Klean Team USA-Sponsored Pro BMX Racer: Alise Post

Blog by Klean Team USA’s Alise Post

Hailing from small town, Middle America, Alise Post is one of the most successful female BMX racers to ever swing her leg over a bike. Alise started racing BMX at the age of 6 after a nudge from one of her older brothers. After a few practice laps and one “chicken-out,” Alise finally entered her first race –– the rest, as they say, is history. Now 24, smart with a great humor and sensibility, Alise is confidence personified, without the conceit that you might expect from one who has achieved so much so soon. Alise knows what it takes to succeed; her drive and work ethic are unparalleled. Alise is a Klean Athlete because, in her words, “I want my body to be able to hold up through all of the travel and training and perform at optimal levels. I would never want to sacrifice competing clean and fair to do so though, so the NSF Certified For Sport^® Klean Athlete products are a great solution. I want to give my body every advantage to be the best at what I do.”

Alise was kind enough to chat with us post-Pan-Am Games and World Championships to share her story of being an athlete and finding the motivation to train and race her heart out. The following is the first download of a four-part series on Alise and her 2015-2016 season.

Alise On … Being an athlete

Q: Tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up and what is your athletic background?

A: I am a 24 year-old professional BMX Racer. I grew up in the land of 10,000 Lakes, St. Cloud, Minnesota. I started racing BMX at the encouragement of one of my brothers when I was 6 years old; however, living in the snowy cold Midwest with only one TINY indoor track in the state made BMX more of a summer sport for my family growing up. I was also heavily competitive in gymnastics from around the same age up through graduating high school, so the majority of my athletic background probably came from my 20+ hours a week spent in the gym. I have always been small and strong with a gymnast’s build that has seemed to transfer well to other sports, although my dad would claim it’s just simply his genes that have given me my athleticism. In high school, I also took part in track and field as a jumper/sprinter/pole vaulter in the spring months. Upon graduating in 2009, however, I moved out to Southern California to go to school at USD and live at the Olympic Training Center to focus on my BMX endeavors rather than pursue any collegiate sports. Since then I have been solely focusing on my BMX career.

Q: How did you first get introduced to cycling and when did you know that BMX would be your sport?

A: Like I said, my brother introduced me to the sport when I was 6 years old. At first I wanted nothing to do with it though. I always loved competition and liked riding my bike, but when I saw that big starting hill I chickened out and would not take part in my first race. After nearly pulling my membership though, I went back the next week, got my first crash out of the way and loved the sport ever since. With my involvement in other main stream sports however, and I wouldn’t say I decided to focus solely on BMX until it was announced as an Olympic Sport for 2008. Although I would be too young to compete in the inaugural 2008 Beijing Games for cycling, I love BMX and knew there was a future in the sport so I decided I wanted to seize the opportunity and see how far I could push myself within the BMX world.

… On BMX, motivation and competing

Q: What’s the BMX race format like? What’s essential in order for you to be successful?

A: BMX Racing is a very head-to-head and competitive sport. All of the tracks vary in length and setup, but usually they are anywhere from 30-45 second laps of all out sprinting and jumping. We race with 8 people at a time, and hit speeds around 40mph on 20’ BMX wheels with no suspension. It is also a contact sport, so there is always lots of action. It is important to be strong and explosive out of the start to get out in front and control the race, but it is also very important to be skilled around the turns and over the obstacles and carry speed so riders do not pass you around the track. We usually race 3 qualifying motos, and from there riders are eliminated and go on to 1/8, 1/4, semi, and final rounds, with the top 4 progressing from each lap. While 6 laps is a pretty standard number, the number of races varies depending on the number of racers that start in an event. Some races we have time trial qualifications to seed us as well, which adds another 1-2 laps.

Q: What motivates you and what are your career goals looking ahead to Rio 2016?

A: I am continually pushing to be the best version of me I can be within this sport. I don’t believe I have reached my full potential yet, and I have a burning desire to do so, and that is what continually motivates me. I believe I am capable of a world championship title and an Olympic Gold medal within our sport, but along the way I am always just trying to take it one race at a time and have consistent podium finishes on the world cup series with the aim always being at the top! We also have our prestigious USA BMX race series that I am hoping to retain the #1 title in for the Women’s Pro division.

Q: What’s a typical day like for you?

A: I get up around 7-7:30 a.m., have some breakfast and coffee and get ready for training which usually starts around 9-9:30. Training usually lasts around three hours, whether it’s at the track, in the gym or on the street sprinting. We then usually break for lunch and do some recovery like stretching, icing or any therapy if needed. Sometimes we then repeat this cycle in the afternoon and go back out for another session of training. If not, we’ll finish up our review videos and chats from the day and get our bikes prepped and ready for the next training session before heading out for dinner and relaxing/playing with the dog before bed.

Q: Take us back to a moment in your career that you would consider is one of your most successful. Describe the feeling and how it changed you as an athlete and as a person.

A: I think there are two races that really stand out to me in my career as “life-changing.” In January 2014, the season opener was in Reno, Nevada, and one of the deepest fields we’d seen in the women’s class would be in attendance. However, after getting some terrible news the day I was supposed to fly out to the race, I really considered not going. After a terrible off season of dealing with injury back in the cold winter of Minnesota and spending my time being with my family during my mother’s cancer battle leading up to 2014, I was not really in the physical shape or head space I needed to be in order to be a contender for the wins … or so I thought. My mother told me to go to the race, and although I didn’t really “feel there” and wasn’t showing any standout riding, I somehow managed to take the wins home both days of that race and have the last race my mother see be me on top of the podium. I then broke my leg a few months later and was out on crutches for the prime months of the season and would end up pushing my rehab time forward by over a month to race the World Championships as my first international race of the season. Once again I went into this race not really knowing where I stood against the competition but had my most successful worlds to date, taking home the silver medal just 3 weeks after getting clearance to ride my bike again. 2014 had a few life changing races and events for me as both a person and as an athlete, proving to me the power of mind over matter.

Photo ©Steve Diamond Elements

… On life out of the saddle

Q: What are your favorite off-the-bike activities? What else keeps you going?

A: I was a gymnast for a long time so I really enjoy going to open gyms and having some fun or even just watching and appreciating the level of athleticism gymnasts have. I love spending time with my boyfriend, family, friends and dog. No matter what I’m doing, if it’s social I’ll like it! I am a bit of an adventure junkie as well, so if it’s new and exciting, I am up for it!

Q: What advice would you give an up-and-coming athlete, new to cycling or sport in general?

A: ENJOY what you’re doing. It’s easy to work hard at something if you have a true passion for it, but the minute it starts feeling like a job, something’s gotta change. Happy athletes are the best athletes and the basic, fundamental skills in any sport are what make for the best athletes in the future. Oftentimes people get stuck in watching the top end of a sport and looking for 1-percent gains when they’ve still got the 60-percent gains to make in the basic principles of the sport. So, work hard at the simple things, be inspired and be willing to listen and learn from others, but also be bold enough to not necessarily follow in other’s footsteps. Keep going when the going gets tough, and you’ll likely find success!

Photo ©Steve Diamond Elements

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