Bart de Jong
"The legendary Chenga World, in Brook park Ohio had an amazing contest two weeks ago put on by local shredder Trevor Watring with the support of some rad companies. The riding was literally “thru the roof”.
Owning A BMX Company In 2022 With Robbie Morales/CULT & Ronnie Bonner SHADOW/SUBROSA by @Brant_Moore
As soon as I saw Robbie Morales and Ronnie Bonner hanging out at Swampfest, I knew I had to ask them the Asking BMX Icons questions. During that I realized this could be an awesome opportunity to talk to guys who have worked at and own some of the biggest and most legendary brands in all of BMX.
X games Japan - Chad Kerley - Chiba Fever
The final X Games 2022 course isn’t done being built just yet but in the meantime the riders got to stay warmed up on a practice course (pre-fab plaza?). they seem to be making the best of it. Also good news, Flatland is back at X Games after a long hiatus and Matthias Dandois breaks down the format for the big show.
Bicycle Motocross Action Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit managed by American BMX Company Inc. (ABC), will be the title sponsor of the BMX Society Old School BMX Show and Celebration, arguably the largest such event in the world. The June 4 event, to be held in Carson, California, will feature an old school BMX show with awards for the best bikes in various categories, as well as an evening symposium and presentation with BMX publishing legend Bob
Osborn. “It’s really an honor to have Bicycle Motocross Action, take on the role of title sponsor. Toby has always been supportive of our events and the old school BMX community. He’s unique because he isn’t solely a corporate sponsor’s figure head. He’s an A-list, old school, BMX celebrity—a person who was often featured in the pages and even on the cover of the seminal magazine that inspired our event,” said Steve Brothers, BMX Society’s founder.
“Of course now Toby has this new project that has so much potential as a resource in the BMX community—and this new non-profit organization has taken on the name and mantle Bicycle Motocross Action. It’s a great fit, a perfect storm of circumstances,” he added.
The BMX Society will present Osborn with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Osborn, or Oz, as he is known,
After months of hard work repairing winter damage and the ever growing grass and weeds at the trails it was time for the first session of the year at the Helm Trails in Helmond, Netherlands. And not just a session. Team France, lead by Patrick Guimez, were in town for the C1 comp in Eindhoven and had a session in the morning at the park but they were not done yet for the day. A 20 minute drive East and they had arrived at the Helm trails. With some help from the entire French squad the tarps were removed and the jumps were watered and swept to get them in perfect shape for the maiden session of 2022. Some sections were rebuilt and were tested at the same time but it appeared to be no problem for the French to get through. Istvan Caillet actually completed the 'middle line' first try but he was the only one to do that. It took others a bit longer but personal goals were reached like at all new spots that you visit. The youngsters did well and did not stop.
Quintin Morien started pulling tricks left and right as did Istvan and Thibaut Panaville. Also legendary team coach Patrick Guimez himself showed that at age 44 you can still ride trails and throw some tricks in there also. It is great to see that the freestyle squad is in the hands of someone who has been there and done that. Patrick passes on his experience and has educated the French riders on trails etiquette as well. You case, you repair the damage. You help watering the jumps. You help cover the jumps after the session. You get beer as a thank you to the locals for the session. ;-) even though some of it was radler and 0.0% stuff. It didn't really matter, it's the guesture that counts.
Has BMX Freestyle changed? No it has not. It has added a chapter because of the Olympic Games but everyone can still 'freestyle' on his BMX bike just the way they want to. For Park riders there is now an Olympic pathway. It has lead to a structure with 200 National Cycling federations involved, a ranking and events all over the world where UCI ranking points can be scored. The structure that is set up has different level of events with National Championships and "C1" contests attributing to the rider's individual UCI ranking. The C1 contest in Eindhoven, Netherlands during the Easter weekend was used by several riders in order to score enough points to be able to enter the upcoming UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup in Montpellier, France. Thing is, with the big interest in participating at these events the 50 ranking points minimum is a first selection process to keep the Men Park event manageable. It is awesome to see the popularity of the Olympic structure which had riders from Czech, GBR, Costa Rica, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Switzerland and of course The Netherlands show up for the C1 comp in Eindhoven for the points chase.
The level was high, especially in the Men Park class. Making a top 7 result in Eindhoven would mean a score of 50 points or more and a 'way-in' for the World Cup in Montpellier. For most it was the first contest since all hell broke loose with the Covid-19 pandemic. It felt so good to be back to normal without having to wear a mask, show a QR code or negative PCR test, respect a 'bubble' or keep a distance of 1,5 metres from th person you talk to. All restrictions were out of the window and the bar
It was the late '80-s when issue number 15 came out and these items made it on the RAD side of the RAD-LAME list: Bresie'Z, Robert's graffitied Renault 14, Speedfreaks video, Vla, Divorze Posse's Demo Tape (that's a cassette by the way....), A Full PO Box, Watching Jason Ellis cutting Mike Canning's hair, Prantl's 360 at the Energie hal, English riders visiting the Leiden freestyle contest, DP's Black Medallion, Advertisers, D-signs designs, On Edge Apparel, DJ Kid Sundance, Tye Dye shirts, 'zines, Lambert's Harley, Mini-ramp Hengelo and Double seatpost clamps.Man, most of these things aren't too hot any longer but back in 1989 they made it on the RAD list. To see what made it on the Lame side, turn to page 17.
We have a Jason Ellis interview in issue 15, a street sk8 comp in Eindhoven, 540 sequence of Albert Moonen, the Circus came to town and brought 2 BMX-ers from England, The Cologne contest Number 2 took place at the Jugendpark, Merijn Bonte got an interview, Free Converse sticker, Divorze Posse live, we had an article about miniramps that were the new thing at the end of the eighties, Matt Pingel had his fair share of contributions in the issue and Martijn Deijkers wrote a scene report on Adelberg, Germany. Andreas Althaus got an interview as well, we had a report on the King Of Concrete, concert report on the Bad Brains and a wrtie up on a demo in Uden.
Dude, what a list! Did you get your cup of coffee yet? Because here comes the full issue.
Ruben Rodriguez is a certified pegless lord. His recent Fly 'Islas' video by Rich Forne was a masterclass in style and speed.
Here's all the raw footage from the recent Arizona trip with Steve Woodward, Paddy Gross, and Joey Battaglia. 6 days of fun in the sun with a good crew.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.