British BMX rider Kieran Reilly is determined to follow in the footsteps of his beloved Newcastle and lift silverware at Saturday’s inaugural Red Bull Featured event in Manchester.
Reilly, who won Olympic silver in the BMX freestyle in Paris last July, had to miss the Magpies’ Carabao Cup success over Liverpool at Wembley last month due to a training block in Costa Rica.
The 23-year-old is no stranger to medals, having been crowned world and European champion in 2023, but has a different challenge on the horizon with Featured, a BMX competition in which 16 riders will perform major tricks without being penalised for a fall by judges.
“I was absolutely buzzing to see Newcastle win the cup. Massive for the city and a moment we’ve all dreamed of for so many years,” Reilly told the PA news agency.
“I managed to catch the game at the airport in Costa Rica as I’ve been training out here for Featured and I just couldn’t believe it. Such a top performance from the boys.
“Let’s hope that I can bring another title to Newcastle when I go to Featured in April.”
There was little respite for Reilly after his second place at the Olympics, with focus quickly shifting to September’s European BMX Championships, where he won gold.
While the Gateshead rider feels he has been afforded “more respect” since the Paris Games, what has not changed is his trademark mullet and his determination to inspire more children to pick up a bike, especially ahead of the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Reilly said: “To be honest, I can’t see us getting rid of it (the mullet) any time soon. I’ve typecast myself now. Everyone expects the hair out of the back of the helmet.
“We’ll see if it holds on (for LA).
“The people in BMX love the sport and want it to grow. We understand how that happens and it is from targeting kids and the next generation.
“I went to a skate park, saw the older kids do a lot smaller trickers than what will happen at Featured and then I decided I wanted to do this. I hope we get that at Featured and, with the content that comes from it, kids will see it and hopefully they pick up a bike.”
A key feature of BMX competition is consistency and avoiding mistakes, which is why Reilly is thrilled about the concept of Featured, with riders encouraged to go all out without fear of missing the mark.
“I have got some big plans,” Reilly revealed. “I am pretty much going in with a list of tricks that I know will win the event.
“That kind of mentality I gained from Paris, where it is bittersweet when you don’t go all in and don’t get what you want, so this time I am laying it all out there.”
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