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 Nike Lunarestoa 2 Womens . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Nike Cortez Classic Mens . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. http://www.nikeshoesclearanceoutlet.com/men-s-women-s-off-white-x-nike-air-force-1-low-black-white-ao4606-001.html . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Clearance Nike Shox Mens . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Mens Acronym x Nike VaporMax Moc 2 "Thirsty Bandit" Sail/Dark Stucco-Cargo Khaki AQ0996-102 . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said.CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay pitched six innings Thursday in his first rehab start since being sidelined by a shoulder injury. Halladay gave up three runs and six hits in his outing for the Gulf Coast League Phillies against Pittsburgh minor leaguers. The 36-year-old right-hander struck out four and walked three. "I am not going to get too far ahead of myself, but I feel good and I feel like each time has gotten better and better," said Halladay, who is scheduled for a bullpen session Saturday and another minor league start Tuesday . "So as long as I continue in that direction, Im fine with that." The two-time Cy Young Award winner had surgery on his shoulder in May to repair a partially torn rotator cuff and remove a bone spur. He also had some fraying of the labrum. Halladay threw 51 of 87 pitches for strikes. He had recently pitched in a simulated game. "Really, the goal was to throw as many sinkers and cutters ass possible," Halladay said.dddddddddddd "The curveball and changeup just kind of come. So we did. We probably threw well over 80-85 per cent cutters and sinkers today, and I thought for the most part the location was pretty good. There were times where Id get in a groove then Id miss two or three, but really, for the most part, they were on the halves of the plate that I wanted." Halladay is 2-4 with an 8.65 ERA in seven starts this season after missing nearly two months last year because of a strained back muscle. "I still feel like theres more in there, but Im just very cautious of making sure Im repeating my mechanics correctly right now," Halladay said. "I dont want to try to add on until Im repeating every time. Thats important for me. Im still breaking those habits, and I feel like Im doing a good job of it. I want to make sure I do it the right way." All three runs Halladay allowed came during his final two innings. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '