BMX: Walker has nothing to beef about

BMX rider Sarah Walker tries her new training ramp (left) at the Millennium Institute in Auckland, and (right) pictured at the Halberg Awards earlier this year. Photos / Greg Bowker, Dean Purcell

When you're one of the world's best BMX riders, starting a race isn't just a case of pushing off and pedalling like crazy. It's a lot more technical - and more expensive - than that.

So when champion Kiwi rider Sarah Walker needed a customised starting gate, Beef + Lamb New Zealand came to the rescue.

The gate recreates the conditions of the world's top riding events.

"When the difference between winning a race and finishing outside of the medal count can be a hundredth of a second, you've got to be confident of getting the best possible start," said Walker. "This gate is the world standard and it's awesome for me to be able to train on it whenever I need to."

Walker is a dominant force in the New Zealand national BMX team, earning a silver medal at last month's World Championship in South Africa. She's previously won two gold medals at the event.