to skateboarding and BMX, you get three attempts on the park to perform your best run.
For Woods, discovering the sport changed his life.
“I saw a video of people doing it in America and thought it was super cool, so I emailed my local skatepark asking whether this was something I could try,” the 16-year-old from Preston tells Sport at Greystone Action Sports in Salford, where he first tried the sport, used to work part-time and is now a celebrity.
“I came down in January 2020, and in October I was in my first competition. The rest is history.”
Woods now shares tips and tricks on Instagram, doing his best to grow the sport beyond its burgeoning online popularity.
Many of Britain’s WCMX athletes are popular on Instagram, with Woods, Lily Rice and Ben Sleet attracting thousands of followers.
They post pictures of their travels and competitions, and videos of their tricks and skills – all with their wheelchairs proudly front and centre.
“The community is so vast – Australia, Brazil, all over Europe,” Woods says. “Having that online is so important.
“I was riding here at Graystone and had no clue what I was doing. Me and my coach would watch YouTube clips then try and run it back. Now we post tutorials, giving back to the next generation.”
