67-year-old pedals past expectations

Jim McKinney is living proof that it’s never too late to chase one’s passion. After a 22-year hiatus, the 67-year-old retired music teacher came back around to his: BMX racing.

The Richmond rider recently competed in the Race of Champions during the 2025 USA BMX Grands at SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Among the 3,000 riders, he finished strong, placing seventh in his main class. He added this accolade to the six titles he won this year, far exceeding his expectations.

“I won two state championships that were actually in Kentucky. I won both my class and my cruiser. Cruiser is a little bit bigger bike — it’s a 24-inch bike. I also won my district cruiser in Indiana. And then we have a local series that I won both my class and cruiser in the overall championship with,” McKinney said. 

McKinney competes in the novice class, which allows any wheel size bikes. Intermediate and expert classes require 20’’ bikes. As the 50-week season comes to a close, McKinney aims to compete in two more races in northern Indiana in hopes of finishing the year with over 10,000 points. The season runs from Jan. 1 through Dec. 15. 

Before Jim instructed students on breath control and whole notes, he was an avid racing fan. His father, Jack McKinney, aka Jack Lawrence, raced cars, instilling the tradition in Jim.

“I grew up in a racing family. I was always interested in that … I found out in the ’80s that actually, Richmond had a local BMX track,” McKinney said. “Everyone rides a bicycle. So, I felt really comfortable with that.”

McKinney rode and competed from 1983 to 1999. He took some time off to have a family and begin his teaching career. But about five years ago, he put his helmet back on.

“I’m 67 and still racing, and that’s not really that old,” McKinney said. “We have riders in their 80s that are still racing.” The age range is wide, with riders of all ages and proficiency beginning as early as one year old.

Overall, there are about 70,000 licensed riders as part of the USA BMX-sanctioned body. Locally, McKinney enjoys the tight-knit community, including friend and fellow rider John Emerick. Emerick is the owner of Richmond’s Circle-E Clothing, which is Jim’s team and full-time sponsor. 

“When I got back into the sport in 2021, John’s one of the first people I talked to about it. He was a co-sponsor, really, from even when I got started.”  McKinney serves as team manager for the Circle-E Clothing Company BMX Racing Team, which has 12 riders. 

While Richmond no longer has an active bike track, McKinney details how lucky the team is to be centrally located by several within a reasonable distance. Ohio has a total of eight tracks, while Indiana has seven. 

McKinney realizes the benefit of having access to those venues. However, he wants to see the local rider membership flourish. While he thinks they promote well to their own, he sees that improvements could be made in marketing outside of their BMX circle. 

Acknowledging that every sport has its “growing pains,” McKinney relishes the fact that BMX is still open for everybody. Made up of amateurs and pros, the sport is family-oriented, relatively inexpensive and, most importantly, a place for camaraderie.  He enjoys the friendships the most.

A lot of us … we came up together all the way back in the  ’80s,” he said. “And we still have kind of that passion and love for it.”

In addition to the relationships formed, McKinney has learned a great deal about challenging himself. 

“I’ll have raced 133 times this year. So, you know, just that perseverance, even though the actual races are fairly short in length, it’s just that it’s also a marathon just in getting through that season. Just perseverance, working with others, overcoming obstacles you don’t think you can do.”

For more information on how to become involved in Richmond’s BMX community, contact McKinney at 765-939-6063 or 4jmckinney@comcast.net.