BMX Weekly: Recent Episodes
@BMXWeekly.com
New episode podcast with Mr. John Salami. We go back to when John got into BMX in 1979 in New Jersey, making his way out to California in 1988, hooking up with Chris Moeller, becoming a POW, working at Rightway, and then GT, getting fired two times, and then making his way into the mountain bike industry as a soigneur in the mid-90s, working with Schwinn, Specialized, Shaun Palmer, traveling the world, getting into jiu-jitsu, becoming a black belt, what he is up to these days as a cinema photographer, and of course we talk about the Northeast Vintage BMX Festival at New Jersey BMX Hall, a famed banquet which is set for October the 5th. John tells us all about this new event, the sponsors, who's going to be there, and everything you need to know about it and so much more. Check it out
With the sad passing of BMX icon Harry Leary, it only made sense to jump on and do a quick podcast with Dr. J and share some Harry stories. We also touch on the Olympics, Frogtown, the GT Malvens Classic and the British Championships at Derby and a few other topics. Check it out.
Tyler Brown, fresh off of the plane from Paris, and I catch up at San Diego BMX and talk about the French dominating the Men's podium, and we also cover the Women’s from the weekend's Olympic Games.Photo Credit - Fifteen BMX
Cédric BUTTI #149 (SUI) falls hard on day 10 of the 2024 UCI BMX Racing World Championships on May 18, 2024 at Rock Hill BMX Supercross Track, Rock Hill, USA. (Photo by Craig Dutton/craigdutton.com.)2024 UCI World Championship wrap-up with Tyler Brown.Tyler gives us his take on the World Championships in Rock Hill and his thoughts on the Challenge and Masters Class cancellations during Worlds week, how it went down, the vibe, and how the UCI handled the situation.Of course, with the last chance for the Elite Men and Women to gain Olympics points and qualification in Rock Hill, it was a high pressure weekend for a lot of riders and countries to make it to Paris for the Games.We talk about both Elite Men and Women classes from the weekend who made the main, who didn't, and thoughts on both Alise Post and Joris Daudet at 33 years old winning their 3rd Elite Rainbow Jerseys and being the oldest to do it in World Championships history.Lot's more discussed, check it out.Photo: Craig Dutton/craigdutton.com
Photo by Kenny HunterIt’s been a long time coming, this podcast featuring my good friend Martin Murray, who had spent a few weeks in the US for DIRTYFEST and the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey.We recorded this episode at Robbie Miranda’s house in Huntington Beach while Robbie was hosting a BBQ, so expect a few guests chiming in with questions for Martin during the podcast.We delved into Martin’s early days in the UK, including his 4th place finish at the Brighton World Championships in 1996 in the Junior category, which kickstarted his pro career alongside his brother Stephen.Martin shared insights from his time in the US, including his battle with Dylan Clayton for the UK Pro/Elite title, winning the 4x National Series, and landing a Dirt Magazine cover with Steve Peat, who he now works with at Peaty’s.We also discussed some of the UK teams Martin and Stephen’s family managed over the years, his time at 6th form college with Scott Beaumont, Martin’s win at King of Dirt at the age of 13, trail riding, participation in Red Bull’s Empire of Dirt, retirement from racing, and more about his current role at Peaty’s.And, of course, we touched on how Martin’s brother Stephen is doing these days since moving back to the UK after his injury almost 20 years ago, and more.
Alan Foster Podcast up next.Alan talks about moving to California, working at a bike shop, living at the POW house, riding Twin Palms, riding for Elf, TNT, Airwalk, Schwinn and Free Agent.We talk about Alan winning his first AA race at the ABA Del Mar Nationals in San Diego, being in the mid 90s when sponsorships and the industry caught a good wave, with magazines, company cars and plenty of opportunities as a pro rider.We also talk about training in the 90s, being race-smart and reading the race. Alan talks about transitioning into the business side of the industry with Airwalk while still racing, buying houses and schools and really setting himself up for his post-racing career and being wise with his money.We talk about current times, riding bikes, traveling, Dirty Fest and much more.
Good to sit down with Clive Gosling over the weekend while he is in California for the week and catch up on everything GT since he took the new role 6 months ago as the global head of marketing for the brand.Clive talks about his history with GT that goes back to 1984 through the 90s and onto today and plans moving forward.I'm also happy to announce and stoked that I will be working once again with Clive, Steve Spencer and GT with my Grass Roots and Team programs with some really cool things in the works on the race front in North America over the next few years which we talk about on the Podcast.We talk about GT's Kye Whyte after his World Cup win going into this summer's Paris Olympics, GT's presence in the UK and France, some of the riders, programs and teams GT supports in racing.Clive also gives us his thoughts on marketing, branding, sponsorship, social media, MTB, Wyn Masters, Tyler McCaul and more.PC: BMX.Photos
Kiyomi has been on the short list for a few years now to do a podcast and last week we finally sat down and recorded one which was Kiyomi's first ever podcast.Kiyomi tells us about growing up at Camp Pendleton (San Diego) with his mom and brother, discovering BMX in 77 and first racing in 79 in El Cajon.Racing in the SD area at Rancho, Lakeside, and Kearny - meeting Johnny Johnson, progressing through the local ranks to expert, racing every day of the week including trips to the Orange Y and seeing all the factory riders that were winning Nationals at the time.We talk about sponsorship, riding for local teams like Hidden Valley Bicycles with Shawn Texas, moving onto the Torker Support team, looking up to guys like Eddy King (Factory Torker at the time.)Kiyomi talks about his first National win, still struggling to get support and the frustrations that came with it and quitting for awhile, going to school, working and coming back to riding and racing in the late 80s in the 17 and over x class and getting on Peddle Power, Tech and later Redline and Haro.We talk about Kiyomi being up for Am titles, turning Pro, riding for Parkpre, racing mountain bikes, winning the ABA Pro Cruiser title before catching the mid 90s wave of BMX on the up, getting on Trek and being one of the highest paid AAs at the time. We talk about Kiyomi's other Pro Cruiser titles, World Championships Mains and his first AA Win alongside being the rider/team support for Oakley.We talk about being let go mid-season on Trek, going back to Haro, racing the Vans Triple Crown, retiring, coming back to race Vet/Masters in 05 and winning the NBL Masters title, riding MX these days and working at Magnaflow in San Diego for over 25 years now and counting.We also talk about some of the magazine covers Kiyomi has had, riders he looked up to, his riding style, training and so much more.Photo: @usabmx
Great to catch up with my friend Joey Albright while he was out in California with his son TJ for the 250 West Coast Supercross Series.I became friends with Joey in the 2000s and we raced together in Vet Pro; since then I've always followed what he’s up to through social media.Joey talks about getting into BMX racing at the Jockey Hill and Kingston tracks (just outside New York) and racing both ABA and NBL.Joey talks about meeting the Henderson family, progressing to racing Nationals in the 90s while riding for Dans, battling with Colin Proctor, Timmy Sonner and Mike McGonigle in Am, getting suspended and eventually turning Pro. We chat about him moving onto Felt, GT, Madera Profile, Haro, Fly Racing A Pro and later Vet Pro and some drama with John Purse - once in Rockford and an incident at the NBL Grands.We hit on some of Joey's highlights in racing including winning the NBL Vet Pro title the final year of NBL in Kentucky.We move into talking about Joey's son TJ's BMX career, winning at a young age, getting into dirt bikes and climbing the ranks, the cost and sacrifices of it all and how much some families plow into racing and training on the MX circuit; TJ making his way to Pro and signing this year with West Coast Supercross for the Rock River Yamaha team.Great to catch up with Joey, to talk BMX and moto, what BMX racing could maybe learn from moto in media, the depth of US Pro racing and so much more.Photo: @rockriveryamaharacing
New Year Podcast with Dr. J and Jorg de Louw in the back of the van. Just a quick one this time: Are we kooks for watching old races on YouTube? We talk about team changes and why some riders are let go as late as last week with not much time to put a new deal together.Jorg gives us a little history on the inception of the UCI World Cup in 1995 and some of the behind the scenes stuff he and Gerrit Does did to get the series up and running, working with the UCI. We discuss how the series evolved and changed over the years, including Downhill BMX events and some of the World Cup winners in the pre-Olympic era.Jorg talks about some of the stuff he's been up to while in California for the holidays and a little about which Dutch men and women are looking good for qualifying as we go into the Olympic Year. Cheers!
Next up on the Podcast, Eddy King and I sat down with the 3rd ever ABA National number 1 Amature, Jason Wharton. This was recorded last week while Eddy and Jason were in town for a mountainbike race.Jason talked about starting racing in Arizona, the local scene, progressing, riding for JMC and tripling at the 81 Grands, and in the process becoming the ABA Am number 1. Jason talked about getting on Diamond Back with the likes of Eddy, Harry Leary, Doug Davis, Pistol Pete, and Jason's dad becoming the Team Manager as well during the 80s.We also chatted about some of the riders Jason battled with from Monty Gray, Jeff Moten, Jason Jenson, Eddie Sigmund, Robert Swick just to name a few.We talked Jason about being on Diamond Back, traveling the country, winding down racing, life after BMX, becoming a barber, and family man and mountain biking.Check it out.Photo: USA BMX
End of Season Catch Up Podcast with Dr. J.We talk about Summer Camps, Dr. J's new job, Pro racing at the Grands, Alec Bob winning the UCI Pump Track World Championships, Sam Willoughby parting ways with the Australian National Team, Barry Nobles' Social Media, and has Harry Leary been canceled? A little scoop for 2024, and more.Photo Credit: Fifteen BMX
This podcast has been in the works for a few years now with Crit Plate's Mike Rodrigues.Mike literally flew into town to do this, and not only did we record a podcast but he also hung out for the day and started to put some ideas together to work together for our teams and grassroots programs for 2024. Mike also donated custom plates for our upcoming 2nd Annual British BMX Hall of Fame with 01 plates for next weekend's event over in the UK.We talk all things Crit plates on this Pod from starting in 1980, growing Crit and sponsoring some of the biggest Pros and Teams of the 80s and 90s including Murray, Blue Max, Charles Townsend, Todd Slavik, Eric Rupe, Shelby James and Todd Lyons just to name a few.Mike talks about Crit's rivalry with Zeronine, paying riders $2500 for getting a Magazine cover and UGP coming into the plate game.We talk about Crit plate sponsoring the 1992 NBL Grands until Mike got to the track and saw GT banners everywhere and chasing down Bob Tedesco to find out what was going on.We talked about his hiatus from BMX to coming back in 2009 and so much more. Check it out.
