as the Bicross de Paris Challenge Yop Champion (The Paris Yoplait BMX Challenge) in which American, English and German pros as well as French pros were brought together to compete in a single race. They were offered a 12-day all expenses paid holiday to compete in the race with a US$5,000 purse. As is typical in Europe, the public had greater enthusiasm for BMX than the American public, in part because bicycle racing of any type was and is much more popular in Europe (and in Asia and South America as well) than in the United States. Thirteen thousand spectators ventured into the Palais Omnisport de Paris Bercy (POPB) to watch a BMX race. In America you would be fortunate to seat 2,000. In the 1984 addition 330 racers were invited to France including United States professionals like Pete Loncarevich, Harry Leary Rod Beckering, Mike Miranda and Greg Hill in addition to Stu Thomsen. As it would be with the 1985 addition, which Tommy Brackens won, it was a hit in France with tickets sold out three months in advance. Amateur Note: Thomsen reclassified himself as an amateur in the late 1990s. National Bicycle League (NBL) 2008 50-54 Cruiser Grand National Champion American Bicycle Association (ABA) 1999 41-45 Cruiser Grand National Champion Notable accolades He is one of the winners of the first nationally recognized BMX Championship (albeit a state Championship); the Bicycle Motocross Championship of California State a.k.a. The Yamaha Bicycle Gold Cup along with David Clinton (Junior Champion) and Bobby Watts (Novice Champion). He was named Rider of the Year by Bicycle Motocross News for 1977. Also named by BMX News as number one top rider of Southern California for 1977. He is a multiple winner of Bicycle Motocross Action magazine's Number One Racer Award (NORA) Cup: 1979* with 1,040 votes or 25.13% of 4,140 votes cast. 1981* with 1,208 votes or 32.7% of the votes cast. He received $500 as a cash prize and a personalized jacket. Thomsen is a winner of Super BMX Racer of the Year Award for 1982 via a reader ship survey in the October 1982 issue of Super BMX. No voter break down was given. He was the first pro to earn a National No. 1 plate twice and to do so consecutively (1977, '78 NBA) He was the first pro to win the No. 1 pro title with three different major