Report: Berm in the Middle jam 2013. The show must go on! By BdJ

Jun 26, 2013

Written by Bart de Jong

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The weather forecast wasn't all to great leading up to the Middenberm jam in The Hague. It was over 30 degrees earlier in the week, but things can change quickly in The Netherlands and 17 degrees and chances of rain were on the program. Still many people showed up on Saturday for a good day at the trails which had been fixed up once again. Everything had been bumped up and the pump track had been extended. Because of the good preparation, it could handle the rain that started coming down around noon. Early birds got a few runs in before that but a little break was necessary for the trails to soak up the wetness. But then it dried up and Desmond Tessemaker and Roy Groenewegen weren't afraid to get dirty. Once riders saw it was possible to clear the whole line, they padded up joined the fun. BMX and MTB rode together and came from as far as Austria to get to the Monster Berm in the middle jam. It was "open practice" for a while until a one hour jam session followed. The judges were strategically placed so points could be collected on top, and at the bottom as well.

About 16 riders rode together for an hour for the decent pro purse which had been doubled by putting the BMX and MTB purse in one hat. € 800 for first, € 500 for second and € 200 Euros for third were on the line as well as two GoPro camera's for best trick in BMX and MTB. The atmosphere was getting better and better after Monster Energy had started up the BBQ and provided all sorts of drinks. DJ Winchester was playing the tunes in the woods and the papparazi found a spot to take some shots.

Making it down to the bottom of the trails required some skills, and balls. The step down was far and the last set is simply huge. The top section was good fun and some people used that section to show some tricks. Kenneth Tancre did a 360 tailwhip over the 3rd set that people down the hill missed as they were waiting for the big jumps on the last set. Tom Selbeck also stayed on top and wasn't scared to trick every set. Patrick Harteveld took some gnarly crashes but "rad dad" picked himself up again and again to continue. Mad props to pops. The dirt session for Shanice Silva Cruz didn't last too long as a small double at the beginning of the line threw her over the bars. Channon Balorian had fun and rode until he managed to get to the last jump. Once there he decided to throw a frontie over the last big set but came up a few feet short, but survived.

It was tough riding in the conditions because the dirt was soaking up the tires and it was harder to keep the speed going to clear the sets. Desmond Tessemaker has ridden enough in wet conditions as a BMX racer and dealt with the circumstances the best way possible. Desmond won a GoPro camera for best trick and got second in the comp behind Roy Groenewegen. Kenneth Tancre from Belgium finished third and took home € 200,=.

Finger clothing, Monster Energy and Teva stickers, sunglasses and hats were given out to those who picked up trash. It's important to treat those dirt spots well. Keep them clean, show some respect so we go back there next year for the 4th edition of the Middenberm jam.

Can someone order the sun already?

BdJ