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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Imagine a horse race that starts on a ramp about three stories high, then winds down a quarter-mile track with as many bumps and twists as a roller-coaster ride.But instead of riding horses, eight competitors are pedaling frantically on bikes, and the race only takes about 40 seconds.Welcome to BMX racing.The fun at the Rio de Janeiro Games starts Thursday with the mens quarterfinals at the Olympic BMX Center.Youre in this starting gate and its being let out of the gates and everybody goes, U.S. rider Alise Post said. After that youre riding the roller coaster. Everything happens fast out there.But with hills and bumps made of varying heights, and 180-degree turns that riders maneuver on wide, sloping berms.Its really a big kind of a roller coaster adrenaline rush is what it is, said Posts teammate, Corben Sharrah.BMX, which stands for bicycle motocross, traces its roots to Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. An action sport once considered a niche activity is now in its third go-around at the Olympics.It was added in 2008 in Beijing as a way to attract younger viewers with its frenetic, anything-can-happen pace.Even the most seasoned riders still get nervous when they get behind the starting gate.You get on top of that hill when you load the gate and theres always some kind of nerve, said Sharrah, who won the U.S. Olympic trials. He earned the fifth seed in the quarterfinals following the seeding runs on Wednesday .But its a good nerve, Sharrah said. Its kind of that nervous (energy) that feeds what you train for every day.Once cyclists break the starting gate, theyre free to jostle for inside position. Joris Daudet of France, who has the top seed in the quarterfinals, compared a race to a 110-meter hurdle race, but minus the lanes.You can go everywhere you want, Daudet said. Its like a sprint but everyone can change lanes.The competition is Rio is spiced up by a visually appealing track with bright green turns and finely groomed straights with surfaces that look like a baseball infield.The track plays fast, most riders said Wednesday.Its probably the fastest track weve ever had, said David Graf of Switzerland, who is seeded second in the mens draw.American Brooke Crain called the track one of the best that shes been able to ride. She will be seeded seventh when the womens draw resumes racing on Friday.Its just fast, Crain said. The jumps arent terribly big, so its a good racing track.Its still a bumpy ride. The bikes dont have suspension. Crashes arent uncommon.American cyclist Connor Fields isnt fully recovered from a broken bone in his left hand, an injury he sustained in the spring. But Fields, who is seeded fourth, is using a specially designed brace on the hand for the Olympics.What we do is pretty intense to begin with, Fields said. It takes a lot of mental health. You just have to get over that fear and go for it.---Online:AP Summer Games: http://summergames.ap.org/---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. http://www.cheapjerseysnhladidas.com/ . The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Cheap Adias NHL Jerseys Free Shipping .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Each week, ESPN.com writer Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts.This week, Okamoto squares off with UFC lightweight contender Michael Johnson?to discuss all things MMA. Johnson (16-10), headlines Saturdays UFC Fight Night card in Hidalgo, Texas, against Dustin Poirier (20-4).?1.?What is the final say on CM Punks UFC debut: inspirational or a joke?Johnson:?I cant sit here and watch what CM Punk did and call it inspirational. Yes, he went in there and fought a UFC fight, but I think he should have tested himself somewhere else before going in and giving a performance like that. Mickey Gall didnt even really do much. He took Punk right down and controlled him, and I think CM Punk didnt know what to expect once he started getting punched. To get an opportunity like that [and] fight for the biggest promotion -- thats a blessing. People work their entire life to get to that point and never do, and he was just given it. To go out there and perform like that? Thats not inspirational.Okamoto:?This topic has been beaten into the ground the last three days. To sum my thoughts up one more time: Punk won me over. Maybe Im being gullible, but I believe his interest in this sport was (and still is) genuine. I think the UFC saw an opportunity to monetize his debut and offered him a deal anyone in his position would have accepted. You cant fault Punk for taking a golden opportunity. I also think he looked very bad in his debut -- so bad the UFC cant justify giving him a second shot. I hope months from now we hear about Punk fighting with some random independent promotion, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, taking a fight against a similarly skilled opponent. He always said he was doing this for himself and no one else. Thatd be the way to prove it.2.?No UFC heavyweight champion has ever defended a title more than twice consecutively. Will Stipe Miocic become the first?Johnson:?Yes, I think Stipe will defend it more than twice. Its his attitude. The way hes approaching his last few fights