Alan Foster (BMX racer)

Cyclist infobox
ridername = Alan Foster


image_size =
image_caption =
fullname = Alan David Foster
nickname = "AF"
dateofbirth = birth date and age |1970|1|18
height = 1.8m (5' 11" Imperial)
weight = 79.4kg (175lbs. Imperial) (1993)
country = USA
currentteam = Felt (retired)
discipline = Bicycle Motocross (BMX)
role = Racer/Team Manager
ridertype = Off Road
protourrank =
europetourrank =
amateuryears = 1982-1983
1983-1989
amateurteams = JF&S Plumbing
Wheel Power
proyears = 1988-1989
1989-1990
1990
1990-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994-1997
1997-1998
1998-2002
2003-Present
proteams = Wheel Power
Huntington Valley Schwinn
Slam Designs
ELF Manufacturing
TNT Racing
Airwalk
Airwalk/Schwinn
Airwalk/XS
Airwalk/Free Agent
Felt Bicycles
majorwins =
updated = June 30, 2008

Alan David Foster ["BMX Plus!" March 1993 Vol.16 No.3 pg.63] (b. January 18, 1970 in Wilmington, Delaware later raised in Joppa, Maryland USA) was a professional American "Mid School" Bicycle Motocross (BMX) racer and Dirt Jumper whose prime competitive years were from (1992-1999) his nickname was simply "AF", the initials of his given and surname.

Racing career

Note: Professional first are on the national level unless otherwise indicated.----Started Racing: In April 1981 in Newark, Delaware [ [http://www.bmxmania.com/alanfoster.htm Bmxmania.com interview.] ] at the Lums Pond BMX track.Fact|date=August 2008

Sanctioning Body: National Bicycle League (NBL)

First race result: First place in 11 Beginner.Fact|date=August 2008

First win (local): See above.

First sponsor: JF&S Plumbing

First national win:

Turned Professional: September 1988

First Professional race result: Fourth place in "B" Pro at the National Bicycle League "War of the Stars" National in Memphis, Tennessee on October 15, 1988. He won USD$40, the equivalent of USD$69.65 in 2007. ( [http://www.aier.org/research/col.php Cost of Living Calcualtor] )He also came in third in Pro Award, winning $22.50, or the equivalent of $39.12 in 2007. ["BMX Plus!" February 1989 Vol.12 No.2 pg.77]

First Professional win: In "B" pro at the the NBL "War of the Stars" National in Orlando, Florida on March 25, 1989. He won USD$300, ["BMX Plus!" July 1989 Vol.12 No.7 pg.78 (results)] the equivalent of USD$521.64 in 2007.

First Junior Men Pro* race result: See "First Professional race result"

First Junior Men Pro win: See "First Professional win"

First Senior Men Pro** race result: Sixth in "A" pro at the NBL Silver City Sensation National in Meridien, Connecticut on July 29, 1989. He finished out of the money since the prize purse was only rewarded from first to fifth positions. The next day he came in seventh place, again out of the money. ["BMX Plus!" December 1989 Vol.12 No.12 pg.20 (race results)] Hard times seem to have struck after that. He spent several weeks competiting in Senior pro but not making the mains. Seven Weeks, 15 races without transferring out to the qualifying motos. As a result after making the mains in "All Pro" (which was what the NBL was calling its Senior Pro class at the time. Junior Pro was "Superclass") at the NBL Cape Cod Classic in Cape Cod, Maryland on June 16, 1990, at which come in 5th, he reclassified back to Junior pro in July 1990 due to being uncompetitive in the Senior division. ["Snap BMX Magazine" March/April 1996 Vol.3 Iss.2 No.9 pg.32] His first race as junior pro again was in "A" pro at the ABA Midwest Nationals in Rockford, Illinois on July 21, 1990. He came in sixth. ["Go" November 1990 Vol.2 Iss.1 pg.25 (photo caption)] He transferred back to Senior pro in approximately July 1991, ["Go" November 1991 Vol.3 Iss.1 pg.10] approximately one year after he reclassified back to junior pro. However, once again he had a hard time in the Senior Pro division and reclassified again, racing in Superclass division at the NBL Grandnational in Louisville, Kentucky on September 1, 1991. ["BMX Plus!" December 1991 Vol.14 No.12 pg.43] In all the time he had spent in Senior pro since July 29, 1989 and prior to the 1992 ABA Grandnationals the total number of Alan Foster making the mains was five. ["BMX Plus March 1993 Vol. No.3 pg.63] He turn back to the Senior Pro class to stay in 1992 [ [http://www.bmxmania.com/alanfoster.htm Bmxmania.com interview.] ] at the ABA Gold Cup finals in October 1992 in Reno, Nevada.