A couple of weeks ago Kenny Hunter and I headed up to Temecula to meet up with Maris Strombergs to shoot some photos at the pump track then headed over to his house to film an interview.We talk about Maris getting back into BMX a little more lately, coaching and potentially working with China on their BMX program alongside thoughts on today's racing, some of the guys on top at the moment in the Elite class going into Paris in 2024.We turn back the clock a bit and talk about Maris moving to the US after winning the 08 Olympic Games, battling with Kyle Bennett and Randy Stumpfhauser for the ABA Title, the London Games, not worried about having guys like Sam Willoughby and Mike Day behind him on a 3rd straight on any Supercross track, playing golf, having kids and much more.Photos, filmed and edited by: Kenny Hunter
On this Podcast we catch up with Clive Gosling, who was out in California last week visiting from the UK.Clive has just taken on a full time position at GT working with the brand directly in California and gives us a little insight on the job and his own history with GT that goes back to the 80s and 90s, in BMX and MTB, right up to current times, working with the likes of GT's Olympic Silver medalist Kye Whyte in the UK.Clive also joined photographer Kenny Hunter and I last weekend as we road tripped to Frogtown. We touched on the weekend and perhaps ideas for a Frogtown UK in the future.Paul Roberts joins us during the Podcast and talks about his own history with Clive that goes back to racing in London together in the 80s, the rivalry and both Paul and Clive being two of the guys that were part of the UK King of Dirt early days series during the Nationals, and some of the names that emerged from that series, including X-Games Gold Medalist Stephen Murray.It's always comedy having Clive and Paul together. Check it out.
Photo: Kenny HunterNew Podcast posted and this time with a good friend of mine and lead singer of the Guana Batz, Pip Hancox.Pip talks about getting into BMX in the UK and racing at Eastway, Earls Court when the sport was in its infancy and riding with guys like Marcus Rich and Tim O’Shea. Pip tells us about leaving school in the early 80s, the start of the Guana Batz, touring, making records and traveling the World with the band.We talk about Pip meeting Guana Batz fan Neal Wood and his brother, moving to the US, his love for riding bikes alongside witnessing the Harry Leary and Chris Moeller fight in Reno.We touch on living in Temecula, training Motocross/SX riders, Coffee Club, touring Europe with the band this year, Van life and so much more.
The UCI Worlds from Glasgow, Scotland are done and dusted. Lots to talk about and while everything is fresh, I met up with Tyler Brown bright and early Monday morning to record a Podcast and get straight into it.
Check it out.
Just completed a Podcast and catch up with Tyler Brown over at San Diego BMX.
We talk all the latest with our summer camps, State Championships at San Diego BMX coming up in October and what Tyler has planned with the Holeshot Challenge.
As the UCI World Championships are about to get underway in Glasgow, Scotland - we talk about who's looking good going in, how the Elite and Masters classes are stacking up and a little throwback to when both Tyler and I were racing the Masters World Championships ourselves in the past.
Check it out.
Continuing Podcasts with former teammates - this time I dive into the career of In-Hee Lee.
In-Hee chats about getting into BMX riding for Canyon Bikes before getting picked up on CW with teammates Jason Donnell, Justin Green, George Seevers, Robert MacPherson, Eric Carter, Charles Townsend and Todd Lyons.
We talk titles and In-Hee tells us about some of the National Age Group and Cruiser titles he's won. Racing the World Championships and winning 7 of them and some of the battles he had overseas from Holland's Robert de Wilde, Chile's Jaquin Ramolfo, and France's Florent Poussin. Worlds battles, alongside In-Hee being one of the youngest riders to jump the huge doubles at the 90 World Championships in France.
In-Hee shares about getting picked up by GT, his relationship with Rich Long, going shopping at the GT Factory and traveling the World with the likes of Gary Ellis, Danny Nelson, Anthony Reyes, and Alexis Vergara just to name a few.
In-Hee talks about taking his education seriously, injuries, family, rivals racing for Free Agent towards the end of his career and more.
New Podcast and this episode is with Mr. Barry Nilson.
Barry discovered BMX in Southern California in the Summer of 76 and talks about the early days racing all over SoCal in the late 70s right up to still riding today and his BMX journey along the way.
We talk about what it was like living and racing in the Hot Bed of BMX, being an Orange Y local, right up to being on the gate for the last ever race on the track and its closing in 2016.
Barry talks about some of the teams he rode for from RP Racing, S&M, 3-D Racing, Shimano/GT, GT, Haro, Answer, Fullerton Bike alongside some other teams right up to these days with his own company, EKG Bikes.
We talk about Barry not only being an Orange Y Local but also a Sheep Hills regular and all of the riding spots that were around at the time.
Barry talks about some of the ABA Cups he has won, riding and being tech service at the races for Shimano with his good friend Chad Roberts, clips coming into BMX, photos he's had in BMX Action, Racing Vet Pro and just missing out on the title at the Grands.
We talk about what Barry is up to these days, riding at Dirty Fest, the new 56 and over class and much more.
Thanks, Barry. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out and talking.
Catch-up with BMX pioneer and Hall of Famer, Byron Friday.Byron was truly at the start of BMX in the early 70s, rode and worked for iconic brands over the decades and even went to school with motocross legend Johnny O’Mara.Byron talks aboutbtraveling to Holland in the 80s to stay with Gerrit Does (the Godfather of European BMX), going to England to ride and conduct training schools at Iswich, hanging out with Craig Schofield, partying at the Hippodrome, drinking pints of Lager and Lime in London’s King Road.I share about my time staying with Byron in LA when I first moved to the US full time in the 90s, doing gates with Byron, Greg Hill and Harry Leary at Greg’s house and riding in Greg’s backyard and the local LA trails.Byron touches on the early days in mountain bikes, riding with John Tomac, racing Norba’s and working for Mountain Bike Action as mountain biking was blowing up.Byron also chats about a lot of the early day photographers and behind-the-scenes in both BMX and mountain bikes, Cherie Currie lead vocalist of The Runaways, Dirty Fest and more.
Next up on the Pod, we've got George Costa from Rennen Design Group. George gives a little background on Rennen from its inception right up to current times with products, sponsorships, and winning team titles.We also talk about the current landscape on the team's front on the National circuit and that of the race industry, the R/T Podcast George hosts with Tangent's Rich Pelton, the future for Rennen and even a little F1 talk.Check it out on BMX Weekly Apple and Spotify. Links below.Cheers
Dr. Jason Richardson and I sat down this week and recorded a Podcast with Erik Simmons (The AQUAMAN) out here in San Diego.We talk to Erik, now 54, about his BMX career from New Jersey in 1979 as a kid, moving out West and eventually making his home in San Diego and getting to ride with the likes of Eddy and Mike King, Shaun Texas, Doug Davis, Kiyomi Waller just to name a few during those early SD years.Erik talks about turning Pro in the 90s and making his way to AA and turning quite a few heads during his time in Pro alongside some of the ups and downs of AA.We talk about Erik coming back to BMX with his children during the Covid times hitting the Nationals, some of the riders he races with in a very competitive 50-54 x class and Cruiser these days.Of course we hit that well-known and documented 1993 Reno A Pro Main with Chis Moeller with crashes, moonwalks, a heated team manager jumping on Moeller at the finish line and so much more.Cheers to Erik and Jason. I really enjoyed this one. Check it out.
This week we are catching-up with Toby Henderson at Box who gives us a little insight on everything Box, from its history to what's new and why he decided to introduce Oversized Technology to BMX Race and what Box has in the pipeline.Toby also talks about the state of the BMX industry due to the pandemic, the after effects, how the industry is looking now with everyone sitting on stock and the outlook from his perspective moving forward.Toby also talks about some of his own history from Raleigh, Hutch, SE, moving into mountain bikes and everything he's learned from his experiences as a racer and how he uses it today in business.We also talk about Frogtown, Dirty Fest, Race Inc, BMX Action, Racing at Slagharen 83 Worlds, Bercy France, Pro Elite Racing these days and more.
Next up, we're catching up with Robert de Wilde (Afro Bob), starting when Robert came onto the international scene - winning 16x at the 1993 UCI World Championships in Holland, beating top Americans In-Hee Lee and Alexis Vergara in the process.Robert talks about getting on GT Europe, racing Junior, then Elite in Europe, and easing into some racing in the US; winning the European, World Cup and UCI Worlds in a dominating 1999 in Vallet, France, memorably passing Christophe Leveque in the last turnWe talk about Robert's full move to the US traveling with the GT US team, racing the Vans Triple Crown winning the Mt. High round, racing UCI downhill races at Woodward and also X-Games and feeling comfortable on the new downhill format at the time.We talk about the mid 2000s, Robert moving into the Olympic era winning World Cups, injuries, racing the Beijing Games, making a run for London, retiring and what he's up to these days coaching and training riders and everything he does at the Bellflower track.Of course we touch on the 02 ABA Grands main and the 2nd turn drama with Warwick Stevenson, his thoughts on it and so much more. Check it out.
Catching-up with Warwick Stevenson (Coming to America).Nice to catch-up with Warwick and talk about his journey to the US to race BMX at the young age of 18.Warwick talks about racing AA, riding for Standard, Diamond Back, before getting on Haro and later Kuwahara.We talk about Warwick's title runs and number 1 plates, winning the 04 UCI World in Holland, winning the Nora Cup, and getting the chance to be on the "MTV Made" show followed by "MTB Cribs".We talk about his relationship and battles with Bubba Harris, Christophe Leveque, Danny Nelson, Robert deWide and close friend, Kyle Bennett.Warwick talks about how one former teammate treated him, the internet drama days, injuries, moving back to Australia, family and work life these days and so much more...It was good to talk to Warwick and I hope we can do it again at some point.
New Podcast with both the Wildman Todd Lyons and Paul Roberts we just recorded this week.Lots covered in this hour from Wildman talking about his knee surgery, little SE and Big Bike talk.We ask, are Wildman's European and World Championships win in KOD legit titles to add to his resume? Thoughts on Pros and GoFund me pages, industry talk, and the saturation on bikes and excess warehouse storage.We talk about the 90s Pros Private Group Chat and why did Pete D leave it, our thoughts on the Pros that could be winning the major titles in the next few years, and can the current World Champion, Simon Marquart, get back to his winning ways? We hit on electric bikes and BMX, Dirty Knobs Podcast, energy drinks sponsoring fewer races these days and much more.
After years of trying to get him to do one, Geth Shooter finally caved in and we just recorded a Podcast whilst I'm over in the UK.We cover a lot. Starting out riding for Two Wheel Service Bike Shop, Bunneys GT, Redline, GT, Titan and Free Agent (distributed by Raleigh) later on down the road in the Masters category while working at Raleigh in the mid 2000s. We talk about doubling at both the 84 NBMXA National Series and British Championships in his first full year of racing. Racing with Scott Williams, Martin Jose and Charlie Reynolds that same year. Geth talks turning Pro and maybe missing out on racing in Europe by not racing Superclass first, winning the first round of the Kelloggs against the Americans, his thoughts on Pro racing the first few years, maybe where he might have featured at the Slough 86 Worlds if he had raced. We talk about Geth's domination in the 87, 88 season before moving back down to Superclass mid 88 season and racing the new era of British riders moving into the 90s.We talk about some of the riders he raced with from Ruffell, March, Woods, Robinson, Middleton and later Gary Llewellyn, Craig Scofield era to Tony Fleming, Damon Parkinson, Lee Alexander, Tom Lynch, Neal Wood, Anthony Revell, myself later in the 80s and, finally getting to race in Europe, something you were not allowed to do if you were a UK Pro in the mid 80s.We talk about Geth riding the Ilkeston Brickyard, Nottingham Broadmarsh, Brighouse Trails, Redditch and more, alongside his time working at British Cycling, riding road bikes these days, being inducted into the first ever British BMX Hall of Fame last month and so much more.
