With a busy BMX freestyle schedule, three dogs and a baby on the way, USA’s Nick Bruce has a lot on his plate.
“Well, we have our hands full,” he told Olympics.com ahead of his participation in the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in Shanghai.
Bruce and his wife Chelsea are set to welcome their first child in September, roughly a month after the BMX freestyle competition at Paris 2024.
“It’s right after the Games, we timed it,” the 31-year-old Ohio native said smiling. “It was unpredictable, because we were trying to plan to have a baby either right before the Olympic year or right after the Olympic Games. And it just worked out perfectly, like right after the Olympics.”
“It just feels like I have more purpose now. I’m not just doing this for myself. I’m like beyond excited, and it’s only going to help my riding. It’s already impacted my riding and motivation. It’s just crazy. And the baby is not even here yet. Every time, there’s just a drive or purpose behind it”.
With an extra boost of motivation, Bruce is aiming to secure a ticket to Paris at the OQS.
He started the season with a podium finish at the first World Cup event in Japan and has since been working hard at home in Cleveland to be in the best possible shape.
“I just haven’t felt so strong mentally on and off the bike in a really long time,” Bruce said. “I feel happy and grateful that I started this year off healthy. It’s helping me feel confident. I feel on top of my training right now, and I’m just excited for this year.”
Nick Bruce and his beginnings
Bruce will be one of the most experienced riders lining up in Shanghai.
The soon to be 32-year-old had his first encounter with BMX, when he was just eight years old watching the X Games on TV.
“I remember these guys were jumping BMX bikes on dirt jumps, and I just somehow glanced at the TV and I was like; Oh my God, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Bruce recalled.
“Then after the program was over, I went outside and hopped on my sister’s bike, because I didn’t have my own bike. It was not a BMX bike at all, just a normal everyday type of bike. And I just started jumping this little tree stump in our front yard. Ever since then, I’ve been obsessed with jumping with my bike.”
At that time, Bruce was too young to ride in the local skate park. So he was playing soccer and baseball instead, until he was old enough.
But shortly after Bruce started riding in the park, he was forced to take a break from BMX as all the indoor parks around him were closing.
Bruce focused on being a normal high school student and took up baseball again. Occasionally, he would ride his BMX in a small setup in his parents’ garden. “It wasn’t anything like a skate park. It was just little dirt jumps,” he added.
Nick Bruce: A BMX revival in college
At college, Bruce found more time to ride as the local skate park reopened. The owner let him ride for free, seeing his potential in the sport.
One day, his friends saw an ad for a BMX amateur series, promising an opportunity to compete against the pros in the Dew Actions Sports Tour.
“I was 20 at the time, and I was early riding,” Bruce explained. “But all my friends were like; you’re so talented, you’ve got to just try this competition series out. I ended up winning a bunch of the local stops. Then I got to the finals, won, and got to compete with the pros.”
“I didn’t do too well in my pro competition, but it was enough to spark something. This is something I’ve always loved. This is something I’ve always dreamt about.”
It also left Bruce with a difficult decision to make. He was still a college student. And to find the time for both studies and being a full time BMX rider became more and more challenging.
“That was the hardest decision of my life, I guess. I went to college for two and a half years during that time. I was kind of dabbling in both BMX and college. And then with BMX, my schedule became so full of events and shows, to not only make money, but do what I want to do,” Bruce said.
“It just made sense to pursue BMX. But it was really tough, because I was going to school originally for nursing, and I was really passionate about biology. But it was so extensive studying wise that if I missed one class, because of my schedule for riding, I was so behind.”
“I actually changed my major to dietitian dietetics. I felt like it would help me as an athlete as well. But it turns out, dietetics is a lot of organic chemistry and more in-depth things that I didn’t really anticipate. So, then I eventually switched to business, because I thought I could stay on top of the studying while traveling. But it just didn’t make sense I was paying for these classes that I’m not even attending half the time.”
Although Bruce did not finish his college studies, he learned plenty of things that he could use in his BMX career.
“I learned so much that really helped me thrive as a person. I just genuinely love learning. I think that’s, why I love BMX so much, because you are never ending learning on and off the bike about managing sponsors, relationships and then just maintaining your body and fitness.”
Nick Bruce: From amateur series to the Olympic Games
After Bruce stopped his college studies, his career started taking off. Winning the amateur series to compete with the pros, was just the first step.
The following year, Bruce realised that he made the right career choice, taking second place at the BMX Dirt World Championship in Cologne Germany.
“That not only opened my eyes to see I could actually compete with these professional guys, but it also opened the door for a sponsorship, so I was able to go to more events. I could actually pursue this professionally, without having to focus on anything else,” Bruce said.