First Senior Men Pro win: In "AA" Pro at the ABA So. Cal. Nationals in Del Mar, California in January 23, 1993. [ [http://www.bmxonline.com/bmx/features/article/0,15737,560573,00.html "RideBMX" December 11, 2003 Alan Foster Retirement Interview] ]

Retired: August 2003. The last race was the Downhill Class at the X-Games. He states that he simply lost the desire. [ [http://www.bmxonline.com/bmx/features/article/0,15737,560573,00.html RideBMX December 11, 2003 Alan Foster Retirement Interview] ] .

Height & weight at height of his career (1993): Ht:5'11" Wt:190lbs.

*In the NBL "B" Pro/Super Class/"A" Pro/Junior Elite Men depending on the era; in the ABA it is "A" Pro. **In the NBL it is "AA" Pro/Elite Men; in the ABA it is "AA" Pro.

Career factory and major bike shop sponsors

Note: This listing only denotes the racer's primary sponsors. At any given time a racer could have numerous ever changing co-sponsors. Primary sponsorships can be verified by BMX press coverage and sponsor's advertisements at the time in question. When possible exact dates are used.----

Amateur

*JF&S Plumbing: 1982-1983
*Wheel Power Bike Shop: 1983-September 1989. ["Go" August 1991 Vol.2 Iss.10 pg.52] He would turn pro with this sponsor.

Professional

*Wheel Power Bike Shop: 1983-September 1989. Wheel Power dropped their team after the 1989 NBL Grandnationals ["Go" August 1991 Vol.2 Iss.10 pg.52]
*Huntington Valley Schwinn: 1989-Late Summer 1990
*Slam Designs: October 1990-December 1990
*ELF (Extra Light Frames) Manufacturing: December 1990-November 1992
*TNT Racing: November 1992-April 1993
*Airwalk: May 1993-Mid 1994
*Schwinn/Airwalk: Mid 1994-December 1997
*Airwalk/XS: December 1997-December 1998
*Airwalk/Free Agent: December 1998-2002 His first race for Airwalk/Free agent was the NBL Christmas Classic. ["Snap BMX Magazine" May 1999 Vol.6 Iss.3 No.31 pg.78]
*Felt Bicycles: February 10, 2003-Present He was hired as Team manager and racer. In September of 2006 he was named Assistant Product Manager for Felt BMX [ [http://www.fatbmx.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1899 fatbmx.com News August 31. 2006.] ]

Career bicycle motocross titles

Note: Listed are District, State/Provincial/Department, Regional, National, and International titles in "italics". "Defunct" refers to the fact of that sanctioning body in question no longer existing at the start of the racer's career or at that stage of his/her career. Depending on point totals of individual racers, winners of Grand Nationals do not necessarily win National titles. Series and one off Championships are also listed in block.----

Amateur

National Bicycle Association (NBA)
*NoneNational Bicycle League (NBL)

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

Fédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
*NoneInternational Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
*NoneUnion Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*
*None*See note in professional section

Professional

National Bicycle Association (NBA)
*NoneNational Bicycle League (NBL)

American Bicycle Association (ABA)

United States Bicycle Motocross Association (USBA)
*NoneInternational Bicycle Motocross Federation (IBMXF)*
*NoneFédération Internationale Amateur de Cyclisme (FIAC)*
*None (FIAC did not have a strictly professional division during its existence) (defunct).Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)*

*Note: Beginning in 1991 the IBMXF and FIAC had been holding joint World Championship events as a transitional phase in merging which began in earnest in 1993. Beginning with the 1996 season the IBMXF and FIAC completed the merger and both ceased to exist as independent entities being integrated into the UCI. Beginning with the 1997 World Championships held in Brighton, England the UCI would officially hold and sanction BMX World Championships and with it inherited all precedents, records, streaks, etc. from both the IBMXF and FIAC.
Pro Series Championships