and approaching the game, it just seems like he has no pressure on him. Thats very dangerous for opponents, when a fighter comes in and doesnt have any worries, just a great camp. I think thats what is setting him aside from everyone else right now.Okamoto:?Man, history says no -- and how can you disagree with history? Miocic is the 17th heavyweight champion in UFC history. There have definitely been champs before him I thought were up to the task, and they all fell. Not to mention, 2016 has been the year of fallen champs. I agree 100 percent with what Johnson said about Miocics demeanor. Hes a very comfortable champion. Hes got a lot of self-belief and his pulse never seems to go up, regardless of his surroundings. I want to say yes on this, but I cant get over the fact weve been here before and no one has been able to do it. My final answer is no.3.?Will Alistair Overeem ever make it to a UFC title fight again?Johnson:?I dont think hell ever get back from that performance [his loss to Miocic on Saturday in UFC 203] ?and he doesnt deserve to, if you ask me. I dont know what you can even say about a performance like that. I think it was a huge letdown. To see a guy fight like that in a championship fight makes you wonder if he even deserved to be in that fight. We all saw him running around. Thats not what people want to see. Alistair comes from a background as a great striker -- thats what people expected to see. They didnt expect to seee him turn his back and run from Stipe.dddddddddddd I dont know if that was his game plan, to try and lure Stipe into something -- we saw Overeem drop Stipe once -- but after that it didnt work, and I thought he fought really scared. I dont think he deserves another shot at all.Okamoto:?This is a tough one. I worry about Overeems ability to take a shot. You saw it at UFC 203. He was in control of that fight against Miocic and then, in a matter of milliseconds, he wasnt. A lot of that had to with durability. Miocic got dropped by a clean left hand, but he recovered quickly. Overeem, on the other hand, took a couple combinations and never looked the same. It seemed that he needed the bell to save him as soon as he took his first shot. That doesnt bode well in the heavyweight division, but at the same time, theres no denying Overeems skill. A bounce-back of two or three wins in a row is very feasible. Ill actually say yes here, but its not a very confident answer.4.?Who should be the next heavyweight title challenger: Fabricio Werdum or Cain Velasquez?Johnson:?Its Cain Velasquez, in my opinion. Werdum suffered a knockout to Stipe [in May at UFC 198] and I dont think Werdums performance against Travis Browne was good enough to make him the No. 1 contender. I think Stipe vs. Cain is a great matchup. I think Cain will press him Stipe and try to take him down, while throwing heavy hands. The way Stipe moves around, it seems hes really finding his niche -- his game -- right now. I would definitely go with Stipe in that matchup. I think his movement and punching ability would favor him.Okamoto:?I agree its Velasquez. Werdum is ranked higher, so if he is jumped by Velasquez, Werdum will have a legitimate gripe. But even so, doesnt it still strangely feel like Velasquez is the man to beat in this division? Dont get me wrong, Miocic is the champ and the undisputed No. 1 heavyweight, but theres still that feeling of, Well, if Cain could only stay healthy. Hes healthy now and coming off a very Cain-like performance at UFC 200. The time to book that fight is now. If we know anything about Velasquez, its that he might not be healthy for long. Book that fight while the opportunity exists.5.?What is the best sleeper fight at Saturdays UFC Fight Night card in Hidalgo, Texas?Johnson:?Im gonna say featherweights?Chas Skelly [15-2] and Maximo Blanco [12-7-1]. Chas has been down here at Blackzilians in Boca Raton, Florida, training with us. Ive seen how dedicated he is. Hes really tough, and I dont think many people are watching this card to see this fight. Its a sleeper.Okamoto:?You could probably call the main event a sleeper if you wanted, as this entire event is flying under the radar. I actually like Johnsons pick a lot. Skelly will likely look to use his wrestling against Blanco, who I think will be able to stuff plenty of those attempts and look to make Skelly pay for it. It looks like a potentially high-action fight. Ill also mention lightweights?Islam Makhachev?and?Chris Wade. Makhachev is a 24-year-old prospect with a lot of promise, but hes coming off a very ugly loss in his last fight, plus a situation with the United States Anti-Doping Agency in which he was pulled from an event in April but later cleared of any wrongdoing. Ive heard plenty of positive reviews about Makhachevs potential, and he has a legitimate test in front of him in Wade. Jerseys NFL China Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Discount Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Cheap Nike Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Nike Patriots Jerseys Cheap Nike Jets Jerseys Cheap Nike Bengals Jerseys Cheap Nike Browns Jerseys Cheap Nike Steelers Jerseys Cheap Nike Texans Jerseys Cheap Nike Colts Jerseys Cheap Nike Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Nike Titans Jerseys Cheap Nike Broncos Jerseys ' ' '