Since then, Bruce has added BMX Freestyle World Cup wins and World Championships medals to his resume besides competing at the Olympic Games, which still stands as his most important achievement.
“I really think making the Olympic team means the most,” Bruce said. “I know I didn’t get to perform as well, as I wanted to. But the process of making the Olympic team is so tedious.”
Unfortunately for Bruce, Tokyo did not go as planned. A crash during practice hampered his chances of a great result.
“I fell really hard on my shoulder and tore my rotator cuff. At that time, we didn’t know what it was. The doctors weren’t sure, but I knew I couldn’t lift my arm. I couldn’t really do anything. The doctors didn’t find out till six months later that it was a torn rotator cuff,” he explained.
Bruce continued riding for several months despite the injury. He consulted several specialists before finally getting surgery in October 2022, which meant he would miss out on several Olympic qualifying events.
“Me and my coach were really confused if this was the right decision or not. But I know for my confidence, if my arm is fixed, I’ll be able to perform better,” he said.
After sitting out for seven months, Bruce returned to the World Cup scene in May 2023 in Montpellier, France. “And I didn’t even make it out of qualifying, because I fell into the water off the ramp,” Bruce said.
“I don’t even know how to describe, how I felt. I felt so mentally confident and strong on the bike going into that event. That’s the crazy thing, BMX will always humble you.”
The result meant that Bruce fell down to 79th place in the rankings. At the next World Cup in Belgium, he failed to make the finals by one spot. “That was really challenging to grasp,” he said.
Bruce turned his focus to the World Championships in Glasgow A good result there would be crucial to get selected for the Olympic Qualifier Series.
“I just fully did everything to prepare, reflected on everything that brought me success in the past,” Bruce said. “The weather was constantly delaying us. It seems like I do well in those type of situations, where the challenges are arising.”
“I kept focusing on, what I can do and what I can do to stay focused. I ended up with a bronze medal and that skyrocket me in the rankings. But it also locked me in for the national team for the following year. So that was a huge relief off my shoulders, and what turned my whole year around in 2023.”
Nick Bruce on taking care of rescue dogs
When Bruce is not busy practising tricks and going to BMX events across the globe, he relaxes with his wife and their three rescue dogs.
Growing up, his family had cats, and he never considered himself a dog person, until he met his wife, Chelsea.
“When we started dating, she had two dogs,” Bruce said. “They moved in, and she just taught me so much about compassion towards animals. They’re truly just little people. They just love you so much no matter what.”
“You can leave for five minutes, or you could leave for three days, and they act the same. To see my wife’s two dogs change personality, as they get comfortable in my home. That’s something special you see with rescue dogs.“
Later, the couple adopted a third dog, Henry – and Bruce has created a special bond with him.
“That was my first rescue dog that I adopted, and he was so timid. He was only clinging to me. He didn’t want anything to do with my wife. When we first brought him home, he was always looking out the window, or going to the backyard looking like he wanted to get an escape.”
“Then every week, you just see these milestones of him being more comfortable with you and responding to you. It’s just something truly special about it. These dogs grow with you, and it’s truly special to witness, and it’s something I never really considered.”
“If I could I would adopt every dog in the world and have a big farm. Maybe one day, but I don’t know about that. Henry just makes me happy. I could have the worst day of my life, and this dog is just wagging his tail, staring at me. He’s just so comforting, and it makes you forget about whatever is happening. You could just take him on a walk, and your day is flipped around. It really helps get you through the day, when there’s overwhelming Olympic pressure.”
Nick Bruce on Paris 2024: “It would mean the world to qualify”
The Olympic pressure is building up. Bruce will do everything he can to make it to the French capital, especially after how the Games in Tokyo unfolded.
“It would just mean the world to qualify and to make not only that shoulder surgery worth it, but just to have another shot to compete there is all I’m looking for. In Tokyo, I was not able to show anything of, what my riding looks like to the world.
“Some who saw that was probably like; why is this guy at the Olympics? And I also saw a lot of those messages or comments on social media. But I don’t feel like I have anything to prove, because I know what I’m capable of. I want to show the world that Nick Bruce has more in him at an Olympic Games and that’s all I really want to do. I want to be competitive there and show I have what it takes to be there.”
And this time in Paris, he is not just riding for himself.
“Me and my wife put a lot of time and effort, structuring our whole lives to make sure I’m the best athlete I can be. I’m not just trying to get to the Olympics or have a successful run just for me, but for my wife and future baby. Hopefully, it can set us up for something in the future,” Bruce concluded.
