Kristers Apels — Supercross BMX Factory Team | Elite Men · Latvia · 2025 European Junior Champion
Supercross BMX Factory Team
🇱🇻Kristers Apels
Elite Men · Latvia · 2025 European Junior Champion
Who Is Kristers?
Kristers Apels is a Latvian Elite Men BMX racer on the Supercross BMX Factory Team. 2025 UEC BMX European Junior Champion, won at home in Valmiera on the Māris Štrombergs BMX Track, and ranked Top 6 in the world among Junior Men at the end of that season. In 2026 he moved up to Elite Men at 19 years old.
The first Elite podium came fast. On September 5, 2026, at the final weekend of the UEC BMX European Cup in Sviland, Norway, Kristers made his first Elite Men main and finished 3rd in the rain behind Mathis Ragot Richard and Eddy Clerte. Read the full story.
Apels is part of the generation Štrombergs's two Olympic golds inspired. Multiple 2025 European Cup wins under his belt as a Junior, including back-to-back wins at the European Cup stage in Latvia and the Stage 4 win at Zolder. He races the Vision F1x in the 1dea Team Edition colorway, black with Hi Vis, Cyan and Red accents, with The Machine TM Pro Bars on his cockpit, built by Štrombergs's own brand.
With the Latvian program behind him, coaches, infrastructure, and the example of Štrombergs and Vineta Petersone leading the way, Kristers has made the junior-to-elite jump that stalls a lot of fast riders. The Junior European title was the foundation. The Elite podium is the first proof of what comes next.
His Frame
Team Edition Colorway · Factory Ride 2026
Vision F1x — 1dea Team Edition
Colorway: 1dea Team Edition, black with Hi Vis, Cyan and Red accents
Material: Toray M40x and M46x prepreg with T1100-KS carbon
Construction: Monocoque, no joints, no welds, no bonded areas
Weight: The lightest production BMX race frame in the world
Sizing: Built in the big sizes for tall riders who need the reach
Standards: 3× the EN BMX safety requirement
Material: Toray M40x and M46x prepreg with T1100-KS carbon
Construction: Monocoque, no joints, no welds, no bonded areas
Weight: The lightest production BMX race frame in the world
Sizing: Built in the big sizes for tall riders who need the reach
Standards: 3× the EN BMX safety requirement
Full Bike Check
| Part | Spec |
|---|---|
| Frame | Vision F1x — 1dea Team Edition |
| Fork | Vision F1x — 1dea Team Edition |
| Headset | Speedline Tapered Integrated Sealed |
| Stem | Speedline Elite |
| Handlebars | Speedline The Machine TM Pro Bars |
| Grips | ODI Vans Lock-On |
| Seat | Supercross Elite Pivotal |
| Seat Post | Supercross Carbon — 27.2 |
| Seat Clamp | Speedline Quick Release — 31.9 |
| Cranks | Speedline Spinners |
| Pedals | HT SX-2 |
| Rims | Speedline AR6 Alloy |
| Hubs | Speedline Killer Buzz |
| Tires | Tioga Fastr-X |
2026 Results
| Event | Result | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Euro Cup R9 | 3rd (Elite Men) | UEC BMX European Cup — Round 9, Sviland, Norway · September 5, 2026 · first Elite Men main and podium |
2025 Results
| Event | Result | Location |
|---|---|---|
| UEC Euros | 1st (Junior Men) | Valmiera, Latvia — Māris Štrombergs BMX Track · July 12, 2025 |
| UCI Rank | Top 6 (Junior) | UCI World Rankings, Junior Men — end of 2025 |
| Euro Cup | 1st | UEC European Cup — Stage 4 (Zolder) |
| Euro Cup | Multiple Wins | UEC European Cup — additional stage wins across the 2025 season |
Beyond the Track
A European Title at Home
Kristers won the 2025 UEC BMX European Junior Championship in Valmiera, Latvia, on the Māris Štrombergs BMX Track, named after Latvia's two-time Olympic Gold medalist and his Supercross factory teammate. Winning the European title at home, on the track named after your nation's BMX hero, is the kind of story that defines a career.
The Latvian Pipeline
Latvia has produced more world-class BMX talent per capita than almost any nation in the sport. Māris Štrombergs (2× Olympic Gold), Vineta Petersone (2× Olympian, 4× UCI Pump Track Worlds medalist), and now Kristers Apels (2025 European Junior Champion, Elite podium at 19), all three on Supercross. The Latvian program is the model.
Racing Profile
3rd, Elite Men, 2026 UEC BMX European Cup Round 9
Sviland, Norway · September 5, 2026 · first Elite Men main and first Elite podium, at 19
2025 UEC BMX European Junior Champion
Won in Valmiera, Latvia, on the Māris Štrombergs BMX Track · July 12, 2025
Top 6 UCI World Rankings — Junior Men
End of 2025 season, ranked sixth in the world among Junior Men
Multiple 2025 UEC European Cup wins
Including Stage 4 at Zolder and back-to-back wins at the European Cup in Latvia
Part of the Latvian Supercross contingent
On the factory team with Māris Štrombergs and Vineta Petersone — the next generation of the Latvian program
2026 Supercross BMX Factory Team — Elite Men
Factory support on the Vision F1x carbon platform, 1dea Team Edition colorway
Kristers rides for the Supercross BMX Factory Team — 37 years of racing, built from the gate up in Apple Valley, California.
View the full Factory Team →