Luke Roarty, 11, of Clarksville, is in China. An exciting trip for any pre-teen in itself, the reason he left his western Howard County home May 22 is even more remarkable. Luke will compete internationally next week in the 2008 Union Cycliste Internationale BMX World Championship.

"Thirteen hours and 24 minutes of flying time," said his father, Dave Roarty, who has kept watch over his son's BMX racing since Luke started the sport at age 4. The pair left on a non-stop flight to the BMX championship from Washington, D.C., to Beijing.

The championships are May 29 through June 2 in Taiyuan, China.

"It's exciting," said Luke, a sixth-grader at Lime Kiln Middle School. "I'm looking forward to seeing the Great Wall. A little scared to try the food."

And beyond the incredible cultural experience, Luke is most anxious to see the track where he will race.

"I like to compete," he said.

BMX, or bicycle motorcross, is a type of off-road bicycle racing. The races are sprint races on a one-lap dirt track. The track typically consists of a starting gate for up to eight racers, various jumps, straight aways and banked turns. This August, the sport of BMX will make its Olympic debut at the 2008 summer games in Beijing.

Luke has been preparing for the World Championship since Dec. 2007 at his practice site, a 700-foot long BMX track constructed by his father. The track took Roarty one year to complete and 800 tons of dirt to construct. It has 20 jumps, a starting gate for four racers and bleachers for spectators.

Luke practices two to three times a week for two to three hours at a time and hits the fitness center three times a week. His core has to be solid and legs strong to get the kind of explosive power needed in BMX racing, Roarty said.

There is also a lot of technical skill in the sport.

"Luke will practice a single jump over and over," Roarty said. Constant riding and racing are what keep the skill level up.

Luke was inspired to try BMX racing by his dad, who raced until a back injury in December waylaid him. Roarty, who plans to return to the sport, said he races at a different level than his son.

"Luke tries all different kinds of things; I'm just trying to stay on the bike," he said.

The two go to at least 20 BMX races between March and September, sponsored by the National Bicycle League.

"It's a huge commitment," Roarty said.

Races take place on weekends all over the country, mostly in small towns. The spirit of the events is similar to those found at NASCAR events, Roarty said. Families come out to support the racers and there's a lot of camaraderie. Luke said he sees many of the same boys at the national events.

"We hang out together," he said.

Luke's mom, Katrina, and his sister, Danielle, go to events when 15-year-old Danielle isn't competing on the soccer or lacrosse field.

"I love to watch him," Katrina Roarty said. "It's something he works very hard at. Luke is very dedicated."

Bumps of the sport

When Luke was 10, his passion for the sport was tested after crashing and breaking his leg in four places at a national BMX race in Woodbridge, Va.

"I launched off a jump, flipped over, grabbed my bike to get out of the way," Luke said.

The injury set him back six months, his father said, even though the leg showed marked improvement in six to eight weeks. It was his confidence that took a while to heal.

"Getting Luke back to the point where he was ready race took a while," Roarty said.

At the world competition, Luke must race in qualifying heats before moving onto the two championship races -- main events -- one for bicycles with 20-inch wheels and the other for bicycles with 24-inch wheels. Because his 12th birthday is before the end of the year, Luke will be racing in the 12-year old level.

Luke said he will use the same strategies he relies upon in races back at home -- concentrating to get a good start out of the gate, peddling to the middle of the track, and then focusing on one jump at a time in a race that lasts between 30 and 40 seconds.

Giving full attention to one jump at a time is a mindset, his coach Don Wat has trained him to keep at the forefront during a race, Luke said.

"I don't want to think of the whole course at once," he added.

Luke said when he's behind, he looks for openings and for ways to capitalize on mistakes made by the riders ahead of him.

"He's good at picking people apart and better when racing from behind," his father said.

Two boys from the United States in Luke's age level will be joining him in China to compete in the World Championship.

Luke knows the boys from national matches and considers them friends. Luke said he is also looking forward to seeing a boy from South Africa he met and became friends with during the 2007 BMX World Competition in Victoria, British Columbia.

As much as Luke enjoys the friends he has made, the minute when he gets to the gate ready to peddle to the first jump it will be all business.

"His competitive drive gives him an edge over other boys," Roarty said.

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