Notable accolades

BMX Product Lines

*1996 Airwalk "Foster Bros." Signature shoes. ["Snap BMX Magazine" March/April 1997 Vol.4 Iss.2 No.15 pg.11 (advertisement)]

ignificant injuries

*Broken collarbone a the NBL South Park National in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1986. He fractured it again six weeks later after crashing again practicing at the Howard County, Maryland ABA track.Fact|date=August 2008
*Ruptured Spleen in January 1989 at the Magnolia jumps in Huntington Beach, California. Headtube broke off of a prototype ELF frame.Fact|date=August 2008
*He was injured in a crash with Steve Veltman an 1996 ABA Gold Cup race in York, Pennsylvania. He spent several days in the hospital. ["BMX Plus!" January 1997 Vol.20 No.1 pg.]
*Broke two ribs in a fall at the NBL Indianapolis Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana on the weekend of June 27-28, 1997. At this time he was recovering from dental surgery. He was expected at the time to rocover before the NBL Grandnational. ["Snap BMX Magazine" Sepetember/October 1997 Vol.4 Iss.5 No.18 pg.22]
*Bruised his coxis in at a national in May 1999 ["Snap BMX Magazine" September 1999 Vol.7 Iss.6 No.35 pg.28]

Peccadilloes

Misscelleneous and Trivia

*Along with John Purse and Brian Lopes, Alan Foster is credited with bringing back the full face helmet back into BMX in the Summer of 1996. The full face helmet, that has a rigid structure to protect the jaw and the lower front half of the head, had fallen out of fashion since the mid 1980's. ["BMX Plus!" January 1997 Vol.20 No.1 pg.10] While not mandatory in either the ABA or the NBL, it is the worn today by the large majority of BMX racers; pro and amateur alike.

Post BMX career

BMX magazine covers

Note: (defunct) denotes that the magazine was out of business before the career of the racer started.----"Bicycle Motocross News:"
*None (defunct)"Minicycle/BMX Action" & "Super BMX:"
*None"Bicycle Motocross Action" & "Go:"

"BMX Plus!:"
*August 1991 Vol.14 No.8 with (uncredited) Tim "Fuzzy" Hall (6) and unidentified rider (8).
*March 1993 Vol.16 No.3 (4) with brother Brian Foster (6). In bottom insert Mike King.
*November 1993 Vol.16 No.11 (16) on the inside with Tim Strelecki (4)
*May 1994 Vol.17 No.5 (4) in third behind Gary Ellis (1) in the lead and brother Brian Foster in second.
*November 1994 Vol.17 No.11 (4) with Kendall Burlson (4, extreme left), Greg Romero (3) to Alan's right and In Hee Lee (GT, No number plate) to his left. In top inset freestyler Matt Hoffman. In bottome inset Racing tire shoot out. "Total BMX:"
*None"Bicycles and Dirt:"
*None"Ride BMX Magazine:"

"Snap BMX Magazine" & "Transworld BMX:"
*Snap November/December 1996 Vol.3 Iss.6 No.13 (9) behind Wade Bootes (66).
*Snap May 1999 Vol.6 Iss.3 No.31"BMX World:"

"ABA Action, American BMXer, BMXer" (the official BMX publication of the ABA under three different names):

BMX press magazine interviews and articles

*"Speed Secrets: Double Jumps" "BMX Plus!" June 1991 Vol.14 No.6 pg.20 Joint article about how to speed jump efficiantly with fellow racer Brian Lopes.
*"Foster Bros." "Go" August 1991 Vol.2 Iss.10 pg.52 Two separate interviews of Alan and his brother Brian Foster.
*"The Foster Files" "BMX Plus!" March 1993 Vol.16 No.3 pg.63 Joint interview with his brother Brian Foster.
*"alan foster" "Snap BMX Magazine" March/April 1996 Vol.3 Iss.2 No.9 pg.32
*"Alan Foster" "Snap BMX Magazine" June 2000 Vol.7 Iss.6 No.44 (Centerfold poster back)

Other significant sibling combinations in BMX

*Brent & Brian Patterson
*Ronnie & Richie Anderson
*Mike & Eddy King
*Eric & Robby Rupe

End Notes

External links

* [http://www.ababmx.com/ The American Bicycle Association (ABA) Website.]
* [http://www.nbl.org/ The National Bicycle League (NBL) Website.]
* [http://www.bmxonline.com/bmx/features/article/0,15737,560573,00.html bmxonline.com article]
* [http://www.bmxmania.com/alanfoster.htm BMX mania interview]
* [http://expn.go.com/athletes/bios/FOSTER_ALAN.html EXPN.com 2002 Athletes Bio.]
* [http://www.bmxmania.com/alanfoster.htm Bmxmania.com interview.]