Turn off the 24 hour news, turn on, tune in and watch the riders dropping in. Here are seven films to escape with.
Elation – Freeriding in B.C.
Ooh, steep. Like Hebden Bridge, only more of it and less mud. We’d be fine, just with more tired arms. That’s probably why he does the no handers – to keep the blood flowing. We should work on that.
The Ride
OK, so this does look kinda cheesy, but although the film is set in America it’s based on the autobiographical book by British BMX rider John Buultjens. The story is no schmaltz though – born into an abusive family setting and then put in a children’s home, the book starts with ‘Burnt flesh. That’s my first memory. Not exactly the normal thing a person remembers from their childhood, and even worse, it was my own.’
So how did John go on to be a world famous BMX rider? Read the book, to find out – or watch the movie for the dramatised version.
One Dream – Oisin O’Callaghan
If you’ve got a teenager you can be forgiven for wondering where you went wrong as you push to get them out of bed every day. Oisin O’Callaghan, the new Junior Downhill World Champion, doesn’t seem to struggle with motivation or discipline – in this video he’s even shown doing his household chores.
Melon UK Roadtrip
Opinion in the office is divided over whether this is funny, or a ladsladslads (with old man) throwback. You decide.
One day session at Evo bike park
Obviously this exactly what we look like on a day out at Dyfi. We’re just working on getting a better extension on some of the bigger tricks, and getting our feet back on the pedals cleanly once we’ve taken them off our handlebars. We’re not crashing, we’re learning. That wasn’t an OTB, it was a new bar roll front tuck gyration that we’re working on. Honest. What do you mean you don’t believe us? Are you accusing us of being fake media? Umm… Anyway, these guys are quite good. Maybe we’re just on the wrong tyres?
The Old World
Coming in December, this is a movie that will be on Red Bull TV for 48 hours only, 4th-6th December. It looks at different aspects of riding all over Europe and features riders such as Emil Johansson, Chris Akrigg, Rachel Atherton, Diego Caverzasi, Matthias Dandois, Nico Vink, Bruno Hoffmann, Vincent Tupin, Dawid Godziek, Szymon Godziek and Nico Scholze. Locations featured include La Poma Bike Park in Spain, Châtel in France, Strada in Norway, Berlin and Paris.
Stumpy Sessions
Joel Anderson, Matt Roe and Preston Williams ride the new Stumpjumper EVO. Amongst the places they ride are Redhill Extreme, which we visited earlier this year. Enjoy some jumpy vibes on the Stumpy.
Don’t forget that the official Stumjumper EVO launch video is up for the vote in our Singletrack Reader Awards – make sure you check out the competition and vote for your favourite.
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I rode BMX with John in the 80s – two things – the film IS cheesy, and John never became a world famous BMXer, though our friend Scott Carroll (who has a character named after him in the film) sure did. He’s sadly misssed.
John kindly invited me to the UK premiere of the film – fittingly shown at the DCA in Dundee which in the late 80s was the last of the infamous Dundee Factories – disused buildings reclaimed by BMXers and skaters and turned into ghetto skateparks.
While John didn’t become a world famous BMXer, he did overcome a lot in his difficult early life, and ran his own BMX company and team – Pilgrim BMX, and is now the global brand manager for Haro BMX – his dream job. Chapeau John!
Good work ST! I shall start at the top. 🙂
Nice extra info there, sillyoldman