15 year old Alex was clearly dominant, showing unmatched control, a fine technique and some huge air. He pulled 360's, tuck no-handers and toboggan 180's on the mini-spine, grinded feeble and double-peg on the ledge, tailwhipped the small pyramid and flew with inverts, turndowns to fakie, 360 flatspins to fakie and 540's out of the quarter. 
Last year's winner and Mirraco rider Alin proved once again to be a smooth operator on the technical side of things as he kicked it with smith, smith to double-pegs and feeble to 180-off at the ledge, spinned 180 barspins and 360's to fakie in the bank and clean 360's off the funbox and worked the flatrail on top of it with some icepick grinds and an impressive railride to tailwhip to the flat. 
"Royal" Comanu' leaped huge distances around the park, with a "go huge or go home" mindset, but he didn't just leave it to that. The main rail of the set-up was 360'd and over-icepicked, the flatrail, met an innovative grind, bottom bracket and front peg, the ledge suffered from lengthy smiths on it's higher side, while the mini-pyra was transfer-whipped once again, huge 180's and 360's were spun off the funbox and the banks played host for some delicious footjam nosepick tailwhips. 
Some predictable impressive riding came from Sibiu's 15 year old Alex Jiga, the one who won several contests in his hometown this summer. "Jardel" rode smooth as always, took 180's and 360's to the quarter or off the funbox, turned it down in great style wherever he could and transferred alley-oops from the mini kicker to the banks on the far left side. Alex Negrean, a Bucharest local who impressed last year's crowd with his gap from the quarter, over the subrail, to the flat, returned with this same stunt, but placed it this time in a line with a backflip on the spine.
In the end, it was a pretty clear first for Alex, second for Alin and third for Comanu', but Jiga and Beju, another 15 year Sibiu native, exhibited good tricks, excellent style and proved a lot of potential for the years to come, so they deserves at least a shout-out! The following Highest Air contest in the bowlcorner of the park brought the aforementioned people together for a jam-session that was the crowd's delight. Comanu' flew constantly high above the improvised lath and earned the contest and everybody's respect, but young rippers Alex "The Don" and Jiga are already a force to be reckoned with, as they are friends of air and style themselves.
I.O.Riding proved to be once again a ton of fun, and people are anxious to see how next year the ante will be upped.
Maximilian Munteanu,
I.O.Riding firing squad
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.