Derek Jelgersma started riding when he was about 5-years-old but stopped when he was 17.
He picked up the sport again when his two children got involved.
"I only just hopped on a bike just to follow them around, to coach them and I thought ‘I quite like this again’," Jelgersma said.
And he was still good at it.
He won gold in the men’s 45-49 category at the 2022 Oceania BMX championships in Brisbane early last month, and claimed a New Zealand title two weeks before that.
The Oceania competition consisted of four qualifying races and a "dead man final" — whoever crossed the line first won.
Jelgersma won all his qualifying races, but that meant nothing until the final, he said.
"All you had to do was qualify to get to that top-eight final and then it’s anyone’s game after that.
"A lot of people crashed, a lot of people slipped their pedal, a lot of people got pushed off in a corner."
The Dunedin rider was fourth heading into the first corner and thought he had lost his chance at a podium spot.
"All of a sudden I passed a couple [of riders] and then got the last guy right on the finish line."
Jelgersma was the only New Zealander in a category full of Australians, which made the win even sweeter.
"It’s a big achievement travelling that far and going against Australian riders, which is next-level in racing," he said.
A handful of New Zealanders claimed titles at the competition, he said.
Fellow Dunedin rider Cameron Laing (16) also travelled to Brisbane with Jelgersma, along with other riders from Central Otago.
Cameron, who finished third at the New Zealand nationals, crashed in the semifinals and missed the final.
He and Jelgersma are both members of the Dunedin BMX Club, which is set to host the South Island championships next year.
