Cambridge’s Chris and Sharon Greenough have found the secret to spending time with their three teenagers – the whole family are immersed in the BMX scene.
Jack Greenough in action during the Australia National Series round in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. Photo: LUX
“I really can’t overemphasise the family aspect of BMX. There aren’t many situations where 15-year-old and 16-year-old kids are happy to spend a weekend sitting under a gazebo with their parents,” Chris said.
“The sport is great. We love to see the kids complete. We love to see them getting rewards for the hard work they put in. But for us, it’s just a fantastic time for family to get together.”
St Peter’s pupil Lily, 17, and University of Waikato students Jack, 20, and Bennett, 22, are all prominent New Zealand riders.
The Cambridge BMX Club trio recently competed at the BMX World Championships in Copenhagen.
Lily won the junior women’s class, Jack was in the men’s under-23 final and Bennett raced in the men’s elite class for the first time.
“Cambridge has a strong club. It’s relatively small but has had a strong group of riders of all ages,” Sharon said.
“It’s one of the top clubs in New Zealand, many riders holding national titles and a good group of riders competing at the highest level.
Lily Greenough leading the junior women at the 2025 UCI BMX World Championships in Copenhagen. Photo: Navada Photography
Both parents also travelled to Denmark in administrative capacities.
Sharon is team manager for the New Zealand BMX age-group racing, the elite team, and the UCI world cup series crew.
Chris is the chairperson of BMX New Zealand and was the chief executive until last week.
He also looks after the team’s portfolio – whenever New Zealanders are representing the country anywhere in the world.
“We’ve been pretty involved in the BMX community for a long time now. All the way through from when the kids were little. We’re at the elite end now, it’s been an exciting journey,” Sharon said.
“It started when we moved back to Cambridge from Slovakia about 15 years ago and the kids were all young – six, four and nearly two.
“It was a great outlet for these energetic young kids to ride their bikes. We went down to the Cambridge BMX Club to see what it was all about and the boys absolutely loved it.
“We couldn’t get them off the track. They rode round and round and round.”
After progressing through many years at club level racing around the Waikato, the family moved onto the national and international stage together.
Bennett on his way to winning the under-23 class at round two of the Rotorua UCI World Cup – the day after Jack won round one. Photo: Navada Photography
“BMX has been the catalyst for some amazing family trips to racing events with friends and experiences that we’ve really valued as a family. We’ve made lifelong friends,” Sharon said.
“The secret to the kids’ success is having fun. They have always loved being on their bikes and have enjoyed the challenge.
“We’re very proud of all of them. They have stuck at it and they’re incredibly determined. They work hard, show up every day and have given everything 100 per cent.”
Chris said it really helps being in the hometown of Cycling New Zealand.
“Access to the gyms, strength and conditioning folks, the life coaches, all that is reasonably plentiful in Cambridge because there’s so much high-performance sport based in Cambridge,” Chris said.
“The more top-level riders you have, the more top-level riders you’ll have because they train with each other, they race each other and get faster because of each other.”
Lily Greenough in action… and on the podium at world championship in Copenhagen. Photo: Cole McOnie.
There’s something in the sport for everyone. Whether it’s community or competition or learning life skills.
“BMX provides the foundation bike skills for many sports and helps children develop various attributes which are applicable to all aspects of life. Lots of resilience, lots of determination and learning to get along with others,” Sharon said.
“There’s successes and failures. Learning to deal with that is essential for life.”
Both parents echo that BMX helps people to develop as not just a rider but as a person.
“Growing up with all the different age groups. Everyone just helps everybody,” Chris said.
“It’s not just about riding your bike and winning all the time. It’s about learning more about yourself. It’s about getting better every day and being the best that you can be.”
Cambridge BMX family Lily, Jack, Bennett, Sharon and Chris Greenough. Photo: Navada Photography