Great to catch up with Jorg de Louw during his vacation in California from Holland and record a Podcast, something we had on the cards for some time.
Jorg talks about the early days of BMX in Holland, going to watch the 83 World Championships in Slagharen, Holland which inspired him to progress to one of the top Am riders in Holland and then into Superclass in 1989.
We talk about the depth of the European Superclass in the late 80s and into the 90s, the first University of BMX training camp put on by Gerrit Does in the US in Orlando, and onto the NBL Christmas Classic and what an amazing trip it was for everyone that went (me included).
Jorg chats teams he rode for and being involved again with Gerrit Does and the start of the UCI World Cup which rolled out in Brighton, England in 1995 and some of the first years behind the scenes running the World Cup at that time.
We talk Jorg being hired on as Team Manager for GT Europe in the mid-90s, racing and helping out with the GT team States, and an impressive list of European and World titles Jorg has on his resume (even though he's very humble and does not like to talk about it) and some of the guys he battled with.
We also hit on Jorg coaching after his race/TM days, thoughts on some of the best riders to come out of Holland over the decades, and more.
This postcast has been long in the making with Clive Gosling as we wanted to do it in person, as we prefer with all podcasts. With Clive living in the UK and really wanting Paul Roberts (living in the US) involved – I still managed a solo hour conversation with Clive on this trip to the UK this week but we also saved a little for maybe a Part 2 when we can get Paul and Clive together.
I really enjoyed this one. Clive has 40 plus years in BMX and the industry as a whole with his knowledge, passion and personality it is unequaled.
We chat about the early days in BMX starting with Edwards (family bike shop), his mother Carole Gosling who has 40 plus years of deep involvement behind the scenes in UKBMX, EBA right up to today’s time working on the London Olympics and still in 2022 at the Glasgow UCI World Cup earlier this year.
Clive is always Factory (even today) we talked about some of the teams he rode for, racing Buckmore Park, Outwell, Poole the London scene in the 80s into the 90s.
We talk about Clive winning his first National title, racing Superclass, hanging out with Will Smyth and the Jive guys going to the States in the late 80s, hooking up with Gork and the BMX Action guys at Wizard Publications.
Clive talks about riding everything in BMX not just racing, riding South Banks, hanging out with Simon Tabron, riding street, contributing for the magazines, working for UKBMX writing the Race Zines for the Nationals and getting into Mountain Bikes in the mid 90s.
Clive brings us up-to-speed with what he’s doing these days in the industry working for GT and Cannondale (Director of Marketing at Cycling Sports Group) sponsoring both Kye Whyte (Olympic Silver Medalist, European Champion and World number 2) and Malverns Classic last month and so much more.
New Podcast with Dr. J and lots covered on this one.
Jason talks about getting on Canyon and attending the Gravity Festival at Big Bear last month.
We hit on Cedric Cade’s rainbow jersey, Tyler Brown on Chase, my trip to Kentucky, Pro racing in Kentucky, Alec Bob going back to Am, and Rich Eames and Neil Stewart emceeing the British BMX Hall of Fame on the 5th of November in Birmingham. We then talk about Dr. J possibly hosting the NBL Hall of Fame, The Frogtown Classic, this weekend’s State Finals and HOLESHOT CHALLENGE at San Diego BMX, the ABA Worlds, the new Dvide UK Team, BMX Weekly, electric bikes and more.
Just wrapped up our BMX Pro for a Week summer camp season and I thought it'd be a great chance to bring on the wife to help answer some of the questions we get on how we operate camp and all of the behind the scenes activities that go into making camp successful. And, as always shout-out to both Tyler and Kas Brown at San Diego BMX for a great partnership.
Quick catch up and Podcast with Tyler Brown early in the morning at San Diego BMX as summer camp season kicks off.
Tyler gives us the scoop and info on the HOLESHOT CHALLENGE (Sept 10th) he's putting on at @sandiegobmxracing during the State Finals weekend. He's already got some great sponsors, they'll have live feed and it's looking like a great payday up for grabs and a cool concept of racing. Tyler gives us all the details.
We also hit on last weekend's European Championships and some of our picks for the upcoming World Championships in France that kicks off next week.
Cheers
As we hit summer and there's so much going on in the racing World, I thought it would be a good chance to sit down with Tyler Brown over at San Diego BMX and catch up on everything.
We talk USA BMX Nationals in Tulsa and Nashville, last week's World Cup in Scotland, who's looking good for Papendal and some of the thoughts on Team USA at the moment.
We also talk about participation numbers in the US, some of the things Tyler has got going on at the moment, Vet Pro talk, Connor Fields, social media and more.
Check it out.
My friend and fellow British BMX Hall of Fame collaborator, Mike Wong, recently made the trip over to California, so we took the opportunity to drive up to Huntington Beach to catch up with Paul Roberts to record this podcast.
Mike has been riding BMX bikes in some capacity since 1981 and running his own bike brands, Dialled Bikes and FTB BMX, for the best part of the last 20 years.
We cover our reasons for starting the British BMX Hall of Fame project, address some of the social media comments we've seen/been made aware of since announcing the Hall of Fame, and finish up with some healthy debate as to who we think are the main contenders to be nominated and inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Headed to Huntington Beach to meet up with Paul Roberts and fellow UK transplant, John Povah to record a podcast.
John is one of the early guys from the UK BMX World making the move to California back in 1989 and is still out here today.
We start with John getting into BMX in the 80s born in Croydon starting out in the race World, Hillington Hawks Club then moving more into Freestyle getting on Raleigh and doing Demos with Andy Ruffell and the Raleigh Team during the mid 80s BMX craze in the UK.
We touched on the local London Scene during the 80s before his move to California. We then talk the early 90s Freestyle scene, living with Chris Moeller and John Paul Rogers, building ramps, POWs, learning backflips with the Wildman at Sheep Hills, team managing for Schwinn with a star-studded team including the likes of Jay Miron, Joey Garcia, Brian Foster, Dave Osato just to name a few.
John talks about after Schwinn and Rooftop getting him a job at Etnies and some of the riders he worked with during the early years to being back at Etnies now and how things have changed for a TM as Social Media comes into play in today's World.
John also talks about being a member of the IBMXF when Freestyle was looking like it was going to get in the Olympics with all of the behind the scenes/politics and meetings with Mat Hoffman, Stu Dawkins, Ian Morris, Bart de Jong and co. and some backroom goings-on that resulted in IBMXFF getting pushed aside and UCI going with FISE into the China Games.
John also gives his thoughts on the Games themselves, Jamie Bestwick executing a plan for Team GB and the impact following the Games.
Lots more covered and a big shout-out to Paul for assisting with this one. I know jumping into the Freestyle conversation I was happy to sit back and let Paul take the lead with the questions and enjoyed listening to the conversation. John is 40 years deep in BMX and we only skimmed the top of his continued successful career and touched on some cool stuff he has in the works in the future. Thanks, John and hope everyone enjoys this one.
Cheers
Great to catch up with Rich and Marc Moore from SOURCEBMX who are out in the US and came over to the house for a catch-up and a Podcast.
It's amazing to see what the boys have done with SOURCEBMX from their early race days to opening their first BMX shop and now to what they have grown SOURCEBMX into, which is a globally respected and successful company in the BMX World and they do it with the same passion they have for BMX.
We hit on the early days of Rich and Marc discovering racing, the Bexhill / Hastings scene looking up to Keith Duly (@jump_club) as the local race legend and working with him today with Jump Club and the rebuild of the local Bexhill track that should be complete in the next few months.
We chat about some of the competition the brothers raced against from Kelvin & Liam Batey, Marcus Bloomfield, Peter Fieldhouse, Laurence Mapp and Stephen Murray along with some of the teams they rode for.
Rich talks about all the BMX Media he has done over the years shooting for magazines and testing products. Marc talks about placing 3rd at the 98 Worlds, spending time in the US working at Profile and opening a BMX shop after returning from the States.
We talk about SOURCEBMX, the growth over the years, getting in early on online sales, Warehouses in the UK, Kentucky, and Germany with over 70 employees in addition to sponsoring teams and riders including Kelvin Batey, Kye Whyte and Shanaze Reade during the early days.
We touch on the SOURCE Park, The Battle of Hastings, events, some of the brands they work with, the future, getting more involved in BMX RACE and so much more.
Great chatting with the boys and I personally want to thank them both for supporting everything I do in BMX from teams, to grassroots programs and basically anything I have told Rich I'm involved in - he responds with, "Yep, we're in". They are a breath of fresh air in the BMX industry to work with and great to hang out with.
Cheers and hope everyone likes the Pod.
SOURCEBMX.COM @sourcebmx @thesourcepark @sourcebmxrace
Back in Podcast mode and first up was a trip to Haro's HQ this week to catch up with longtime friend James Ayres, who is Haro's Sales Manager and a guy that always has so much passion and loves to talk all things BMX and bikes.
James goes into full detail on the ups and downs of the bicycle industry over the last few years since the Coronavirus hit, including the scenario when everyone was canceling their orders to empty warehouses and the bicycle industry as a whole having a bike shortage during this time.
Of course we do throw the conversation back to some mid-school Snap Magazine days talk from GT launching the Ultrabox at Mr J's Strip Club, to thoughts on Joris Daudet equaling Pistol Pete and Gary Ellis with 4 ABA/USA BMX titles which of course lead to GOAT talk. Has the Jackal, John Purse, been overlooked? And, so much more..
The second Podcast I recorded a few weeks ago while down in London was with another longtime friend, Keith Duly (Jump Club). We start out with all things Jump Club which is supported by both Source BMX and S&M Bikes. Jump Club is not just your normal traditional BMX race team but is also very community focused, infused with fun and includes road trips supporting the brands that support BMX while teaching/coaching riders on the team and that winning is great but it’s not everything. Their program emphasizes BMX as not only a sport but also a lifestyle.
Keith talks about the growth of Jump Club over the years, coaching and also discusses the drop-off in BMX racing at the 15/16 year old range and ways to keep those kids involved in BMX – giving them other options and ways to keep them incentivized.
We talk sponsors, longevity, keeping it organic and the importance of building and maintaining long-lasting relationships much like Keith has with brothers, Rich and Marc Moore at Source BMX, Ian Morris S&M (4Down Distribution), Etnies, Bicycle Union, SourcePark, and BMX.Photos. Keith has also garnered support during his race days from Hotwheels, Seventies (Stuart Dawkins), New Deal, 2B, JIVE, UGP, Redline, GT, and Mongoose just to name a few.
Keith goes into detail about growing up in the Hasting’s BMX scene, Bexhill Track’s early days riding with Dave Bishop and Ricky Rat, The Backyard Jams over the years, The Chasm, Chris Moeller, Dave Clymer bumping into Mat Hoffman at the supermarket racing in London in the 80s/90s, looking up to some of the riders and characters from those times from Martin Parker, Dean Iddiols, Winston Wright, Bobby Hyde, Chico Hooke, Paul Roberts and so many more.
We also chat about Keith’s race days making Euro Finals and winning 3 x King of Dirt year ends, getting magazine coverage and his parents involvement in BMX along with some of the guys on the media side that has carried on documenting BMX and racing after the 80s bubble busted, and he pays respect to guys like Mark Noble, Steve Bardens, Mark Richards, Will at Dig who have done so much for the British Scene and BMX over the years.
We talk about needing more creative minds in BMX racing like Ronnie Bonner and Chris Moeller, the need for today’s riders to get more involved, have a say, racing’s development and its future. Keith talks about working for Hastings Council these days as a Leisure Manager, sports development and community outreach programs and the importance of keeping people active. Sometimes it’s good to check in with yourself and evaluate what you are doing and find innovative ways to grow BMX.
One thing that stuck out from what Keith said is that we need to balance today’s landscape in racing with coaching and all the money funneling in from the Olympics and the need to stay involved and riders not losing control of their own sport, and in turn keep its soul alive. WE need to remind British Cycling/UCI and some of these other federations that BMX is not just about being the fastest and securing medals. There are also lots of other reasons why BMX is awesome.
Check it out.
While in the UK, I managed to record a couple of Podcasts. Last week while down in London, I met up and recorded the first one with Tom Lynch and the following week I will post the one I did with Keith Duly (Jump Club), both of which I really enjoyed doing.
Tom Lynch is one of the riders in the UK that inspired both me coming through the amateur ranks in the 80s and many others in the UK during his time, with his riding style and coming from behind for wins. If you were around who can forget in 1986 when Tom won the Superclass European Championship finals in Weiterstadt, Germany at just 16 years old against the Powerful Dutch Amev Team.
Tom shares his early days training and taking racing seriously at a young age, getting on Patterson and battling for the UK titles in probably one of the hardest UK age groups in history with the likes of Stu Diggens, Darren Wood, Whoppa Watkins, Steve Greaves, Lee Alexander, Dave Morris, Tim Print and the names go on. Tom talks about winning 15x at the 85 Euros in Spain fresh on Redline (Patterson frame with Redline stickers), going there with a plan, being in the zone and executing it and becoming the European Champion.
Tom talks Kelloggs, getting on Robinson and working with Tony Hoffman turning Superclass at an early age and changing teams to ASR. He battled the likes of Darrin Stock, Andy Welsh and a fresh and hungry Neal Wood when he turned Superclass. He also went up against the European talented riders from Xavier Redois, Eric Minozzi and the strong Dutch Superclass contingent.
Tom talks about getting on Haro racing, Mike King and then getting on Elf and turning racing more into fun as he transitioned to working as he headed into the 90s. We chat about LRP (London Rocket People) the Jive guys, riding with Will Smyth, Rom and early Backyard Jams.
Of course we talk about Tom working at the London Ambulance Service HQ in Waterloo (Cycle Team Hub) as a Cycle Response Unit Operations Officer and all about the programs. He deservingly received an MBE and meeting both the Queen and Prince Charles. Tom was the first official British Cycling BMX Coach. He shares the early days of the program with a young Shanaze Reade, Liam and Charlie Phillips, the Murray brothers, Joey Gough and so much more.
New Podcast posted with Anthony, Andrew and Clint, the guys from the book "We Were RAD" that pre-launched today on wewererad.com over in the UK.
The guys talk about their history in BMX during the 80s golden days, the We Were RAD community and social media presence that continues to grow and build over the years.
With the launch of the book, we dive into stories behind making British BMX history and the people involved, from the everyday kid that had a bike in the street, to Alan Woods, Craig Campbell, Melanie Vauvelle, the Merry Family (Hot Wheels), Shiner Distribution, Geth Shooter, Max Cooper and the list goes on with over 400 pages, many contributors and over 1200 images in the book.
The guys hit on the cover shot for the book, interviewing Richard Grant (BMX Action Bike Magazine), the Higginsons and Lawless Families (BMX News / BMX Bi-Weekly Newspapers and Magazines), Geoff Barraclough and so much more.
Quick drive up to Huntington Beach to catch up with @grotbags32 to hang out, ride around town, eat Wahoos and record a quick podcast.
Paul talks about British Olympic medalists this summer in both Race and Freestyle, the media around them and hopefully what their success will bring for BMX in the UK. We hit on a few thoughts on the @sourcebmx Battle Of Hastings that went on last weekend in the UK, the Ipswich 40 year anniversary race and some of the riders that were present.
We then go onto the topic about a few riders that we feel were a little underestimated: Lee Bertram and Damon Parkinson in the UK, and in the US, Dave Cullinan and how good he really was on a BMX for his time not just in racing but also as a test rider for BMX Action Magazine.
Check it out and there’s so much more.
Quick Podcast with Dr. J catching up on news, the race world this week from the British Championships, Sylvain Andre, CK Flash and Kye Whyte at the GQ Awards, Tory Nyhaug, Kentucky NBL Grands throwback, and a quick random call to Christophe Leveque but did he answer? And, this leading to a part 2 you can hear at the end of the podcast with calls to Donny Robinson, Brandon Meadows, Pete D and Mike Day.
Check it out.
Next up on the Podcast, we have Robert Cardoza and his lovely wife and long time friend of mine, Jane Windle Cardoza who came over to the house to hang out and record a Podcast.
This podcast is a history episode. Jane is from the UK along with her dad Les (Mr. Hotshot) and family were present in and around BMX at the very start in the UK. Jane was National number 1 Girl in 1981 and her family owned and operated Hotshot BMX, one of the first and iconic BMX companies in the UK with a very deep history.
Robert is from Torrance, California along with Bob Haro was one of the BMX riders in the Movie ET and we go into detail about how he got the gig, meeting Steven Spielberg for the first time and all the insight on the epic BMX chase scene in the movie that made an indelible mark on many of us when we saw it for the first time.
We talk all things Hotshot; the teams, brands and riders they sponsored over the years with names including Tom Lynch, Geth Shooter, Jamie Staff, Sarah-Jane Nichols and the list goes on. Robert talks about the early days working for Howie Cohan (Everything Bicycles and was the man behind the Kuwahara ET Bikes) alongside working with a bunch of other major brands in the early 80s. Robert, still racing today, tells us what he and Jane have planned for Hotshot in the future and so much more.
We talked about both Elite Men and Women, the winners, podiums and some of the guys that made the big show over the weekend in Holland.
We touch on the Olympics, injuries, announcers, Connor Fields on what's next and our thoughts. We cover the list of riders who announced their retirements over the weekend; the transition of becoming a pro and the difficulties; and what the sport should do in order to do a better job helping these riders.
Is Niek Kimmann the GOAT? Is he heading to the States? Which 90s Pros would have been Instagram influencers if social media was around in our time and much more.
We’re a week out until the Olympics so Tyler Brown and I sat down at 7:30am during our Summer Camp at San Diego BMX and ran through the rider's list of both men and women and talked a little more in-depth on who’s looking good for Tokyo.
Quick Podcast with Dr. J this AM and on this episode, the BMX Pro For A Week Summer Camp Director / The Wife comes in to talk more in-depth about our summer camp program that is about to kick-off next week, alongside some potentially positive news of a new track in Poway.
With the Olympics coming up in the next 2-3 weeks, we touch on some of the favorites and then we decide to touch on the BMX transgender Chelsea Wolfe drama that's been in the news lately, which has gotten a lot of attention worldwide.
We also chat Josh Mclean winning in the US, the Frogtown Classic BMX Event in October and some cool stuff Todd Huffman has got cooking in the media department alongside some South Park nostalgia and a few other snippets.
New Podcast / Catch-up with Dr. J is up.
Lots covered in this one from last weekend's UCI World Cup in Italy and thoughts on the live broadcast and results. We hit a little more in-depth on David Graf taking his first big World Cup win and the advantage of being the experienced vet in today's Elite racing.
We also talk about some cool articles on Pinkbike.com and the lack of, or let's face it, no real BMX media in the BMX race world and the need for a dedicated website and the big opportunity for someone on the race-side if it was done correctly.
Jason talks about his 90s riders hitting the road on a Summer Tour and plans for the future. I chime in on my own personal team’s additions; Aiden Otten and Alec Bob and everything Summer Camps. We chat current thoughts on the USABMX National Series, Pro Racing domestically for 2021, lack of local riders at the Houston Rockstar Track Facility and so much more.
Check it out.
Quick catch up Podcast with Eddy King while he’s in San Diego this week.
Eddy talks about linking up with Canyon Bicycles for 2021, which he announced yesterday. We also talk about E-bikes, All Kids Bike and some of Eddy’s other sponsors and plans for 2021. We then do a quick dive into some 70s/80s Pro history chat, who was the man during this period and thoughts on Stu Thomsen, Greg Hill, the Pattersons, Pistol, Crazy Ronnie. Then Eddy shares his thoughts on the Phoenix Winter Nationals Pro/Elite Men’s winner last month, Cam Wood, and more. Check it out.
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This Podcast has been in the works for quite some time but last week Paul Roberts and I finally sat down in Lake Park in Huntington Beach and discussed/debated the Top 20 UK Pro racers off all time. We start in 1984 when the first UKBMX Superclass Number 1 plate was given out to Tim March, right up to current times with guys like Kyle Evans, Curtis Manaton and Kye Whyte still out there banging out the big wins and titles.
So where does everyone stack up in this? Was the winningest National and British Champion Alan Hill on the list? Was Gary Llewellyn higher up than Neal Wood or Tre Whyte? How does Liam Phillips stack up against Andy Ruffell or Jamie Staff? How much weight does Kellogg's carry and where does Craig Schofield's Superclass World title sit?
If you're a BMX race history nerd like Paul and I you might enjoy it and hopefully people can jump in after they have listened to keep the debate going. Big thanks to Kelvin Batey, Bobby Hyde and Mad Adi Warden who have contributed results, stats and thoughts.
This one’s been a long time coming. Dr. J, Todd Huffman, Pete D and I sat down at the Fox Theater in Fullerton and went in-depth on a Podcast with Danny Nelson.
We go from the start in the early 80s, getting picked up by Chuck Robinson and going onto being a long time member of the Firm, spending time on GT and Powerlite. Danny is one of the few guys who has won every major title and goes into detail about winning the 1994 World Championships at Waterford Oaks at such a young age; his NBL title battle with Thomas Allier and the ABA title with Warwick Stevenson and all that went down at the Grands in Tulsa that same weekend.
Danny talks being friends with 80s MX stars, Johnny O’Mara and Jeff Stanton, the end of GT, going to Giant and the business opportunity that arose, and making the decision to retire mid-season while again battling for the ABA title.
