John Lehto pulled off his helmet and wiped the sweat from his brow.

He had just finished last in a BMX (bicycle motocross) race on Saturday, but the 46-year-old from Klamath Falls nevertheless had a bright smile on his face.

”It’s a big adrenaline rush, and at my age you need it sometimes,” Lehto said. ”I’m not as young as a spring chicken, but I’m going to give it my all.”

Nearly 500 BMX racers of all ages and both genders have converged on Central Oregon this weekend for the Fourth of July BMX event held at High Desert BMX in Bend and Smith Rock BMX in Redmond. The event started Friday night in Redmond and runs through Tuesday.

Saturday’s daytime races were held at High Desert BMX in the Big Sky Sports Complex in east Bend. Nine professionals and hundreds of age-group racers competed on a dirt track featuring a series of both large and small roller jumps and high-banked corners.

Lehto, the track operator at Klamath Falls BMX, was racing in the Central Oregon event for the sixth time.

”It’s a family sport,” said Lehto, whose teenage son and daughter also race BMX. ”It’s more family oriented than you would think.

”And it gets you in shape. I’m actually in better shape now than I was in my mid-30s.”

Saturday’s races kicked off with a celebratory lap of young riders who rode the course with American flags attached to their bikes as ”The Star-Spangled Banner” played on the loudspeaker.

A large crowd of parents and spectators sprawled near the course under tents on the hot afternoon. Parents could be heard offering their kids last-minute advice and encouragement before the youngsters made their way to the starting gate with their small BMX bikes.

Racers in all age groups were vying for double and triple points toward qualifying for the state championships.

”It’s the biggest point weekend on the West Coast right now,” said Mark Smith, the assistant track operator at High Desert BMX. ”We get more and more people every year – 3-year-olds to 60-year-olds.”

Smith said BMX has become increasingly popular since it was announced as a new Olympic sport for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. It has also gained more attention in Oregon because Eugene hosted a national BMX event last month.

”Now that we’ve had nationals in Oregon, we’re getting more reception for the tracks (in Bend and Redmond),” Smith said. ”More people are coming in and signing up.”

And, Smith added, spectators and beginning riders are learning more about the sport.

”Everybody thinks BMX is just stunts,” Smith said. ”But this is racing as fast as you can go for 1,200 feet.”

Breezy Addington of Boise, Idaho, made the trip to Central Oregon with her parents for the second straight year. Addington, who won the age-14 girls class, was one of many females of all ages competing on Saturday.

Addington, who has raced BMX for six years, said she is part of an all-girls racing team in Boise.

”It’s starting to get popular in our hometown because of the all-girls team,” Addington said. ”It’s just amazing. A lot of people think it’s just a guys’ sport. It’s also a girls’ sport.”

There were plenty of spills on Saturday, but most riders who crashed got right back on their bikes.

Lehto said he broke his ribs in a crash during his second year of racing.

”It’s not the safest sport in the world, but you take the bumps and bruises,” Lehto said, ”that’s a big part of the gig. I try not to ride over my head.”

Most of all, Lehto said, he races just to have a good time, like many of the other competitors on Saturday in Bend.

”It’s always a lot of fun coming to these tracks,” Lehto said. ”Good competition, good people and lots of fun.”

Sounds like the recipe for a perfect Fourth of July weekend.

FOURTH OF JULY BMX EVENTS

Today – High Desert BMX in Bend, registration from 9:30 to 11 a.m., cost: $30; Smith Rock BMX in Redmond, registration from 6 to 7 p.m., cost: $20.

Monday – High Desert BMX, registration from 10 to 11 a.m., cost: $10. Smith Rock BMX, registration from 6 to 7 p.m., cost: $20.

Tuesday – Smith Rock BMX, registration from 10 to 11 a.m., cost: $10.

Contact: 419-2387 for Bend track; 350-4191 for Redmond track.