d West Indies will play a day-night tour match against PCB Patrons XI between October

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Imagine a horse race that starts on a ramp about three stories high, then winds down a quarter-mile track with as many bumps and twists as a roller-coaster ride.But instead of riding horses, eight competitors are pedaling frantically on bikes, and the race only takes about 40 seconds.Welcome to BMX racing.The fun at the Rio de Janeiro Games starts Thursday with the mens quarterfinals at the Olympic BMX Center.Youre in this starting gate and its being let out of the gates and everybody goes, U.S. rider Alise Post said. After that youre riding the roller coaster. Everything happens fast out there.But with hills and bumps made of varying heights, and 180-degree turns that riders maneuver on wide, sloping berms.Its really a big kind of a roller coaster adrenaline rush is what it is, said Posts teammate, Corben Sharrah.BMX, which stands for bicycle motocross, traces its roots to Southern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. An action sport once considered a niche activity is now in its third go-around at the Olympics.It was added in 2008 in Beijing as a way to attract younger viewers with its frenetic, anything-can-happen pace.Even the most seasoned riders still get nervous when they get behind the starting gate.You get on top of that hill when you load the gate and theres always some kind of nerve, said Sharrah, who won the U.S. Olympic trials. He earned the fifth seed in the quarterfinals following the seeding runs on Wednesday .But its a good nerve, Sharrah said. Its kind of that nervous (energy) that feeds what you train for every day.Once cyclists break the starting gate, theyre free to jostle for inside position. Joris Daudet of France, who has the top seed in the quarterfinals, compared a race to a 110-meter hurdle race, but minus the lanes.You can go everywhere you want, Daudet said. Its like a sprint but everyone can change lanes.The competition is Rio is spiced up by a visually appealing track with bright green turns and finely groomed straights with surfaces that look like a baseball infield.The track plays fast, most riders said Wednesday.Its probably the fastest track weve ever had, said David Graf of Switzerland, who is seeded second in the mens draw.American Brooke Crain called the track one of the best that shes been able to ride. She will be seeded seventh when the womens draw resumes racing on Friday.Its just fast, Crain said. The jumps arent terribly big, so its a good racing track.Its still a bumpy ride. The bikes dont have suspension. Crashes arent uncommon.American cyclist Connor Fields isnt fully recovered from a broken bone in his left hand, an injury he sustained in the spring. But Fields, who is seeded fourth, is using a specially designed brace on the hand for the Olympics.What we do is pretty intense to begin with, Fields said. It takes a lot of mental health. You just have to get over that fear and go for it.---Online:AP Summer Games: http://summergames.ap.org/---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP Jan Vertonghen Hotspur Jersey . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Erik Lamela Hotspur Jersey . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. http://www.footballhotspurstore.com/Women-Lucas-Moura-Tottenham-Hotspur-Jersey/ . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Davinson Sanchez Hotspur Jersey . -- Gus Malzahn finally had his day in Fayetteville. Michel Vorm Hotspur Jersey . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Pakistan will play their first day-night Test with a pink ball in Dubai against West Indies from October 13 to 17, the PCB announced on Thursday. The Pakistan board released the schedule for West Indies tour of the UAE, which starts on September 23 and comprises three T20Is, three ODIs and three Tests. Dubai will host the first two T20I matches on September 23 and 24, with the third one being held in Abu Dhabi on September 27. The ODI series will be played between September 30 and October 5, with Sharjah and Abu Dhabi listed as venues. The day-night Test will be the first in the three-match series, and West Indies will play a day-night tour match against PCB Patrons XI between October 7 and 9 in Sharjah to prepare for the first Test. The second and third Tests will be held in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, from October 21 and October 30 respectively.In June, an initially relucctant WICB had agreed in principle to play a day-night Test in the UAE, following the PCBs offer of a practice match and training sessions under lights.dddddddddddd Pakistan are also scheduled to play second day-night Test in the 2016-17 season, against Australia in Brisbane from December 15.Apart from the day-night tour game, West Indies are scheduled to play two tour matches - a T20 and a two-day game - against an ECB XI. Both matches will be held at the ICC Academy in Dubai.The PCB had also mulled hosting West Indies in Sri Lanka to counter the growing expenses in the UAE, which has been host to Pakistans home series for a decade now. The idea, however, was dropped after assessing the drawbacks of playing in Sri Lanka during the monsoon. ' ' '