Congratulations to Alice Temple! Inducted into The British BMX Hall Of Fame Class of 2024, Pioneer Female Racer Category

Alice Temple was from Notting Hill, London, just around the corner from the famous Alpine Action. In the ’70s, she was into skateboarding, then roller skating, and eventually discovered BMX at the start of the ’80s.

Alice would hang out with her BMX friends down at Westway, just a short ride from her house, and took part in some of the early, iconic races there in 1980 and 1981. She also spent time with Craig Campbell and Chris Young, and it was Chris’s dad, Dave, who first suggested to Alice at a Westway race that she should try racing nationally. Dave even took her to a few races back then.

It was immediately noticeable that Alice rode differently than any other girl at the time. Not only was she fast, but she also had remarkable skills and could jump. Alice blazed a trail with her unique riding style, inspiring other girls to follow—a true pioneer in every sense. Who could forget the BMX Action Bike shot of Alice riding a GT Cruiser, an image that still circulates regularly on social media?

Her early sponsors were Robinson via Alan’s BMX, and she later joined MRD near the end of her brief BMX career. Alice was the UKBMX National Number 1 in both 1982 and 1983, and she reached the final at the 1984 European Championships in Birmingham, competing in the famous Jag World Championship in the US.

She raced only a small number of events in 1983, missing a national in July to see David Bowie at Milton Keynes—but who could blame her? Despite that, she earned enough points to become the UKBMX National Number 1 Senior Girl for the second consecutive year.

After BMX, Alice explored modeling, made music, and later became an accomplished artist, adding to her impressive list of achievements.

Words by Scott Dick