Podcast interviews, insight, news and views for BMX Racing.
The High-Low - The BMXPodcast is a fantastic podcast that offers great perspective and representation from both the old and the not-so-old in the world of BMX. One of the best aspects of this podcast is the analysis and commentary from the British hosts. Their unique insight into the sport adds another layer of depth to each episode and offers a fresh perspective for listeners. Additionally, Dale Holmes, the host, does an incredible job at keeping the conversation flowing and engaging with the audience. The inclusion of questions from the Facebook crowd allows for listener interaction, making it feel like a community-driven experience.
Another standout aspect of The High-Low - The BMXPodcast is its diverse range of guests. Whether they're from across the pond or stateside, each guest brings something unique to the table. This variety ensures that there's something for everyone, no matter their preferences or knowledge level when it comes to BMX. It's not just a podcast for fans of one particular era; it caters to fans from all eras, making it truly inclusive.
While it's difficult to find any major flaws with this podcast, one minor aspect that could be improved upon is occasionally addressing more niche topics within BMX. While they do cover a wide range of subjects, delving deeper into specific areas or disciplines within BMX could provide even more value for dedicated listeners who are looking for in-depth discussions on their favorite aspects of the sport.
In conclusion, The High-Low - The BMXPodcast is an excellent podcast that should be on every fan's radar. With its great analysis, diverse guests, and engaging host, it offers an enjoyable listening experience for fans of all eras of BMX. Whether you're new to the sport or have been following it for years, this podcast provides valuable insights and conversations that will keep you coming back for more.
Tyler gives us the lowdown from the weekend's Pro racing, with Aussie rookie Pro Josh Jolly cleaning up and winning both days — even pulling 360s in the rollout. We also discuss who might pick him up. Can anyone in this struggling industry offer this kid a legit deal? And has anyone in Pro history ever rolled into the class and won like Jolly just did? We also cover double wins for Molly Simpson and Jeff Upshaw in Vet, highlight some of the riders on the podiums in the premier classes, and talk about the weather, Pro schedules, autograph sessions, and more.
Podcast with Tyler Brown – we're talking all things Pro action from the first domestic National on the calendar for the Pros! We cover who showed up and who looked good over the weekend. Plus, we dive into the FloBikes feed and share our thoughts on it all. We also discuss Australia's Junior World Champion, Josh Jolly – how good he looked in the premier class and whether he should have raced in the rainbow stripes. Tyler and I share our different perspectives on the matter. We also talk Vet Pro, some other standouts from the weekend, alongside who was looking good over at the Euro event in Italy. Check it out!
In this episode, we sit down with Dvide Team Manager Justus Standley, aka Bruce Bermbager, to talk about his journey into BMX, how his creative background shapes his approach to the sport, and the team's connection with GT Bicycles. Plus, we'll get the latest Dvide team updates and insights into what's next. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at BMX life from someone who's living it every day!
New Podcast Alert! BMX Weekly is back with an all new episode with Tyler Brown - recorded straight from his pad in San Diego. We're diving deep into the race world, covering all the latest, including: The new USABMX x FLOBikes live-streaming deal - our thoughts on the pros and cons of Nationals streaming this season. Updates from San Diego BMX track upgrades, the recent State Race and Cup, and exciting plans for summer camps, including Tyler's camps at Bradley Park! The USABMX Pro/Elite Series - with international riders jumping into the mix, this season could be a good one. Women's Elite Racing - with Alise Post taking time out, this could open up big opportunities for other women in the field to step up and shine! Vet Pro in 2025, team updates, Huffy Program news, Race Inc. rumors and Supercross stacking up new riders left and right! Don't miss it - tune in now!
Catching up with Grotbags Paul Roberts in Huntington Beach for a podcast. We talk about Paul's recovery from his leg injury after crashing in the dark while riding back from @epicbmx—mis-timing a curb and ending up on crutches, unable to ride for months. We then dive into some of the topics we've seen on social media lately—Is BMX dead? With the industry in a downturn, we talk about how things were in the late '80s and early '90s when we were both part of the downtime after the '80s BMX bubble burst. The riders and brands that stuck around during that period ended up in a good place when the industry bounced back in the mid-'90s. We also dip into a bit of politics for the first time, with so much in the news since the election. Other topics include a potential Neal Wood podcast, Paul's days as Vans UK Team Manager, getting Martin and Stephen Murray on Haro UK, and a few old stories from racing in the UK in the '80s and '90s—including my dad not wanting me to get into a car with Paul to go to a race. And more.
It's been a few months since my last podcast, and it's time to get back on it. We're kicking things off with a chat with Joey Albright, who were with us on a podcast this time last year. Joey is spending the month in Southern California with his son TJ, who's racing 250 Supercross West for the Gizmo Mods/Rock River Yamaha team. We discuss TJ's solid start to the season and what it takes to be a Supercross rider on the circuit. Joey gives us an update since his injury, getting back on the bike and joining me out at San Diego BMX for some riding while he's been in town. We also touch base on the Olympics, the Grands, and more. Check it out!
New podcast with Tyler Brown! Today, we talked about the State Finals at San Diego BMX last month and the Holeshot Challenge, as well as the Pro results from this weekend in Rock Hill. We also discussed the Wood-Larsen-Kennedy battle going into the Grands, electric bikes, whether racing is on the decline, Team USA, training, coaching, and whether riders prefer to train more than race these days—and so more. Check it out!
Paul Roberts and I check in with the Wildman, Todd Lyons, and catch up on everything SE has been up to this year. He shares his thoughts on the industry, his newly dialed-in garage, the Olympics, and more.
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
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 by Kenny Hunter It'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 with 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 Hunter New 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 turn We 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.
2022 World Championships wrap-up podcast with Tyler Brown. Check it out.
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 IBMXF 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), Neal 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 Alans Woods, Craig Campbell, Melanie Vauvelle, the Merrys 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 @soucebmx 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.