The Coming of Age..

Well I turned the big 26 this weekend, and to be honest it was a pretty uneventful birthday weekend, a couple of beers Friday night with Terry and the gang spinning some electro-grime in the Cheddar bar area, but sadly there was very few up in the place and any shape throwing would have resulted in strange looks and likely removal from said establishment, rather than extra shape throwers getting into things, so i retreated to the van for some smooth grooves and pro sleep.

Saturdays weather was great, although there was quite a side wind which made things interesting, I had some good gates which out weighed the bad ones and it was awesome to catch up with a some old faces that always hit Cheddar up. Good to see PT back on his bike and looking as smooth as ever, Gunner was up in the place along with some of the other segment soilders, full hardcore hobbbies contingency, but no stoney - where you at Brother?! So it was good fun, after our practice session we sneaked another half hour just sending the 3rd straight, it flows real nice and the wind had dropped which made it good fun. My birthday evening was spent nursing a pint, along with a cavery and an early night, sheeeeeee-it, you know how I do! Was funny sitting in with Boota (on the FAXE - the only beer with its own theme song 1 litre cans!) and Cal, funny yoots fo sho!

Sunday morning I got up nice and early to get everything sorted in good time, I was feeling alright and the weather looked awesome, clear blue skies and a very slight breeze, perfect! 19+ had 29 rders, this meant 13 would be dropped for the semis, I managed a 3rd and a 2nd and then made a balls up of my 3rd moto and got a 6th. I had 11 points and qualified 16th! This is proof if ever of how damn close 19+ is, usually you're safe on 12 points, but a couple who had 12 were dissapointed to find they had been moto'd. I was grateful for my first 2 moto rides!



Semi finals came round and having the pleasure of gate 8 I managed a minter and pulled over to the middle, only to get caught in 1st turn traffic, and come out too slow for the second straight, this resulted in a bit of a rodeo and me finishing 5th. Eurgh! I managed to redeem myself slightly and win the B main though, which cheered me up a little. But only a little. Scott Waterhouse took the win again after putting the big guy Michael Pinnock over the last turn (he was on point ALL day!) other notable mentions go to Chad for winning a 19+ moto and making the main and finishing 2nd and to the Trickster for making his first 19+ A main and finishing 4th!

check my report here.

Other awesome news was Tuffy taking the Elite win. Amazing ride from the rad kid on flats. The joint went crazy for him! Well done bro!

Tuffy doing the business!

Hold onto your hats!

So here it is.. The 2008 Worlds track in Taiyuan China. Whoa Mumma!

I'm pretty stoked on it, it looks long, technicial and has a reasonably steep start hill. The start hill i'm not so fussed with, i've always preferred flatter hills, but i'm sure the steeper hill will make racing fast and exciting into turn one.

345m too, a long old track, hopefully it'll flow and the UK representatives will bring home some bacon!

Currently reading Sir Ranulph Fiennes autobiography, its a hell of a read and anyone looking for inspiraion towards anything will be hard put not to find it in this book. I'm going to strive to never complain about being tired, hungry or cold ever again!

Had a quick session at Bolehills and it was good fun, threw in some turbo laps, some double manuals and then some boosts for the fun of it. Gotta love it. Hitting Chesterfield tonight for some gates, just a light session to keep things on point for Cheddar, I'm pumped for that 1st corner!

A gentle week..

Easy!

Hasn't been the best weekend for BMX for me, infact, its been pretty weak, but no doubt good to have a little time off the little bike. Sometimes a little time away from something can help you regain some focus and drive. The weather has been pretty awful and uninspiring so instead of hitting the track or sprints i decided to join my buddies and head out into the peaks for an epic day of cross country. We did an awesome 3 hour loop taking in some amazing descents and some teeth clenching climbs. It was a lot of fun and totally exhausting, but the downhills made it all the worth while. On the squad was OC, Big Dave, The German, OC mk. II, The Jew and myself, an eclectic mix, but the banter and spirits were high, even as we were climbing into winds that were almost inverting my eyelids!

Sunday was a whole lot of nothing, chilling out and being completely lazy, Coppull had a race, but wasn't into getting out of that bed in a hurry, the rain pattering against the window pane and the wind howling like a banshee. I had a reasonably BMX filled week, so wasn't too bummed about having a chill day. This week i have to take things a little easier as Cheddar national round 3 is this weekend, and I want to be as fresh as possible for that.

Still no news on the Charge, fingers crossed i'll hear something this week!