Danny tells us about life after BMX, work and home life these days, thoughts on being inducted into the USA BMX Hall of Fame and so much more.
Quick Podcast with Dr. J chatting about my Thanksgiving and Christmas Camps at San Diego BMX. We also talk a little about the Grands, the Real Influencers Project, sponsorships, Pro/Am action, Chad Reed and his family getting into BMX, the greatest pro team in BMX, 2021 UCI World Cups, breakdancing in the Olympics, Al Cayne, Cobra Kai Season 3, PulpMX Podcast questions that can be applied to BMX race, who controls the BMX industry standard, do the riders have any power or leverage in BMX, who represents the riders, and much more. Check the link below.
This week Dr. J and I head up to the Fox Theatre in Fullerton to sit down and do a Podcast with Mr. Todd Huffman.
We go in depth from the mid 70s of Todd discovering BMX, racing locally in Northern California, traveling and racing, getting on SE turning Pro, working for Scot Breithaupt, moving to SoCal and driving across the country on the famous SE Bus and the Murray World Cup.
Todd talks being roommates with Steve Giberson (VitalMX), placing second behind Crazy Ronnie Anderson in B Pro at Magic Mountain, Quitting SE and a big fight with Scot, starting up MOR Distribution with Bob Morales at the Torker Auction, judging AFA contests and later creating Auburn.
We then talk about GT absorbing MOR/Auburn and Todd going to work for Richard Long/GT with the job from events, sponsorships, TV, traveling and being part of the GT juggernaut in the 90s - which started at $36 million in sales when he joined to over $220 million in sales and was a publicly traded company with a marketing budget of $7 million with 70+ people on the payroll with team riders and promotions.
Todd talks about things going sideways with Chris Moeller, the S&M vs. The Firm drama, GT's involvement with the 96 Olympics and contract negotiations with Gary Ellis, Danny Nelson, Charles Townsend and so on over the years.
We talk in depth about Rich Long and the passion he had for GT and racing and how things changed after Rich passed in 96 and the mark he left in the bicycle industry.
We talk when Todd left GT becoming an agent for Brian Lopes and Hans Ray, the development of Invert Events, its potential before the Metal Mulisha, the Troy Mcmurray brawl that shut down the Irvine event and the end of Invert.
Todd shares about starting Digital Media with Don Hoffman, Surge TV, Pump TV, MX-Files right up to current times working on the Jag BMX Film, the Richard Long book and its expected release and his thoughts on BMX today and some potential cool things in the pipeline with streaming and BMX content and media moving forward and so much more.
Enjoy. It's a good one.
New BMX Weekly Podcast (formerly High-Low Podcast) posted. We decided it would be easier to switch the name to BMX Weekly to link up with BMXWeekly.com and all the BMX Weekly social media so it’s a little easier for everyone to follow and keep up with the Podcasts and anything else we post moving forward.
It's been awhile but time to ramp it back up and start out with a catch up with Dr. J over in Carlsbad.
We talk Pro/Am Racing, UCI Worlds canceled, So-Cal State racing, Dvide, Grass Roots Team and Beginner League news, Grands talk and more. Check it out...
I sat down with fellow Englishman Dom Phipps last weekend as a guest on the High-Low Podcast. We got into the back story of the BMX Freestyle projects he has put together in the last decade and what it takes to make them happen - including the self-published history books - The Birth of the BMX Freestyle Movement (with literally hundreds of contributors) and USA made frame reissues for Haro Bikes. Dom has new BMX history projects in planning that will launch in the weeks and months ahead. Get the lowdown and take a listen to our chat in San Diego last weekend.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1x0PsuHqJ2/?igshid=1av6bxzcw7k0k
NEW Podcast with Brandon Meadows is posted. Riding for S&S Racing, Powerlite, Herdas Hotshots, Schwinn, Specialized and Intense. Winning the ABA Amateur Number 1 and Junior Men World Champion in 98 and also a handful of World Main event appearances alongside winning the X-Games 2 times during his career, Brandon talks sponsors, injuries, racing during the downhill BMX era and being part of the transitioning to Supercross during the first Olympic cycle.
Brandon talks the end of his career, what he’s been up to since retiring, thoughts on the sport today and we talk about pump tracks, the possible changes and ideas once racing gets back underway after the Pandemic and so much more.
New Podcast with Scott Beaumont is up. Racing for the legendary team Birmingham Wheels in the 80s as a kid, to winning the World Championships in 95 in Colombia and another World title in 96. Scott talks about racing in the UK, Europe and Worlds over the years before getting picked up by Kona and transitioning into mountainbikes.
Scott talks the UCI Mountainbike World Cups, specializing in Dual, 4x and all the politics that goes with it and the UCI over the years along with his thoughts. We also talk 4x as it sits today with the Pro Tour and British Cycling 4x Series, continuing to race at the top level in his 40s, his thoughts on the GB Olympic BMX team, his favorites for the Olympics and so much more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-7og1LnbPd/?igshid=unfvumbez2m1
NEW Podcast with Matt Pohlkamp is posted. We chat with Matt discovering BMX in Cincinnati, Ohio after watching the 1987 IBMXF World Championships on Nickelodeon and getting hooked, riding for DK, Schwinn and going to California for the first time battling with Randy Stumpfhauser, modeling and turning Pro.
Matt hits on his Pro career winning the Monster-X Series, being teammates with the Foster brothers, riding for DK again, Kuwahara, Celly Smellys and Dans.
We also touch on Matt moving out west to LA, racing Vet, winning the Worlds in Denmark, to slowing down his racing, acting and so much more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8kDiO2BIEq/?igshid=w35biv8usi82
NEW Nigel Page Podcast is posted. Discovering BMX in the early 80s in the North West of England, racing at Wigan Three Sisters and all over the country during the 80s, working at YTS, raving, getting into the UK mountain scene in the 90s, sponsorships, magazine coverage, traveling to the US and building relationships in the industry.
Nigel talks about racing BMX again in the 2000s, winning the Masters Downhill World Championships in 2007, setting up a World Cup mountainbike team with Chain Reaction Cycles chainreactioncycles.com including some well-known names like Sam Hill who to this day is still working with him.
We also hit on him announcing with Rob Warner, that amazing run of Danny Hart winning the 2011 World Championships in Champery, his thoughts on BMX racing and ideas to grow it and some of the positives the mountainbike industry has done over the years.
We also talk team budgets, money involved in the MTB industry, Redbull TV, bike parks, pump tracks, media, enduro and so much more.
Check it out.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-RQwXjnr-j/?igshid=1j0xs61io3s85
NEW Thomas Allier Podcast is up. Starting out in the late 80s racing in France, getting on Sunn, racing in Europe, turning Superclass (Elite) in the mid 90s and cleaning house by 98 Winning the French, European and World Championships before making the full move to the US.
Thomas talks about nearly signing for Huffy before going to GT, his first few years in the States, his relationship with Christophe Leveque and heated battles with John Purse, NBL Title runs, winning his 2nd World Championships, racing mountain bikes and going to Giant before making the move back home to France to live and race.
We talk about injuries, racing back in Europe, his 08 Olympic experience & retiring, almost working for British Cycling, working at the UCI HQ in Switzerland before branching off to do his own coaching and continuing to travel and Coach riders around the World.
Thomas also talks about some of the riders he has and currently does work with, his thoughts on current SX/Olympic Elite racing, his future and a whole lot more. Check it out.
With all of the coronavirus stuff going on, it was a good time to Podcast it up and Skype with Javier Colombo.
We talk about his start in racing in Argentina during the early days, going to his first few World Championships in the 90s, reading the magazines and finally getting a chance to line-up with the pros at the 2000 World Championship and put it in the main event as a virtually unknown at the time.
Javier talks about moving to the US, living in Miami and Orlando before driving to California to live the pro dream but having to stop off on the way at a race knowing in advance he had to win in order to pay for the gas to get him to California. Javier talks about living with Todd Lyons in Huntington Beach, working jobs to support himself and his racing, getting on SE and of course, winning the 2006 UCI Elite World Championships in Brazil. He also touches on missing out and his thoughts on not being chosen for the 2008 Olympic Team for Argentina.
We talk about turning Vet, starting his own business, his friendship and rivalry with Cristian Becerine during his Vet years and some of the USA BMX and UCI Vet Title runs and battles he's had during these years.
Javier proves that hard work, dedication, and drive - not just in his racing but also in his working life - are proof that setting goals and dreams and hustling is possible; it's all up to you.
Check it out.
https://www.instagram.com/p/3hmPRKBNMl/?igshid=1tjex7mmdxhhz
Quick Podcast and catch up with Dr. J now that the season is well under way. We breeze through a bunch of subjects starting with talk from the UCI World Cup Australia, coronavirus, possible Olympics cancellation, USA BMX Phoenix, new pick up on Haro, new USA pump track championships, gravel racing, Donny Robinson and the USA BMX Racing League parting ways, the Kimmann rap and more. Check it out.
We've been trying to nail down Mr. Andy Ruffell for awhile now and we finally sat down in San Diego and knocked out a podcast.
Lots covered, the early years being discovered by Richard Barrington and getting on Team ACE with early UK BMX legend Cav Strutt, winning his first race at Chatham back in 1980 right when BMX was getting off the ground in the UK.
Andy talks getting approached by Malcolm Jarvis and going to Ammaco Mongoose, traveling the country promoting the sport alongside racing and winning national titles in the process.
We also talk about racing with Tim March in 1984 (Superclass), the rivalry and the on-and-off relationship between both Andy and Tim even in current times.
We chat about the big money move to Raleigh in 85, winning the first official Pro Number 1 plate the same year, co-hosting BMX Beat and the Kelloggs with Mick Brown, the rise of Geth Shooter, his brothers Robert and Neil and Neil's rise to the top on the freestyle side competing and rivaling with Craig Campell (maybe not being treated well from the UKBFA) alongside coming 2nd to Ron Wilkerson at the 85 Kelloggs.
Andy talks about putting on Holeshot, bringing over big names from the US in both Freestyle and Skate including Dennis McCoy, Josh White and Mat Hoffman, to Skaters Jeff Grosso, Christian Hosoi and Mark "Gator" Rogowski, just to mention a few along with all the headaches and problems he encountered putting on an event, from hotel rooms trashed, pros demanding more money and causing havoc on the London underground.
Of course we have to cover his relationship and thoughts on Tony Hoffman, the 1986 Slough World Championships and the UK Pros (PRA) decision not to race, and again more recent drama with Tim March over it all last month.
We discuss and decide it's about time for an Official British BMX Hall of Fame to be set up and the talks are already in the works to make this a reality along with Andy's Stunt A Biker YouTube channel Stuntabiker.com and more.
While over in the UK this Christmas I got a chance to hang out and record a podcast with one of my long time friends, Kelvin Batey over in Derby.
Both Kelvin and his brother Liam were top British riders at an early age, winning bags full of National and British titles and they were always a contender in both the European and World Championships they attended.
