Hagan Becomes Member of Team USA

Tyler Hagan, a 15-year-old sophomore at Grain Valley High School, earned a spot on the BMX Team USA this past weekend at the qualifying race in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tyler will represent the United States this July in the 16-year-old challenge boys class at the 2019 UCI BMX World Championships in Zolder, Belgium.

Tyler’s father Chris Hagan said racing has been a part of Tyler’s life since he was 5 years old.

“He started racing in go-karts and soon after he found BMX. John Pennington, the owner at Bike Stop in Blue Springs, gave him his first shot at being on a team. A few years later, Tyler was accepted to be on the Doublecross National Team, where he proudly wore the logo of the Grain Valley Police Department on the back of his jersey as part of the team’s “Back the Blue” program,” Chris Hagan said.

For the 2019 season, England’s Twisted Concepts BMX chose Tyler to be their very first Global Factory Rider in the United States. Twisted Concepts BMX also has teams and riders in England, Australia, Ireland, and Indonesia.

Tyler currently races as a 15-year-old Expert on the USA-BMX National circuit. There are two national caliber racing tracks in the Kansas City area, Blue Springs BMX and Raytown BMX, but the harsh winter weather made training in the area impossible.

“Since Mother Nature tends to work against us during the winter, Tyler, with the support of the Grain Valley School District, continued his education while training in Surprise, Arizona with famed BMX trainer Burlin Harris. It’s kind of like ‘Spring Training’, only for BMX. Burlin Harris has 20 plus years of experience developing world championship riders and is the best in the industry to help Tyler prepare for the challenge that will come this summer,” Chris Hagan said.

Grain Valley High School Sophomore Tyler Hagan is headed to the 2019 UCI BMX World Championships in Zolder, Belgium this July as a part of Team USA. Photo credit: Chris Hagan