February 2004 - Transit R.I.P.

Feb 02, 2004

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 6041 times

Last weekend the Braun Flatground contest was held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. People from all over the world showed up. Jesse Puente, Chad Johnston, Paul Osika, Jeff Desroche and Shane Neville flew in from the West, Simon O'Brien arrived from Down Under, the Japanese delegation wasn't exactly small either. A dedicated Nathan Penonzek drove up from Malaga, Spain which was a 30 hour drive. Next to the flatland competitors we had a few surprise showings; vert rider Gerry Galley for instance, Amos Burke, the 414 crew from England and German flatland guru's Albert Retey, TG, Robert Moeller and Rollo. Also parked outside was a blue Ford Transit van with WeThePeople, Chico, Mars and HDT stickers. If you've been into BMX for a while you know that Marcus Arnoldi made it to Amsterdam as well. While talking to Marcus he mentioned that this would be the last trip for the Transit. The van is not going to make it through inspection so after a good 10 years and 467.000 kilometers of BMX trips it is time to say goodbye.

If the van could talk, it could write 10 books. Personally I've been fortunate to experience plenty of trips in the Transit. We cooked dinner in it on the Paris periferique, we had 23 people in it at the X-mas jam in Denmark and we parked it next to Windsor castle for a good night of sleep. I could go on and on, and that's what I will do. For the next few weeks I'd like to collect stories on Kalle's FORD Transit and would like to ask for your help. Send your Transit story and pics to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as a tribute to the tour machine. Going places and meeting people is one of the best parts of BMX. "How many people have no stories" as this one song goes, does not apply to BMX-ers with an adventurous mind. With a full schedule of contests to choose from it's time to hop on a cheap plane or get inside a vehicle with friends and go. Don't forget to reserve a spot for Marcus Arnoldi, with over 4 tons of BMX kilometers in his pocket he should not have to drive to the next event himself.

Transit R.I.P.

Bart