We talk about racing and traveling in the UK and Europe during the 90's and 00's, some of the teams he rode for and making the jump into the Superclass (Pro Elite) ranks at just 16 and competing with the UK's top guys and progressing over the next few years in the Jr and Elite ranks.
We go into detail about the "all out drama" that surrounded Kelvin during the qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the hoops British Cycling made him jump though and the outcome, which was not competing in Beijing and his thoughts on it all today.
We also talk about Kelvin changing nationality to Ireland after 08, just missed qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics and moving into the Masters class in the next few years and capturing some World titles in the process.
We talk winding down his career, his great life today with is lovely wife Maria, and daughter. Kelvin and his wife both share their own successes with Kelvin working with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and still coaching and Maria is a social media blogger/influencer and heads her own notable make-up line.
Great to catch-up and hang out with Kelvin. It's awesome he continues to have success in life. You guys will enjoy this one. Cheers.
Mike Pardon Podcast Part 2 following up from the Aug 2018 Part 1, we continued the story from slowing down his BMX career in the mid 80s, getting into skating, sponsorship, opening a skate shop and competing in the Munster Skate World Championships in Germany. Mike then talks surfing, moving to Newquay living the camper life and working the odd jobs to support it.
We also touch on living in Ireland, Australia, getting back into racing and winning a handful of national titles running a team for Alan Woods in the mid 2000s alongside getting into coaching with the BCF.
Mike also talks being a paramedic these days back down under in Australia, becoming a dad, injuries, continuing to ride and race bikes and more in his 50s.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0NEwxhgVO8/?igshid=1kz9vjf7hit56
https://www.instagram.com/p/Buwi7dgFD0Q/?igshid=kpikhfmzu7pj
NEW Erick "Big E" Bartoldus Podcast is up - starting with his early days in Florida making his way to California and couch surfing at Gork and Spike Jones' place, a stone throw away from Wizard Publications / BMX Action Magazine.
We talk about Erick's time with E-Team, Jive, working at SBS, before interviewing with Rich Long and getting a job at GT providing he cuts his hair. Once at GT, Big E went out on tour, becoming the Powerlite Brand Manager, and picking up a young Donny Robinson, Randy Stumpfhauser and later, Mario Soto; his thoughts on Mario's passing in 2001 alongside the success Powerlite had during the 90s.
Big E talks about starring in GT videos and TV commercials, his end at GT, moving into the moto industry working for Transworld Motocross, Answer and later and his current job at Yoshimura where he is the Marketing Manager for R&D and so much more.
Todd Corbitt podcast posted, starting out in Florida TC talks about getting into BMX in the early 80s, the Orlando scene riding for Oakridge Bike Shop, meeting guys like Lenny Batycki, Big E, doing clinics and selling stickers to support his racing. TC talks getting a Torker/Max hook-up from McGoo, Factory sponsorship with Murray, racing the 86 Worlds in England, Zellwood, BMX Action, Cycle-Craft racing AA and moving to California and partnering up with Todd Huffman riding for Auburn before transitioning to a job at GT and becoming the Team Manager.
TC talks all things GT working for Rich Long how big things got in the mid 90s with teams, sponsorships, the infrastructure and everything GT was involved in at the time. We talk TC and Huffman moving on from GT - putting together a program with Giant, working for Felt and later on to his current employer, Jamis Bicyles and what his job entails. We chat current times in BMX and the Bicycle world and so much more.
Been working on this one for awhile now with Paul Roberts (finally sat down) in Huntington Beach with Robbie Miranda and I for a pod.
Lots covered, early days riding for Cycle Craft, meeting Steve Buddendeck, getting on DK and moving to California in the 90s.
Robbie talks being teammates with Neal Wood, Winning the X-Games, 3 Nora Cups, racing the Vans Triple Crown DH Series and some of the pay days that came with it.
We talk Robbie's longevity with DK and Buddendeck showing value to his sponsors and going the extra mile in a pre-social media era with websites, clinic tours and working with the magazines, to building a fan base.
We touch on the RM59 Tropical Challenge in Puerto Rico, making the 97 UCI World's main, winning the NBL Christmas Classic and going into the 3rd Main at South Park tied for points with Gary Ellis.
We hit on DK's marketing, team and image during the 90s, Jumping the DK Trailer, his thoughts on clips coming into Pro racing and maybe being pushed into the DK/Neal Wood's "Clips For Kooks" campaign when he might have been more open to it himself.
Robbie talks about winding down his racing, setting himself up for life after BMX going into the Sheriff's Department, hitting the Mega Ramp, 360s at Sheep Hills and more.
This week on the Pod, Eddy King and I sat down with BMX Hall of Famer, former CW rider and Vegas local Tracer Finn, during the USA BMX Hall of Fame weekend in San Diego.
Coming from an entertainment family and working and growing up in Vegas, Tracer shares some great stories outside of BMX as well as many in the sport.
Tracer talks CW days, losing his finger in a crash, jumping his dad (Mickey Finn), playing the piano on the Vegas Strip for a BMX Action shoot, team managing for Specialized during the mid 90s to early 2000s working with his long-time friend TJ Lavin, alongside Christophe Leveque, during Leveque's dominating years on the team.
Tracer talks about still riding, the importance of supporting your local track, after parties at the X and Gravity Games with the likes of Stephen Murray, Nasty, Fuzzy, TJ and more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrgzbnCF_TF/?igshid=8p17kzy68gp4
Podcast with Brits Ross Cullen (2x World Champion and current European Junior Champion) and old, mid and current-school rider/coach Julian Allen, who are both in California with 25 other Brits on the Zell Tour’s So-Cal BMX trip for a few weeks.
We talk about both Ross' and Julian’s history and their careers in BMX and go more into detail on the current UK race scene, from the club and coaching structure with British Cycling to how the sports sits today in the UK, and some chat on the next wave of British riders coming through the ranks.
Ross talks about getting ready to turn Elite in 2020, being part of the National Team, the guys he looks up to and lots more. Check it out.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz5o3AyAExd/?igshid=13a4v5zmc9c0z https://www.instagram.com/p/B0QesOJgUjh/?igshid=1p5ek2k97gszz
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwLTqXhlL62/?igshid=f2bjawbvz3f1
Mike Franze (Fullerton Bikes) podcast started out with his deep BMX history in Orange County, Southern California, which was one of the meccas of the BMX industry. Mike talks about the early days, how big the OC scene was, to what's left of it now with the closing down of the Orange Y over 3 years ago now. Mike talks about test riding for BMX Plus, photo shoots for BMX Action, building and putting on his own races at Parks, how many BMX bikes he would custom build and sell during the 90s and 2000s alongside supporting riders and teams along the way.
We talk about Mike getting into mountain bikes, the Over the Hump MTB Series, NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association), and his thoughts on the current state of BMX racing. We also dive into the lack of marketing, promotions, media and what's missing and what we could learn from the MTB World.
Mike's got so much passion for everything bikes and still BMX after all of these years. It was great talking to him - hope you enjoy the listen.
A day over in Huntington Beach with one of my best friends of nearly 40s years, Paul Roberts @grotbags32 drinking coffee, riding along the beach talking BMX and life and everything else in between. We also paused for an hour next to a life guard tower and recorded a quick Podcast for good measure.
Paul talks about announcing for Vans last month at the US Open before moving onto some British BMX history talk past and present; Kye Whyte, Neal Wood, Chico Hooke, John Dye, Bobby Hyde, Keith Duly, the list goes on. Paul talks about not being in the Union Video, who was better Geth Shooter or Charlie Reynolds, favorite bikes, magazine coverage, Debbie Scott Webb and Donna Duffy and so much more. If you like a bit of British BMX trivia then you should like this one. Check it out...
Back from a few months off of the Podcast front with a new one - Dr. J, Chris Powell, Esq. and I caught up at Better Buzz Coffee Roasters in Hillcrest, SD. We talk MTB Masters Worlds, Hall of Fame winners, BMX Worlds, Pam Am Games and Chris shares with us how Better Buzz started, the relationship which lead him to working for the company alongside what it took to get the Pacific Highlands Ranch Pump Track off the ground and how popular it has become in such a short amount of time since opening early this summer.
We also talk Pump Track in the Olympics, Velosolutions, China and Houstons Pro events and whether amateur Challenge riders should be able to call themselves World Champions and more. Check it out...
Long time coming but finally nailed down Hollywood, Mike Miranda and recorded a Podcast with the help of Mike’s long-time friend, Eric Carter who always brings great stories and perspective which all went down at Hyper Design Studios in Carlsbad last week.
We breeze through Hollywood’s career from the early days racing in So-Cal riding for SE, CW, Torker and Hutch before finishing up on Free Agent while working at Vision Street Wear.
Mike talks about his time racing in England at the Kelloggs witnessing Tim Judge and Richie Anderson brawl in a hotel room, British rider Geth Shooter winning in the rain, horse riding with Andy Ruffell and thoughts on English birds being a dime-a-dozen at the time.
Mike also talks racing in Holland and France, the lifetime relationships he’s made and what it was like to race in Bercy in a packed stadium in front of all of the crazy French fans during the peak years of the 80s.
We talk Mike working at GT in the 90s, his thoughts and respect for Rich Long, becoming a Golf Pro for a few years before returning to the bike industry working at Cycling Sports Group (owners of Cannondale, GT, Schwinn and Mongoose) before moving over to Hyper more recently as (Co-Director of Shenanigans and all around good egg) as Mike puts.
We talk about the current state of the Bicycle industry, USA BMX, Pump Tracks some thoughts and solutions to grow not just racing but ways to get more kids out and on bikes moving forward.
We also hit on Mike coaching at Woodward, being in the movie RAD & negotiating more money on-set and of course we hit on as many of the Q&A that were posted on Facebook as we could.
It was great to sit down with Hollywood and EC. This one could have gone on forever, enjoy...
Lunch and a quick Podcast with Eddy King. We talk about "Tools of Empowerment, the Eddy King Story" that Shimano put out a few weeks ago. We also touch on the BMX Society Weekend, Andy Ruffell, thoughts on the Greg Hill Podcast, Paris World Cup and we flip through an issue of Same Old (Skate Magazine). We questioned whether this would work in race in today's landscape? Check it out.
Greg Hill Podcast - We catch up with Greg and see what the latest is with him and Remix and see what he's got planned moving forward as he turns a new page in his life. We dive into current BMX affairs and, as most know, with Greg you get it straight and he shares his thoughts on the race landscape today. We hit on USA BMX, Nationals, the local scene, Pro racing and so much more. Greg’s not holding back on this one and you can sense his passion after all these years for BMX is alive and well. Like most of us he’d like to see it grow and not decline. Check it out...
