Bozeman’s Cameron Wood to Compete in Olympics BMX Racing

He won a U.S. Open title for 7- and 8-year-olds when he was just 6. And he had placed in the top eight at Grand Nationals for three consecutive years by the time he was 9. Wood loved the competition and he loved winning, even if doing so meant he had higher expectations for himself.

“I get so nervous,” he told the Chronicle in 2010. “It’s a pressure sport, and I just want to win so bad that my mind goes blank.”

Fourteen years later, not much has changed. Upon hearing his old words, Wood laughed but also confirmed that his mindset remains the same.

“There’s a lot of truth to that,” he said. “Like, the gate drops, you have all this excitement, this adrenaline and your mind does go blank. Your heart wants what it wants, and competition takes over.”

It’s tough to find a flaw in that mental approach, especially when it has taken him so far.

Wood, who was born in Great Falls but grew up in Bozeman, will represent the United States in BMX racing at the Paris Olympics this week. He will have to make it through Thursday’s quarterfinals (beginning at noon Mountain Time) to reach Friday’s semifinals (noon) and final (1:35 p.m.). Wood is one of four Montanans competing at the 2024 Games.

Based on USA Cycling’s point-based qualification system, Wood had long expected to be named to the Olympic team, but he still cherished the formal announcement on June 18.

“It was definitely different when it was written down, when it was real,” he said. “It was a cool moment to share with my family, my friends, everyone that’s supported the journey to get to that point.”

Wood began cycling at age 3 and racing at an expert level at age 5. He grew up racing at the Gallatin Valley BMX track in town, honing his skills and traveling with his parents to races across the country where he was often the only Montana entry in his age group.

Reaching the Olympics was an early dream, especially after watching American men Mike Day and Donny Robinson win silver and bronze at BMX’s Olympics debut in 2008.

“I vividly remember that day, just watching in the basement of my old house and thinking that’s what I want to do,” Wood said.

At 16, after finishing his sophomore year at Bozeman High, the family moved to Arizona so he could train year-round. Montana’s two BMX tracks made it difficult to train and race consistently, to say nothing of winter weather. Living in the Phoenix area meant he could ride any day at any of the four tracks within an hour’s drive. And he often had professionals to learn from and race against.

“It was an exciting time for me in my life,” Wood said. “I woke up every day with goals and a plan, and I took all of those little steps that have essentially led to where I’m at right now.”

Wood has not forgotten how important that kind of support from his parents, Josh and Andrea, was at that point of his career.

“There definitely was weight on my shoulders,” he said. “I realized they moved their life across the country for me and because they believe in me, and I’ve always wanted to make them proud.”

He won a handful of amateur races upon moving to Arizona, helping him get on the radar of USA Cycling.

In 2019, at age 18, Wood placed ninth overall at the Junior level at the World Championships in Belgium. He was the only American man in that race. Shortly after that, he reached the semifinals of the Pan American Games in Peru.

Wood turned professional in 2020 and placed second in his first race. But the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the racing season, stalling his momentum.

“There weren’t that many races that year, and so that was a bummer for me,” he said. “Getting that result, you’re all fired up, you’re energized, you just want to keep racing and everything kind of shut down for a while. So I didn’t really get to prove myself in 2020.”

Races returned in 2021, though, and Wood took full advantage. He petitioned the head of USA Cycling to appear at the World Championships in the Netherlands, even if it meant paying his own way. The organization ended up funding his trip, a decision made mere weeks before the event. He went on to place eighth in the world after being the only American man in the final.

“I met a lot of criteria, and that essentially put me on the national team,” Wood said. “So that opened up all the doors really, these last two, three years, proving myself on that stage.”

Since then, he’s amassed two World Cup wins, seven World Cup Podiums and a silver at the 2023 Pan American Games.

Wood said 2022 may have been the best year of his career “on paper,” but the qualification system changed entering 2023, so “none of that mattered.”

“Then I have to figure out how to produce these results again,” he added.

At the first major race of 2023 in Turkey, Wood took a hard fall out of a rain-slicked starting gate, breaking his left shoulder and tearing his labrum. Surgery repaired the injuries, but he missed several months of competition, which was “a big test” on his patience, he said.

“It was really stressful knowing I’m capable of results and feeling like I’m the guy but not being able to race and compete and prove it,” Wood added.

He returned in October to race at a World Cup event in Argentina, placing second one day and winning the next, results that were weighted enough to help him qualify for Paris.

“That was the biggest win of my career, for sure, when you factor in the injury and all the adversity faced to get back to that point and delivering when I needed to,” Wood said.

In February, Wood had another fall at a World Cup race in New Zealand. He re-injured the same shoulder, putting his spot on the Olympic team in jeopardy. As he recovered, he was missing out on qualifying events and watched as other Americans made up ground.

“I’m sitting on my butt at home watching the TV again, and it just feels like a nightmare all over,” Wood said.

He decided to avoid surgery this time around, meaning he could get back on the bike sooner. That choice meant he would have to “deal with little aches and pains, but it kept my big dream intact,” he said.

Wood has done enough to remain a leader in Olympic qualifying points and has had time in recent months to focus on physical therapy. He said his shoulder is “in a great place now” as he prepares for his Olympic debut.

“I wouldn’t say at any point this year I’ve felt like I’ve been at my ceiling, just based on what I’ve been dealing with,” Wood added. “But I’ve proven obviously to the committee and to myself that I still belong.”

This week, Wood competes a world away from the Gallatin Valley BMX track where he got his start. He has reached a stage that not many ever get to.

As he has gotten older, Wood — who turns 23 in November — said he has fallen in love more with the process of being a professional athlete and training like one. And although he’s developed an understanding that not every race can end in a win, he still exhibits some of the competitive spirit he had when he was 9 years old.

“I always have the goal every time I take the gate to just leave everything on the track. Everything that I have. Put everything on display,” Wood said. “If that’s a win, that’s great. If it’s not, it’s not. You wake up the next day and you keep training and keep working to get better.”