Molly Simpson races towards big goals in BMX
At only 22-years-old, Molly Simpson has already taken Canadian BMX racing to places it’s never been before.
Simpson is the first and only Canadian to win a UCI BMX Racing World Cup—an accomplishment she notched in June. Simpson was the first Canadian woman to podium in BMX racing at the Pan Am Games, which she achieved at Santiago 2023.
At Paris 2024, Simpson showed herself to be a top contender with a fifth place finish that has only left her more motivated than ever to chase her big dreams around the BMX track.
Olympic.ca spoke with Simpson ahead of the UCI BMX Racing World Championships, taking place August 2-3 in Copenhagen, Denmark, to hear more about her breakthrough season, how she keeps things fun at the track, and why you might see her support staff sporting some interesting hairstyles…
Your first World Cup victory was obviously a huge moment for you. Can you talk me through that experience?
Before that final event, my coach Adam [Muys] told me, “We’re going for it, we’re going for the win.” So that was just really locked in my mind.
I was in lane two and lane one was the past Olympic champion [Bethany Shriever] and lane three was the current Olympic champion [Saya Sakakibara] and my start times throughout the day were the fastest out of everybody. So I was walking up to that start gate with a tall chest because I knew the other girls knew that I was going fast down the hill today. It was a perfect day.
Can you tell me a bit about the bet you had with your coach?
The inspiration was from the German national team coach. In 2022 he showed up to a World Cup in Bogota, Colombia with a black suit on during one of the race days. All the coaches were bugging him and the athletes were kind of like, “What are you doing?”
He had made a bet with one of his riders that if his rider made a World Cup final, he would wear a suit the next day.
We laughed about that and so I said to Adam: when we win our first World Cup, how about you have to dye your hair red? We shook on it and then, I honestly just forgot about it.
But then in the interview [after the win this season] I remembered, so I made sure to call him out in the interview because I knew then the whole BMX community would know and he would have to do it.
It was very full circle. It honestly is motivating to see his commitment. I mean, he fully dyed his hair red—he went to a barber and fully got it done!
I love that, because obviously these are serious goals and big athletic achievements, but you can still keep that playful and fun energy along the way.
He ended up buying more red dye because we’re leaving for world champs. I guess he wants to try and get it back a bit more red, to keep it for world champs!
What do you think you learned from your Olympic experience at Paris 2024?
I feel like I’ve matured as an athlete just from going through that whole process and the prep for it. And then going to the Games and competing, it just gave me a bit more experience—I feel like I have a bit more of a leg up now.
Obviously getting fifth was kind of bittersweet for me. I think that also really gave me some good motivation going for the next Olympic cycle, with that mindset of: we can do this, we can definitely get a medal at the Games.
The Games really show what you need to work on because it’s the biggest event and the pressure is on. It showed that we need to work on our track speed, which is everything else but the start gate. I’m pretty strong in the start gate. But we wanted to complete that and make sure I’m good around the track—gaining speed and being really efficient.
What are the big goals on your mind for the rest of this season and beyond?
The next goal right now is world champs in Denmark. Having the success at the World Cup this year is definitely bringing some confidence to the world championships. I definitely think that we are going to walk in and do our process and just be our best selves. Of course I’m totally wanting to get that rainbow jersey— to be world champion is always a goal.
And then for the rest of the year, we have another World Cup in September in Argentina. I’m currently ranked second in the World Cup ranking, so we have a chance to win the World Cup overall as well, so that’s definitely a benchmark of ours.
I think the rainbow jerseys are so cool and great for people who are newer to all the different kinds of cycling, to help learn who’s who.
And one unique fact about the world championship jersey is when you win the world championships, you get to wear that rainbow jersey the whole year. But then the next year, when there might be a new world champion crowned, you still get to have the rainbow stripes somewhere on your jersey, around the wrists or the collar. So it’s like you’re forever a rainbow jersey holder, which is really cool.
Rapid Fire with Molly Simpson
How would you describe your riding style?
I like to dance on the bike. When you dance you’re free and you’re moving, so I would say that’s my riding style.
Who’s an athlete you look up to?
Oh, there’s a bunch! But in the BMX world, I would say Mariana Pajón, who’s a multiple gold medallist and a silver medallist at the Games. And she’s now a friend of mine!
Do you have any pre-race rituals or routine stuff that you go through to get you in the zone?
I don’t. I keep it pretty flowy in the moment, just because I don’t like to get superstitious. But definitely music is really important for me, having some good tunes in the tent.
I’m normally the person on aux in the tent at World Cups and we usually have it full to the max volume—I’m pretty much essentially auxing the whole team tent area. At the Olympics too, we had it so loud—it’s just how we roll.
You’re still early in your career, but do you have any advice for younger athletes?
I think it’s just to have fun. If you’re just starting out, you don’t need to get into a strict routine and training program. I think it’s important to kind of let that happen naturally and to do other things, do other sports or have other hobbies for sure.
What winter sports are you most excited to watch at Milano Cortina 2026?
I like snowboarding, myself, in the winter. So the halfpipe and slopestyle, that will be so cool to watch, and the skiing too. I used to play hockey, so that’ll be fun to watch, especially the women.