New Podcast posted with with Dr. J and this week's guest, CK Flash visiting over from London. We talk about the new Dvide Spring Line drop, Australian rider Matty Juster busted for Sauce, and we get the scoop with CK - talking old school BMX with Tyson Beckford, TV, all of the promoting and mentoring of kids that CK is involved in and getting them on the right path with an introduction to BMX. We also go deep on all the Peckham current Elite Pro's and thoughts on Kye and Tre Whyte, Quillan Isidore and all things Peckham. Lots more, check it out.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwM7iiYHyo1/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1j7mua0f0co0k
(At La Costa Roasting in Carlsbad.) New Podcast posted with Director/Photographer Justin Kosman.
We chat about Justin’s history, making his way from Illinois to California freelancing and working at Bike Magazine, ESPN, Ride, Transword, DC, Vans, Redbull, his time at Twenty BMX Magazine writing content and his various shoots with other brands and magazines he's worked with over the years.
We also talk about some of his newer projects at Vans, thoughts on Freestyle being in the Olympics, social media, racing, pump tracks and the possibilities they could provide and more. Check it out.
Website: justinkosman.com
IG: @justinkosman
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuVEGWpFP-f/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=bi4932vsoox
Today’s Podcast include myself and Dr. J sitting down with Hookit's Rich Houseman over at Leap Coffee in Carlsbad. We start catching up with what's been going on over in Dr. J’s world, a quick update on Dvide, thoughts on USA BMX’s GOAT article in the new Pull Magazine then our thoughts on Beth Shriever’s GoFundMe to raise £50,000 to support her Olympic campaign over the next 2 years.
We then catch up with Rich talking about being a factory star riding for Hutch in the 80s, a successful mountain bike career in the 90s and 2000s and his current gig at Hookit, with some great insight and advice on marketing and social media in today’s landscape in the sponsorship world.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BublyFJDv7o/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=155cxnj8848ej
This week on the Podcast we got Tyler Brown, a man with many hats including racing, his own 316 team, running a track, coaching and his newer role at USA Cycling. We talk about his career moving from Colorado with his mom to California, racing AA Pro to turning Vet and already winning 2 World Titles and a Vet National title. We then talk industry, thoughts on the current scene in the US, Pro Racing, Prize Money, Sponsorship, putting on events, Pro results in Phoenix and Oldsmar and more.
Good to catch up with Sylvain André earlier this week for a coffee and Podcast and to see what the World Champion has been up to, as we move into the 2019 season. Sylvain talks about his big win in Baku, passing fellow Frenchmen Joris Daudet down the last-straight and all of the emotions of being crowned the World Champion.
We then talk about his own history in the sport; coming through the ranks, winning Junior Men at the 2010 Worlds in South Africa, putting Marc Willers over the turn at the Chula Vista World Cup and climbing the Elite ranks to become one of the most consistent riders over the last few years.
We also touch on French BMX; winning the 2017 World Cup some French BMX Trivia questions and more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BrDBmOpAmEF/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1un0m9jdwt3mf
We caught up with Bas de Bever combing through his career as a racer, competing and winning his first World Championship of many back in 1983, through the 80s and early 90s transitioning into a very notable mountain bike career before moving into setting up and coaching the Dutch National Team back when BMX first became an Olympic sport. A position he has held until recently when he called it a day after a very successful many years and Olympic cycles under his belt.
We talk about why the Dutch have always been so strong in BMX over the last 3 decades, past sponsors, coaching talk and some of the guys Bas has battled with in BMX from Eric Minozzi to Wilco Groenendaal and Christophe Leveque. Lots more. Check it out.
Spent Friday afternoon down by the coast drinking coffee and podcasting with Dr. J and 2x Olympian and all-round good guy Tory Nyhaug. We talk about Tory's crash at the World's last year, resulting in a concussion and the frustrations he's having from still not being released to train or race. We then hop onto a bunch of subjects from the Olympics, to social media, World Cups, the current state of BMX and of course we touched on some of the current rants in the race world right now on social media including Tim Kneip's posts to Team Pits and more. Check it out...
Dylan Clayton Podcast Part 2 - We talk the 90s, riding for Sunn, transitioning from AM into the Superclass ranks, racing in the UK, Europe to World's talk. We also touch on Dylan racing MTB, riding for Pashley's after Sunn and transitioning into real-life after his career wound down.
We chat coaching, Dylan working for British Cycling along with some of the things his job entails and his thoughts on the current British National Team.
Dylan also answers questions from Social Media and so much more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Brk5j1FFrg8/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=fceduirv5qfu
This week on the Podcast we have WD40’s Robin Baloochi. Robin talks about racing both BMX and mountain bikes, some of the teams he rode for and moving into the bike industry after retiring from racing.
We talk about some of WD40’s history, Robin’s role now in the company along with some talk on the riders, teams and events they support and plans moving forward and much more, check it out.
Part 2 of the Eric Carter Podcast posted - This episode we talk about the current state of the race industry, the saturation of frame brands and if it's even possible to successfully move forward.
We then dive into more of EC's career from dominating on Hutch, being mentally strong as a rider and how he would position himself in a race with strategies to win. EC talks winning the 93 NBL Pro title, his rivalry with Mike King, his thoughts on racing Brian Lopes alongside buying a gate because of Michal Prokop and his World's battle with him.
EC then gives us his thoughts on Anthony Bucardo's Amateur title race at this year's Grands, what it's like when the lights go out on a professional's career and the bro calls stop coming and the reality of transitioning into real life when your career is over set in. Check it out...
Made the quick trip up the 15 to Murrieta to spend the afternoon and record a Podcast with Eric Carter, covering plenty in both BMX and MTB which we will split into two parts. Part 1 we talk about EC being one of the first guys to clip-in but somehow managing to stay in the shadows when the likes of Mike King and Brian Lopes are brought up as the guys that were the first-movers of clips coming into BMX.
We cover his deep history with Hyper, some of the current team riders and plans moving forward. EC gives us his thoughts on pumptracks, Interbike closing its doors, his time at Specialized as Team Manager, being on GT in the 90s, and some of the contracts he's signed over the years. We also touch on this year's Grands, EC's thoughts on current tracks and racing and more.
On this week's Podcast Dr. Jason Richardson and I head up to Murrieta to sit down and grab a coffee with the 2 X Olympic Champion, Maris Strombergs. We all know there has been a lot of speculation on whether Maris will give Tokyo a run in 2020 but Maris finally puts it straight... he has decided to retire and call it a day on his career officially after a lot of consideration.
Of course, we recap some of the highlights of Maris' career from moving to the US after winning the Beijing Games to discovering Starbucks, getting on Free Agent and the adjustments to living and racing in the US. We talk about his wins in Beijing and London, winning the USA BMX title, some of his rivals over the years and his thoughts on the current state of the industry and who he thinks the players for Gold in Tokyo 2020 will be. Plus, lots more. Check it out.
We finally got to nail down Mr. Smooth himself, Craig Reynolds, and bang out a Podcast. Lots covered in this one including riding for MCS, Zeronine, CycleCraft, Badd & Company; to the start of Reynolds Racing, Mongoose, racing the AM ranks during the 80s; to AA Pro during the 90s and early 2000s. We talk about crashing while winning the 87 Worlds, announcing and hosting for TV, Props, thoughts on today’s racing and media as it sits currently and more.
New Dewayne Taylor Podcast posted. We cover growing up in Nor Cal and getting into racing in the mid 80s riding for Profile Rocket, Supercross, Haro and Standard, and working with iconic brands like DC Shoes and Fox during the big budgets days. Dewayne talks about putting on the DC Sprint Trails Event at Stumpy’s House, working for DEFT FAMILY to getting back into racing with his son, focusing on grass roots this time around working with Mongoose and helping their efforts and more.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoSvvtsHmQ_/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1pb7ihjwhqdth
This week’s Podcast includes Paul Roberts and myself sitting down with The Wildman Todd Lyons at his house in Huntington Beach and really just bs'ing for an entire episode.
We chat about Todd moving to California in the early 90s riding, racing, some of the guys he lived with alongside his story of pissing in one of his roommate’s cologne for being a meathead.
We talk Christmas Classic after parties, Gary Ellis fist-pumping at the club, keeping racing fun and we go more into depth with Todd’s role at SE, #bikelife and getting more kids on bikes.
We finish up with talk on the state of current Pro Elite racing, some of the guys Paul and Todd like to follow, a little GOAT talk and more.
Starting BMX out in Long Island in 1981, Keith talks about his local scene at Shoreham, riding with the likes of Ronnie Gaska, Tim Strelecki, Rob Morales just to name a few. We touch on him riding for Dan’s, placing 2nd at the 91 World Championships in Norway before getting on Cyclecraft, picking up a camera, and getting the job as Editor of Snap Magazine and moving out to California in the mid-90s.
Keith talks about shooting and writing for the magazine, the covers he shot, making deadlines alongside bringing the Nora Cup back to life. He talks about some of the riders that won, some of the brand managers behind scenes that pushed the envelope when it came to Nora Cup votes and pushing to get their riders on the covers.
We talk about photo shoots with Gary Ellis, Keith’s amazing magazine collection and of course, Keith answers a bunch of questions from Facebook that we had posted earlier this week and so much more.
I really enjoyed my day hanging out with Keith – he has so much history. It only makes sense that Part II is already in the works.
Mike Pardon is truly one of the pioneers of BMX in the UK with some deep history in the sport. In this Part 1 episode we talk about the early days discovering BMX, getting picked up by Alan Woods for Torker and becoming the UK number 2 behind Andy Ruffell before moving over to Freestyle, winning BMX Beat, competing in the Kelloggs and becoming one of the most documented and well-known riders in the early 80s though magazines and TV. Mike talks about teaming up with Andy Preston and becoming a test rider for BMX Weekly, riding for Raleigh and his disappointment having to move on from Raleigh after a big-money signing of Andy Ruffell to the team. Check it out with Part 2 coming up soon.
Sunday lunch and quick Podcast with Eddy King. We talk the upcoming Hall of Fame weekend and the BMX Legends Golf Tournament, which has attracted quite a line up. We also talk about the great Andy Ruffell - still not making it on the HOF ballot despite having one of the most impressive resumes out there. We touch base on on E-Bikes, The RAD Old School weekend in Milton Keynes in the UK and Todd Lyons and how he continues to do cool things in the bike industry, getting more people on bikes and out to the tracks.
Always good to catch up with Greg Hill. I've maintained a high level of respect for him over the years and let's face it, he tells you how he sees it with no sugar on top. A no BS guy is just the way we like it over here.
Greg gives us the latest on what he's got going with Remix, his Speed Seminars and his recent trip over to Louisiana to Ted Bailey's track for a camp, which has a total ban on clips and continues to be the number 1 track in the State.
Of course, with Greg, we talk the current state of Pro Racing and his thoughts on it all as it sits today. It's a good one. Check it out.
I wanted to switch things around for this Podcast with Chris Moeller so knowing that Paul Roberts (Grotbags) is a long time friend of Chris' and a big S&M fan, it only made sense to have him in on it with all his knowledge.
