FATBMX Your Online BMX News Resource Since 1998

Name: Tom van den Bogaard
Age: 18
Hometown: Aarle-Rixtel! The Netherlands
Sponsors: Paul's Boutique, Vans, Fox, 040bmxpark and Braaab

You landed a trick yesterday that you wanted to do for a long time. What trick was it?
Tom: 360 triple downside whip!

Is that the trick that knocked you out at last year's Braaab contest?
Tom: Yes, I tried this trick last year at the Braaab bmx contest as my last trick. It was the first time I ever tried it. Straight from the foam to the jumpbox. I landed a little bit sideways and on my backwheel that's why I crashed.

At 040BMX you can take it from the foam to the resi and to the box. Was it the first time you landed it on wood?
Tom: Yes it was the first time on wood. I landed it twice on the resi.

It's fair to say that the level of BMX riders coming out of the Benelux hasn't been internationally known all too much with the exception of a few. Reason being, no place to "train". But with the 040BMXPARK in Eindhoven around, that has changed. Foam, resi, wood. You can take it step by step. Most importantly, there is an indoor place to ride now which is such a big help, especially in the wintertime when it's cold and wet and it gets dark at 5PM. "040" has been around for a few years and the level doesn't go up in a few weeks, but after a couple of years of riding and riders pushing and helping eachother you can see the difference.

Especially people who had not seen the riders for a couple of years were pleasantly surprised. Not only the pro class impressed, the ams were ripping too. Flipping the box at age 11 (Jari Roggeveen) is unreal. Doing high barspin airs and tailwhips at age 15 (Roby Burggrave) is becoming 'normal'. It's so awesome to see this happening.

Name: Michal Smelko
Age: 23
Hometown: Olomouc
Hook-ups/Sponsors: Federal Bikes, Tbb-bike.cz, WeOutHere

The favorite list:

-Spot to ride: Any good ledge or rail tho
-BMX video: Ride Insight