Just realised there is just over 4 weeks until I leave for China and I have a lot of things to sort before then, deeeee-amn! Best get to it!

Doing it until failure.

It hasn't been easy this week, the weather has been all over the shop, but i want to be out on my bike and pushing myself every day, regardless of the weather. It isn't pleasant, it isn't a great deal of fun, but i know its doing me good, and its making me stronger.

Bolehills has held up real well against the weather after our digging efforts last week, i did some spade work Monday and then rode there Tuesday in the rain again, it was feeling fast and smooth, so i got some full laps in, which are intense at the Hills! Wednesday night I hit chesterfield gates and busted out 6 full laps, which left me feeling pretty exhausted but satisfied that i'd again pushed myself hard. In amongst the laps i did a load of gates, some pump races and some variations on the starts, i.e no lights/no sound, no nothing, which scared the hell out of you! A good session FO SHO!

Rode up to Bolehills on Thursday and just had an hour before the cold and horizontal rain set in and i cleared out, was happy i got some bike time though. Thrown in some upper body and core work too this week, pushing it until failure, if nothing comes of China at least i'll have a ripped body on the beach for Warrens stag do - ha ha!

Not sure what to do this weekend, a few things going on here and there, but might stay local and save fuel and energy, the next 2 weekend are mad busy, Cheddar and then Germany.. Sheeeeit!

This week my buddy Shaun Issit took a big fall and did his shoulder in at Crewe, healing vibes to you brah!

Do it until you fail. Out.

Putting in the work, reapin' the rewards..

Shitty weather again this weekend, kinda sucks, but at least i can get some riding in during the week when the weather gets much better - typical eh?! Saturday I rode downhill bikes with John and Dave White at a secret track out in the peaks and it was hectic! I had a lot of fun, but i was losing my cool a bit with the fact i had no grip.. EVER! It was the hardest course I've ever ridden, and not because there was any big jumps, or drops, or gaps, but just cos i couldn't grip the bitch! But still had a bunch of fun in the mud (lots of mud) and got ragg-idy! Afterwards we washed our bikes in a raging river, and i felt pretty down with nature at that point! Awesome session!

Saturday night it was Will Westwoods birthday and so we headed out for a coupla drinks, it was good fun, i only had a few bevvies mixed in with lots of sneaky water, keepin' my focus, and my party side in full effect! Some funny things went down, and it was cool to cut loose a bit.

Today i got up nice and early and headed to Bolehills to get my dig on. We had about 10 hands on deck, 1 barrow and 1 whacker plate and we pretty much resurfaced 50% of the track, which i was stoked with. We had a quick hour ride afterward, it and it felt sick! Pumped for some sessions this week. Thank you to everyone who came and helped, you guys rule!

BMX, the tightest of tight mutual bonds.

Updated Blog..

Yo!

What with everyone jumping on the blog bandwagon i thought i had to upgrade my one a little. Wan comes onto the scene with this and with all kinds of flashy html shit, so thought I had to at least step it up a little. ;)

There is a good thread over at BMXTalk about BMX blogs seems there is more than I (and most people) knew about. Hit it up and add some to your favourites. Hot off the press, UK stylez!

This weekend I plan on hitting gates tomorrow and then having a session with the shovel and whacker at Bolehills on Sunday. If you can make it down the 20 tonne will be down in no time and we can get another load on order!

It's raining again.

Balls to the Wall..

Been an intense couple of days, rode Bolehills Monday evening and even though it was super cold it was good to get out and breathe some clean air and catch some flow time, nothing like it to clear the mind.

Tuesday I hit the increasingly popular Mansfield gate sessions, loads in attendance, some good gates and maximum effort from lots of riders, people wanting to step it up, some of the yoots from the Bulwell club are coming on strong and making an impression on me. These kids haven't got a great deal of money or support but they have a great deal of passion, drive and enthusiasm, and that matters a lot more than the blingest bike, or the shiniest helmet. Bulwell have an amazing community vibe, something that I know i'd love to have for Sheffield club. Tuffy and I did some 75% effort full laps Tuffy 4, DC 5, just to shut 'im up! Had some mint gates and i'm pumped for Cheddar in a few weeks!

Heard Marcos still doing big squats, chill now dude, get them lumps of muscle up to speed, or you'll be blowing up at the back of the pack!

