U.S. Racer Among the Cool Kids for BMX Event

Alise Post sits at the cool kids table in the Olympic Village cafeteria with her United States BMX teammates.

“Sitting in the dining hall, the boys were approached and asked, ‘Are you BMXers?’ ” Post said, adding that her teammates said yes and asked, How could he tell? “The guy said, ‘Well, you guys look cool.’ ”

Post, 21, from St. Cloud, Minn., is Midwest nice mixed with Southern California cool, and her nickname is the Beast. Post has dominated the BMX circuit since she became a professional at age 15, which was the youngest age regulations would allow.

In her first year as a professional BMX rider, Post became the youngest girl to win the American pro championship. She has become accustomed to life on the podium with wins and awards ranging from rookie pro of the year in 2006 to second place in a 2009 USA Cycling BMX national championships for junior elite women. But she was excluded from the sport’s 2008 Olympic premiere in Beijing as she was younger than the required age of 19.

Because of that setback, Post, who lives in Chula Vista, Calif., with her boyfriend, the Australian BMX star Sam Willoughby, set her sights on the London Games. Read more…