A hot and stressful day at the BMX Arena, but no problems for Liam Phillips as he only needed two runs, finishing both in second place, to go through without needing to compete in the remaining three.

Massive and enthusiastic crowds, a full house (as for everything else at these Games, which will surely go down as the most watched sporting event ever), held outdoors with no shade under a boiling hot sun, all made for a hard day’s spectating.

The racing was great, there’s no doubt about that, but the number of crashes was worrying. In one race, all bar the leading rider came to grief, but fortunately there seemed to be no serious injuries. And the crowd seemed to enjoy it.

In between rounds there were stunts and interviews, all making an impressive demonstration of the attractions of BMX. The high jumps were stunning and the tricks even more so.

Anyway, now I’m going to get a bit controversial. The only thing that jarred with me was the incessant throbbing music and the “DJ” with his obsessive “scratching “ and mixing. OK, I know it’s an age thing, but I just don’t find that very enjoyable.

Taking someone else’s wonderful creativity (for example Jimi Hendrix’s version of Bob Dylan’s classic All Around the Watchtower) and playing about with it in this kind of way, has never struck me as a valid artform. It doesn’t add to the work, it diminishes and destroys it.

Did it really add to the experience, accentuate the atmosphere, or aid our appreciation of the sporting excellence we were privileged to watch? I don’t think so. I thought it detracted from the atmosphere and diminished the real heroes. But then, what do I know? Plenty of people seemed to enjoy it. As I said, it’s probably an age thing. Sorry. No offence to DJ’s here, there, or anywhere.

More BMX in my next blog, plus news from the launch of a big new cycling event due for next year. Watch this space. And definitely no more amateur music criticism!