News

Four months after FedEx lost Jared's bike, it arrived up on his doorstep yesterday. Along with the brand-new Stricker he'd just ordered from Empire. Rad.

There's some new photos from Secret Spot #420 and Watsonville up at Jackson Allen's blog, Sasquatch Canyon, so head over there and take a look.

I'm stuck in the computer lab at school at the moment, waiting patiently to find out if my application's been accepted for my new apartment and for my next class, so here's a scene from "Coffee and Cigarettes".

Saturday, August 23rd will go down in San Jose history as the first annual "NorCal Classic" BMX race. Nothing was too classic and we may as well change the title of the race to "A Bunch of Older Out of Shape Riders Getting Loose." Santa Clara PAL played host to approximately twenty-five of NorCal's shadiest freestylers, all of whom went racer for a day. The idea was conceived about a week or so before the event was set to go down, so nobody had any chances to try and get any racer skills developed. It made for some shady and sketchy racing for all involved. Two classes were quickly formed consisting of 16-29 Sketch, and 30-and-Over Sketchier. Maybe next year we should allow clipless pedals to increase the sketch level, haha.

16-29 Sketch had a few guys looking to bag some loot right from the beginning and although the internet message boards had pegged Pat Buchanan for the win, they would be sad to find out he was a no-show and a blast from the past by the name of Dan Klay would fit right in his spot. Dan would do battle all day long with eventual winner Dustin Hanson. Derek Ford of NorCal fame was a heavy hitter as well, but after two rounds called it quits. These three were a step ahead of the rest of the pack, and if you didn't know better, you'd think they had a set of clipless pedals and full race gear at home. The Best-Dressed award went to Dan for showing up with a RAD-inspired numberplate that was almost as big as some of the bars I see kids running these days, and a pretty sick helmet to go along with it. These two put on a hell of a show in the rounds where Dustin locked up the overall win just edging out Dan at the line and holding onto the 1st two motos with wins. The main event went to Dan, so although he won the last battle, the war went to Dustin.

1st- Dustin Hanson
2nd- Dan Klay
3rd- Eric Sandlin

Our featured races of the day, of course, were the 30-and-Over motos. As the gate loaded up with eight riders, it was pretty apparent that some came from an early happy hour, and some came to take the first-ever NCC title. You know things are serious when Oscar Gonzalez makes an appearance in an original Skyway jersey. Vince Torres looked like he was hoping any or all seven guys would get in his way and Mike Davis downplayed his skills all week while training up in the mountains, I believe. Old School Joe wasn't out for fun and games, as he brought out a completely raced out [ed. note: and gay, and Asian] S3 Aitken to get a leg up on his competition. A big thanks goes out to NorCal's own bigmouth Al Roybal who brought us some entertainment over the mic. As the gate loaded up he cut the tension with a classic line out of the Roybal Announcers' Bible and said "These guys look more confused than an Arkansas family reunion!" The race action from this bunch was comedic to say the least; eight guys charging hard and trying to keep it rubber side down. It worked for most part, but when things got airborne was when the crowd got really into it. There were a few guys that added about a hundred extra feet to the track just by zig zagging so much. The early favorite was Mike Davis, who secured the first round win, but a few too many late nights came into play and left him in the pack for the second moto. The points were all jumbled up and after two rounds of racing there were five guys who had a tie for the lead with six points! Don Ypil, Mike Davis, Oscar Gonzalez, Marlo Ibon, and OS Joe all had a shot at the win. It would come down to a one-lap dash for the trophy. The gate slapped down and out of nowhere a total sleeper Vince Torres had the lead and was running things smooth! The action in the middle of the pack was what mattered, as whoever finished the best would be the overall winner. But sure enough, just like the Titanic, Vince went down quick as the last straight approached. Don Ypil and Mike Davis used every bit of the track and chalk was flying everywhere as they got into the last turn. Mike Davis must've been getting his makeup ready for the picture at the finish line, because he didn't even see Don dive to the inside of the turn. Don had second place locked up if he played it safe, but second place is only the first loser when it comes to the NCC. Don shot through the turn and right before coming out he somehow slid out. On flat pedals. Didn't anybody tell him to stick his foot down and roost it motocross-style? Don wouldn't recover in time and there to pick up the pieces was none other than Oscar Gonzalez followed up by Joe. The first ever 30-and-Over Sketchier podium was set:

1st- Mike Davis
2nd- Oscar Gonzalez
3rd- Ol School Joe
Thanks to all the sponsors who donated product for the winners:

