Athletes > Mike Day > Bio

It was a good Day
Day earned his nomination to the BMX Olympic squad by winning the one-day Trials event on the track at Chula Vista, California, a replica of the track that will be used by BMX in Beijing. Day was so dominant on this day, winning three heats and taking second in a fourth, that the outcome of Trials was determined before the fifth and final heat was even contested. He then followed up qualifying with winning a silver medal at the Beijing Games. 

Biking in the genes
Day started biking when he went to a track for his ninth birthday and he was hooked. His older brother, Dave, and his younger brother, Matt were also former BMX riders. His dad Steve was athletic too -- he played high school football.

Relax, ready, holeshot
Before putting on his goggles and hitting the starting gate, Day says that he takes a deep breath, and says to himself, "relax, ready, holeshot." The mantra helps him to take a deep breath, and focus on what he needs to do. Holeshot means trying to get to the first corner, first, and in a race that's no more than 40 seconds long, this can be critical. Not known for his start, however, Day is often the guy that comes out of the pack late in the race to score a positive result.

Bubba and Mike
Day and BMX star Bubba Harris grew up together, and have been friends since Day was nine. The two trained together until Harris moved away to Arizona. They also spent five summers traveling throughout the country together with Harris' dad, who runs BMX clinics for youth across the country. Harris and Day had a $100 bet at the Beijing test event last August to the rider who finished first. But Bubba broke his ankle on the course. Harris has said that the bet is still standing.

I like to ride MY bike
A style of handlebar is named after Day, the The Fly Racing Mike Day BMX Handlebar. Day is a tall racer, so the bar has an upsweep on it to help improve his feel on the bike.

Good things come to those who wait
In 2002, Day entered a race thinking, "If I win, I'll go pro." He won that race, but decided to wait another year before turning professional.

Professional interests
Day has completed two semesters at community college and hopes to one day become a chiropractor. He also says that he is interested in architecture.