Bart de Jong
Shop name: Paul’s Boutique BMX Hardware Store
Location: Dorpsstraat 66a, Aarle-Rixtel, the Netherlands
Years in business: 25
Best year yet: 2012
Worst year yet: 2017
2020 has been, well, different. When did Covid-19 turn up and start influencing your business?
Paul de Jong: I closed the shop on March 14 when the first Covid-19 Lockdown was announced in the Netherlands and haven’t been open on regular times since then.
Did you take any action from the start or were you thinking this would be over in a few weeks?
Paul de Jong: I already knew it was for the long haul so in the beginning I didn’t order any new parts in Taiwan but for the rest it was business like usual.
Now, being in this situation for many months, how did you manage to keep your business rolling?
This year was like no other, and due to COVID-19 restrictions like most sporting spaces, BMX local tracks closed this spring, giving USA BMX members no place to practice or race. To safely get members back on bikes and back to the tracks, USA BMX worked side-by-side with their 320 tracks to ensure members a safe return to the track. To assist tracks with sorting through local rules and regulations from multiple jurisdictions and authorities, the USA BMX team created tools to guide track operators step-by-step through this challenging process with "Ready to Race" guidelines, marketing, and educational resources. The launch of the safety tool kit was just the beginning of a new 2020 for USA BMX. The following months led to safely running 21 stops of the national series, launching a virtual amateur freestyle series ending with an in-person national championship, an extended partnership with Mongoose and USA BMX Foundation, and successfully closing the national championships at the Grand Nationals.
"The USA BMX team has a successful track record of running events, growing members, and pushing the
Shop name: Alans BMX
Location: Wigan, England
Years in business: 40 years coming up!
Best year yet: 2020
Worst year yet: 2020
2020 has been, well, different. When did Covid-19 turn up and start influencing your business?
Alan: Straight away in March really. Things just went crazy. We were having some work done separate our building and this gave us the opportunity to close our retail space to get this done finally.
Tom G: As soon as we went into lockdown things got mad busy, everyone was wanting parts to get back into BMX or even normal cycling (We also sell MTB bikes), we ended up furloughing a staff member as we were not sure how things would go and instantly regretted it.
Name: Logan Penberg
Age: 21
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Hook-ups/Sponsors: WeThePeople, Burnslow, GoldLeafs
The FAT favorites list:
-Spot to ride: So far my favorite spot I've had the chance to ride is no doubt the San Pedro double kinker!
Name: Tom Wilson ‘Hobbit’
Age: 24
Hometown: Hastings, England
Hookups/sponsors: Sourcebmx help me out a lot
---The FAT favorites list---
-Spot to ride: Morrison’s car park
-BMX video: Number 10
-Website: Weatherspoons
-Web video: Vans Dennis Enarson ‘Right Here’
-Food: Fajita’s
RESULTS Costa Rican National Championships BMX Park 2020
UCI BMX Freestyle Park - MEN ELITE
1. TENCIO ESQUIVEL Kenneth Fabian, 200 points
2. RAMIREZ MATAMOROS Giancarlos, 160
3. CALVO UMA—A Luis, 130
4. GATJENS CHAVES Paul, 110
5. CALDERON CARVAJAL Antony, 90
6. CAMPOS DIAZ Carlos Alejandro, 70
7. LEIVA CRUZ Justin, 50
Results Peru National BMX Park Championships - San Miguel-Parque Costa Verde - 19 Dec 2020
Results Peru National BMX Park Championships - San Miguel-Parque Costa Verde - 19 December 2020
Park MEN ELITE:
1. FAJARDO RODRIGUEZ Harafa, 200 points
2. MONTA—EZ SOTO Job, 160
3. AGUILAR RÕOS Danfer, 130
4. PUMA OCHOA Manuel, 110
5. GRANDIN YENGLE Robinson, 90
6. VASQUEZ ROJAS Braulio, 70
7. YACOLCA PEREZ Carlos, 50
An absolutely amazing event at Woodward East in PA to wrap up the first ever USABMX Freestyle Amateur National Championship series.
Name: Tom Roddy
Age: 27
Hometown: Perth, WA. Australia
Hook-ups/Sponsors: Animal Bikes, Local Bmx
---The FAT favorite list---
-Spot to ride: Perth CBD
-BMX video: Cuts
Name: Lucas Paneitz
Age: 24
Hometown: Canoinhas - SC - Brazil
Instagram: @lucaspaneitz
---The FAT favorite list---
-Spot to ride: Street's Jaraguá do Sul - SC - Brazil
-Food: All haha
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.