Moeller and the crew @ S&M Bikes- Check the banners that everyone signed and were awarded to the overall winners!
Tom and Tina @ EmpireBMX- Fresh tees so we didn't have to put up with the smell of alcohol being sweat out, haha. Tons of goodies!
Bill @ Supercross BMX- Thanks so much for the product and continued support of the local scene in NorCal.
George @ Knight Bikes- George kicked down a huge bag of just about everything in the Knight lineup, and all the riders were very appreciative!
Mike @ Ramp Rats- Ramp Rats sent a stack of free session passes to be distributed to the athletes. Hopefully they can ride smoother there!
Aaron @ Solid- Aaron Huff is a long time supporter and steady backdrop of all things NorCal and BMX. He came through with the goodies and quite a few people walked away with some of the best stuff NorCal has to offer.
Psykopath- Yet another local Bay Area company who put up some product and cash to make things happen.

Thanks to all involved and look forward to more events of this type in the near future!

There's a newspaper article in the Merc here. Check Saturday's photos below, courtesy of Daniel Porter.

Dustin, Oscar, and Mike.
Mike.
Dan.
Eric Sandlin.
Me, about to hand out some cash to the victors.
Me getting boosty at Stonegate after the race.

I didn't make it out to the race this morning, due to being far too hungover from a party at Jared's house last night where I'm fairly positive I acted like an asshole and talked a lot of shit. I make no excuses, I merely state what I think happened. Anyway, I guess that there was a decent turnout and I think Dustin and Mike got first in their respective age/weight brackets. Nick Dawg will probably get all the details up tomorrow.

Speaking of Nick, here's a shot I took of him on the Cunningham vert ramp the other day with Jared's camera. Pegless downside icepick. Burly.

And here're Derek Wilson's photos from Wednesday's BBQ. No riding, just people hanging out. As you'll see, it was pretty busy. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.

Expect a new video in a week or two, along with some site improvements/updates and a new, spam-proof chatbox. Fuck spam, that's why.

New photos tomorrow, including a riding shot I took of Dawg with Jared's camera yesterday and a bunch of lifestyle shots from Wednesday's BBQ by Derek Wilson.

That one part of the site has been removed, along with the chatbox. Jared Strate is disappointed that he never got to post "TLDR" in response to the rodent's ranting.

Don't mind the title; watch it anyhow. Yanked off Roll Mexican. Raddest video of the year, heed my words.

Here's a pair of new videos that are cool, but simply can't compare to the one above. I'm every bit for serious now. Anyway, the first one is Gwadder 2 by the now-infamous Alex Ourricariet. The second one is old footy from Mike Kohn, of the following East Bay kids: Scott Lynn, Jeremy Joy, Alec and Marc Hugo, Josh Gray, Zach Becker, Robert Campbell, Josh Baty, Austin McNaughton and Mike Kohn.

What up kids? So I get a chance to go to the BBQ that David and "Juge/Cookie" are throwing, and I catch a ride with Endo and we show up a little after noon. A good twenty-five or thirty kids are shredding the park and I only know about a third of them, which is good because that means the scene is growing and definitely strong. We're right on time; I had stopped to grab some refreshments and little shit before we showed up and we timed it just perfect because the BBQ was just getting all set up. Kids are riding, it's a good day and let me get started on how surprised I was that there were actually some hot chicks present. I've been to many BMX gatherings and nine times outta ten there is a lack of hot chicks [ed. note: BMX is a sausage fest, son]. Well, whoever invited their friends or whatnot, good job because it's a proven fact that BMX'ers are grimey dirtbags and getting a chance to see some hot chicks present was a welcome surprise. Beerman flaked which was the big letdown of the day. I should have known. I guess he's training for that race this weekend [ed. note: I showed up after you left, fuckface]? Weak. Myself, Endo, and Elliott were riding the quarters and Mike Packer was doing every grind you can imagine on the pyramid ledges, when Endo decided to do a toboggan air. I didn't see much of a toboggan but there was a ton of air before I heard him slip a pedal on the bottom of the tranny. A few of us on the deck made remarks about how that shinner must have hurt. Endo limped up and sat on the grind ledge to gather himself. About two minutes later this fool was looking three shades of Mexican and was about to pass out. We decide to hit the local ER to see what's up as he's telling me that his ankle is shattered. I suggested "fractured" and ended up being pretty damn right. He rolled it over, and fractured his lower leg bone (the skinny one that meets up at your ankle on the inside of your foot) and a small bone chip on the other side of the ankle. I'm sure his tendons are all stretched and stuff, too. Bummer. The Doc was talkin' surgery if it was bad so he dodged a bullet and we were happy to see only a small fracture/bone chip. Two-to-three months off the whip. Missed the whole BBQ, didn't ride that long, coulda tried to pick up on the hot chicks, and my dog was pissed we had to leave early because she wasn't done running in circles terrorizing everyone. Thanks, Endo. Haha. I hope to see half of the riders that were at this BBQ at the race at PAL this weekend. I've got a fair amount of little prizes and shit to give away, and after the race I plan on hitting Stonegate anyway, so maybe we can have a BBQ around two and I can actually get to hang out? If anyone has pics, get 'em to Chris. Good job and idea David and Juge.