Wednesday was over to Chesterfield for a mint session, very few in attendance the profile needs to be raised. Wednesdays are all about chesterfield, thats how we roll, be there! 6 full laps at 75% i was wasted afterward! We did some gates with no sound and that added a cool element, i have always listened and thought i'd struggle bad without, but i could react to the lights okay and my gates weren't too far off normal. We went back to having the sound on before the end of the session so it didn't balls me up too bad! Good to try something new though! 2 mint hours, gotta love the longer days.

Bolehills tonight, all the cool kids are there, so come along if you can. We plan to start doing gates in the next couple of weeks. Be-lee that.

Taking the rough with the smooth..

Been a good week and an okay weekend filled with some high points and some low points. Very low points. But i'm just going to keep myself busy and keep occupied and push myself 100% at everything i do, throw in some extra laps, extra reps and do it until I fail. I hope you can do the same.

The weekend it was alecs birthday and we headed out to have a few drinks, nothing too heavy and celebrate his coming of age in style, Alec was mash up and had to go home at about 12:30 ha ha, all those rum and cokes did you in player! Everyone was out in the place, Warren, Cooper, Lauren, Hannah, Westwood, Key Ipswich Players, Will Cash Money and Dave Cash Money all throwing shapes and having a good time. Saturday was pretty much just rubbish with bad weather keeping us locked down indoors, I achieved nothing, but it was nice to rest up a bit. The week previous i'd pushed it every night Bolehills x 3, Mansfield and Chesterfield, so my legs were hurting a bit.

Sunday morning woke to a light dusting of snow, so Rotherham was on, not many in attendance, and it was super cold, but i got all factoried up and played it cool. Tuffy took the win in the main with me in 2, Adam C in 3 qand Jessop in 4. Damn Tuffy's fast, i'm lucky to get to ride with him as much as i do, as having someone to chase can only make you stronger and faster. Hopefully. It was my first race clipped in and it felt okay to be honest, no unclips and no mistakes, so that boosted my confidence, for sure.



Registered for Germany Euros and China Worlds, just have a few more logistical things to sort then i can get my head straight and get my focus on.

Mansfield tonight, dropping the hammer!

Fun in the Forest!

Yo!

Been a week or so since Burnham and things have been pretty awesome. The clocks went forward on Sunday and this means after work i can get an hour or 2 in before dark, tres bien!

The week after Burnham was full throttle, i took monday to chill and catch up with some sleep do some odd jobs and sort my life out a bit, i have a to do list as long as my arm and striked through a bunch of stuff. Lists help me remain focussed and organised, and i love feeling of striking through a bunch of stuff at one time. I realise i'm incredibly lame, and i await your cruel taunts. If it weren't for lists however, i'd be in a bad way!

Tuesdsay i hit Mansfield with Tuffy and the crew, busted out out some full lap efforts before dark and then did gates under floodlights, just concentrating on the first 10 metres, I had the clips back on and was feeling a bit more confident on them and besides a few clip outs i felt like i was pulling. Wednesday an upper bosy and core session, and thursday a night road ride with Steve and Jordan, I'm getting back into the road bike, i love the feeling of smooth tarmac! :)

It was big W's birthday on thursday so we hung out at my crib, ate some good food with the lovely wife to be Hannah, and played some Wii, i pretty much schooled those suckers. Friday we headed to TGI fridays for some good food and banter! Afterwards Warren, Cooper, Mason and I headed to town it was a good laugh until I got chucked out of Embrace after 30 minutes of piss taking. The final straw was me executing a clean jump over a balcony, the doormen didn't take too kindly to it all. Shame.

Saturday was grim, but i still got my ride on at Bolehills and then Rotherham, got a good couple of hours under my belt, for the condtions i was just happy to have gotten out! I headed to Manchester that night and hooked up with Dave and Will, picking me up in supreme style Dave was whylin' out in his pimped S3 and i was stoked! We hit the party scene nothing too heavy but was a good laugh and i managed to go a night without any altercation!

Sunday was a dream day, beautiful blue skies, a light wind, a mild temperature we headed to Wharncliffe to ride some downhill, i have little to no experience of this type of riding especially on big bouncy bikes, but i had a lot of fun out of comfort zone! Dave let me hang on to the bike so hopefully go shred some more next week, mint!

This week its gates, sprints, plyo, core and upper body, hectic! A to the T's birthday on Friday so a little party for sure! Ride a bit saturday and get measured up for my suit for Big Ws wedding - big pimpin'! Finally Rotherham regional on Sunday.. Snap!

Late!