Chris talks about his early race days, bagging number plates for Rich Long, the Orange Y / SoCal scene, being a test rider for BMX Action, crapping on start gates, fighting at the races, starting S&M, Harry Leary stories, trips to Bercy France, getting banned from the ABA, sponsoring Pistol Pete Loncarevich, Greg Hill wanting to kick his ass, why he never wanted a Porsche 911 or a $5,000 coffee table like Christophe Leveque or selling S&M for big money to Specialized in the 90s.
Chris also talks about racing himself, to how he sees it and thoughts on the current BMX industry as it sits in present day, the new S&M book that he's been working on and so much more. Check it out.
PC: Peter Cowley
We got such a great response on the idea that we'd planned to Podcast it up with Doc Smooth, Dylan Clayton, and to be sure we didn't miss anything, we decided to roll it out in 2 parts. Part 1 we talk the early days discovering BMX in the 80s riding for the likes of Robinson, Mongoose, SE, JT, Free Agent, Robinson again, Titan and Sunn. Dylan talks his local scene riding the Wigan Three Sisters track daily that contributed so much to his style and success, the guys he raced with during the 80s and lessons he learned and some of the major titles he has won along the way. Dylan also talks about seeing and trying to talk to Christophe Leveque for the first time, his first trip to California with Paul Roberts and Jamie Staff, staying with Robbie Morales and more. Check it out.
If Scot Breithaupt is the "Godfather of BMX" and Gerrit Does is the "Godfather of European BMX", then Alan Woods has to be the "Godfather of British BMX". This Podcast has been in the works for some time and we go right back to the start of BMX in the UK with Alan and his friends creating a scene up in the North West, the start of distribution with the likes of Robinson and Torker into the UK and the legendary teams that came from that.
Alan talks about early trips to the US, being the first official UK number 1, designing and building the likes of Wigan, Whitehaven and Birmingham Wheels tracks that all went onto host and be some of the biggest and best events of the 80s in the UK.
We cover Alan’s longevity in the sport, the old school movement, hosting the first-ever old school event in the early 2000s, and his thoughts on the RAD old school movement today as it continues to grow.
Of course, we touch on the likes of Andy Ruffell, Tim March putting him over the turn at Wigan back in 83, today’s racing, tracks and more.
I for one, think Alan Woods deserves a lot more credit for what he has done and continues to do for BMX in the UK. Stoked to get this Podcast out. We also posted a few interviews with Alan we've done over the years over on UK BMX History if you’ve not read them already - ukbmxhistory.com.
Alans is presently at alansbmx.com.
If you read Snap Magazine in the 90s and 2000s then you should like this podcast with former assistant editor, James Ayres. We go back to the start of BMX for James back in '79 racing in Washington, DC, moving out to California in the 90s to work for Ride Publications and Snap and then onto Haro Bicycles where he has been for the last 10 years.
We dig deep into his time at Snap, what he wore for his job interview the first issue he worked on, traveling to events, deadlines, the Vans Triple Crown, Nora Cup, bike tests, tracking down Shelby James for the Flashback article and of course, we had to touch on the controversial, Erik Abbadessa interview.
James talks about the riders and brands he liked during his time at Snap, his history at Haro working with the likes of Tony D, Derek Betcher and everyone gathering around the TV screen at the office and going crazy when Nic Long holeshoted the Olympic final in 2016. And, so much more. I really enjoyed this one. Check it out.
PC: Gork
Quick lunch and catch-up Podcast with Mr. Eddy King while he's in town. We talk about the Anthill Film's project he filmed working with Shimano, Oakley and Haro in the e-mountainbike world. The 4130 Subway Series, Spring Fling rides and the big bike popularity at the moment. We also hit on the local San Diego Quick n' Dirty MTB Race Series, last week's World Cup in Papendal and more.
This past weekend while out in Atlanta at the Dixieland Nationals, Jason Carnes and I sat down track-side with Clayton John and got the inside on where it all started for him; running his own track back in Pennsylvania in the 70s to moving to Arizona in the 80s to pursue work for ABA. We talk about him becoming the President of the sanction, working with the Pros along with some of the challenges and the great stories that came along with it.
Tommy Brackens joins in the interview – we talk stories from Crazy, Ronnie Anderson and Pistol Pete, Greg Hill and Stu, the controversial 1995 Pro Title chase at the Grands, Clayton handing Gary Ellis the number 1 plate and keys to the Jeep, while Christophe Leveque looked on clinging to any bit of hope that they might make an exception to the rule. Unfortunately for Christophe, Clayton stuck to his guns and Gary Ellis walked away with the title.
Clayton talks about what he thinks about the sport today, his thoughts on the UCI and his dealings with them over the years and, of course, we have to touch on his relationship with Bob Tedesco and more.
PC: Gork
Growing up in Orange Country, the Mecca of BMX during the 80s, and riding for teams like Powerlite, GT, GHP, CW and Redline, Jason talks about making money at such a young age and traveling all over the Country as an 80s factory superstar. We talk about his Pro career being teammates with Jamie Staff, Dave Mirra and Ryan Nyquist on Haro and a run in with Eric Abbadessa at the Fall Nationals. We also chat about what he's up to these days being one of Mike Day's early day heroes and much more.
PC: Gork
This week's Podcast is with a fellow Brit living in San Diego, longtime friend and Vert rider Simon Tabron. Starting out on a Raleigh Super Burner, Simon talks about his local riding scene, some of the early influences such as Andy Irwin, Craig Campbell, Neil Ruffell and Carlo Griggs just to name a few. We talk the early 90s when BMX took a dive in the UK and how Simon started hitting the race scene to compete in KODs, hang-out, and shares some of the good times he had when it seemed like the sport went underground. We hit on sponsorships, X-Games, moving to the US, his long rivalry with Jamie Bestwick and, of course, we have to talk about Freestyle in the Olympics including the politics and conflicts that have already begun, and so much more.
Matt Haden Podcast - from the early years racing in Azusa, Ca riding for Bandito, GHP, Diamond Back and then Free Agent during the 80s. We talk about being in the mags and some of his covers shots included the likes of BMX Action and Snap as we moved into the 90s.
Matt talks about turning Pro, coming in 2nd behind Danny Nelson at the 94 Worlds and what he would do differently if he had another shot at that main event. We also touch on him being over looked for numerous years for the Hall of Fame, the money he made as an amateur and chat about some of Matt's other podiums at World Championships and of course, we answer a bunch of questions you guys posted and a whole lot more. Check it out.
PC: Gork
While we were in Phoenix for the Winter Nationals, we got a chance to catch up and record a quick Podcast with 3 x ABA Number 1 Pro Bubba Harris @bubbaharris101. Bubba tells us what he's been up to, family life, teaching camps and we go over some of the highlights of his career. We touch on him pulling a back flip right after winning the 2005 Worlds in Paris, missing out on racing the Olympics and so much more.
PC: Gork
A catch-up and coffee with the 2 x Olympic Gold Medalist, Maris Strombergs (@marisstrombergs) and catch a glimpse of what he's been up to and has planned moving into 2018. Maris touches on married life, looking forward to the arrival of the Mini Machine and a few sponsorships changes. We chat camps as well as his thoughts on Connor, Joris and the Elite Pro class as it stands today. Maris talks about the Latvian National Championship still on his bucket list, the 3 races that he would re-do, and so much more.
Podcast on location - this episode with both Dr. J and Chris Powell @mtbesq at Powell's impressive Esq. office over here in San Diego. We talk about Chris' BMX career riding for Free Agent, Redline and Haro, and going to law school, DJ'ing, getting into mountainbiking and having a successful run in 4x.
Chris then talks about working with Redbull / Mike Day and Jill Kintner in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics and his current pet project, a pump track he's involved with and so much more.
Part 1 of the Greg Hill Podcast - Early days when it all began for Greg in Southern California in the 70s, turning Pro at 14, riding for GT and winning 2 World Championships including some of the head games that went along with both winning and battling the likes of Stu Thomsen and Anthony Sewell back in 82. Greg talks about his first trip to Holland for the 83 Worlds, starting up GHP, racing the Kelloggs and winning the Jag World Championships overall in Burbank the same day his son was born in 1984.
With so many Social Media questions we dive in with the Q&As, and rightfully add his thoughts on being ranked 40th in the latest Pull Magazine 40 Greatest Pros article. We hear his thoughts on the sport as it is today. We touch on title runs with John Purse and Randy Stumpfhauser as well as hanging out with Tim March, training, the mental game and much more.
Facebook: greghillspeedseminars
Got a chance to catch up with Olympic Silver Medalist Jelle van Gorkom this week on the Podcast while he's in San Diego for a month with the Dutch National Team. We cover his very impressive Amateur career with a boatload of National, European and World Titles and being one of the few guys who managed to double at all major Championships in the same year. We talk about injuries and coming back from them in the lead up to both London and the Rio Olympics and the run down of the main event - coming in 2nd place and grabbing the Silver Medal behind Connor Fields. Jelle also touches on meeting the King and Queen of Holland, riding for the Dutch National Team and much more.
@jellevangorkom
Billy Griggs Podcast. We talk about growing up in the BMX meca - Orange County in Southern California - and riding for the likes of CW, Schwinn, Mongoose, Redline, Haro and Iron Horse. We touch base on his successful AM career finishing up in the BMX Action Magazine's "Terrible Ten", before moving onto a solid Pro career that went well into the mid 90s. We talk about his transition into an industry position at GT, product launches at strip clubs and designing and riding the GT test track, then moving onto Intense and then Razor where he still works today. Billy talks about his current racing riding for Chase and the partnership with Razor, and much more.
PC: John Ker
Eric Carter Podcast part 2 posted. It's been a year since we had EC on the Podcast and this time around we delved into his MTB career from the start, to making the switchover from BMX with the likes of Dave Cullinan, Brian Lopes and Mike King just to name a few. We hit on the opportunities he had as a BMXer crossing over, some of the teams EC rode for and the signing of lucrative deals with both GT and Mongoose. We also talked about the early days of Dual Slalom and Mountain X and his thoughts on 4x today. Also, many wise words from EC on being a serious racer, yet keeping it fun for longevity and of course, some Q and A from Facebook.
Harry Leary Podcast – We go back to the start in BMX during the late 70s, the Diamond Back days traveling the World promoting the brand and racing both the Anglo American Cup and Kellogg’s Series during the 80s in the UK. We talk about the 85 World Championships battle with Gary Ellis, his thoughts on BMX as it sits today, magazines, photo shoots, social media and of course the legendary Chis Moeller beef over the years and why it may have started. We then go to social media and answer as many Facebook questions as we could that were posted.
Originally, we were going to call this podcast "Rants with Tim March" but rant didn’t seem to "fit" when we hit the record button – it was more of a discussion and catch up session since we last spoke. We hit on a few subjects from last week's Worlds, British Cycling's BMX program and riders, and current media in the the race World. Tim talks Victor Behm, Andy Ruffell, Facebook beef with UK announcer Neil Stewart, and the lack of documentation of the history of the sport in the UK. We also covered some facebook Q&A and quite a bit more. Check it out.