1. In a moment of zen that sadly wasn't filmed, Tots' forks snapped in half today at King. As in, like, complete separation of the steerer tube from the fork legs. Nice work, Eastern!
2. There's going to be a BBQ at Stonegate around noon on Wednesday, put on by Cookie and David Urbieta. According to Caveman and Packer, "noon" actually means "two-thirty."

There's going to be a going-away session for Cole at Cunningham this Sunday. Cole is moving to Daytona Beach, Florida to go to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as an astronautical engineering major. So, since this will probably be your last chance to see him for the next few years, you should make sure to come out.

Upcoming events:

Aug 23: 1st Annual NorCal Classic, Santa Clara PAL
Aug 23: Double Ditch Jam, Alburqurque

Kurtis Elwell interview: Lotek. These Days trailer, with Kevin Kiraly and Justin Burns: DefGrip. New photos, including some classic shots of Vince "V-Dogg" Torres and some flatlanding, courtesy of Dion:

Joey Chernoff, invert. Photo: Dan Khataevich
Joey Chernoff, footjam on a 6' spine. Photo: Dan Khataevich
Elliot Negron, turndown. Photo: Cody Brown
V-Dogg, cancan air. 1996. Photo: ?
V-Dogg, lookback. 1987. Photo: ?
V-Dogg, table air. 1985. Photo: ?
V-Dogg, no-footer. 1985. Photo: ?
V-Dogg, table in Foster City. 1985. Photo: ?
Dion Dangzalan, FW steamroller-to-funky chicken. Photo: ?
Ying, FW steamroller-to-juggler-to-hitchhiker-to-half-whopper. Photo: ?
Ying, same move, different angle. Photo: ?
Ying, one-handed hang-ten. Photo: ?
Bottle, FW Karl Kruzer-to-hitchhiker. Photo: ?
Jason, BW hitchhiker. Photo: ?
Chris, fire hydrant-to-multiple whiplashes. Photo: ?

Since some people are probably wondering what the deal with the flatland shots is, here's what Dion from Two Wheel Life had to say: Mutt and I are trying to start up the Bay Area flatland scene again (outside of the Clocktower) where we call all flat riders once a month to jam a little. Our sessions are the first Sunday of every month at the BBT (Big Black Top) on the corner of James Ave and Redwood Rd in Castro Valley. We start at 3:00PM and end in the evening. For more information, any flatland rider can email me or can catch me sessioning at the parking lot of Leland High in Almaden/San Jose, most afternoons. Thanks!

Jared Strate took some photos a couple weeks back at a Sunday morning Cunningham session. Speaking of him, he should finally have a new bike in a couple weeks. Expect big, manly gearing and a penchant for Bonedeth.

Dakota Mattert, 360 lookback.
Dakota Mattert, 360 downside whip.
Dakota Mattert, backflip.
Joel Albor, Canadian-to-over.
Damian Schinella, table air.
Cory McKerrow, footjam whip.
Cory McKerrow, no-footer.
Me, on Nick Dawg's ride with a horrendous mustache.
A better view of the 'stache.

And here's some new photos of a bunch of Mikes from Dan Khataevich:

Mike Singha, flair at Redwood City.
Michael Fontana turndowning the RWC spine.
Mike Clarke, footjam at Menlo.
Dan Khataevich, turndown at Alameda. Photo: Mike Clarke

There's going to be another old-school BBQ out at Calabazas on Saturday the 16th. Hopefully it'll be riding decently by then, because I headed out on there on Saturday and, to put it frankly, Steinbeck easily could've written a mini-novella about the Dustbowl.

On another note...