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Event: 2019 Jam
Location: Skateland Rotterdam, Netherlands
Sponsors: Paulsboutique BMX, KASKON it, Skateland Rotterdam and DTX13
Participants: BMX and MTB

Lost of things are happening in the BMX scene right now and, as always, everybody has an opinion about what direction BMX Freestyle has to go…. Well this story will stay away from that discussion and will focus on why we (people with passion for the sport) wanted to start 2019 with a Bang and a Jam! Our beloved sport is coming from an all-time low and we noticed new faces popping up at the locals and commercial parks. Also it was time to get the scene together as a whole, no more politics but sharing the passion we all have for 16” up till 26”wheels, as one! We needed an indoor location where all types of riding could take place (except Dirt, but another JunkieJam will happen this year). Not only park rats needed to come out but also street riders needed to be attracted. Skateland Rotterdam has for all these riders obstacles they like to shred so we got in touch with them and without hesitation they agreed to open up their park for this event and even stepped up to the plate to make the entry free for all the riders. Because time and budget was limited we needed people to people to help us for free…

Stuart Gibson, Desmond Tessemaker and myself (Albert Moonen) went to our personal friends to

Making it on the riders list for Simple Session 2019 is already a win. The Park and Street riders have been announced and the talent in both classes is deep.  The Saku Arena will be the place to be from 2-3 February 2019 so if you haven't booked your travel yet, today is the day to do it. Look at the list of riders below, we're sure you don't want to miss this crew ride live in Tallinn, Estonia.

BMX PARK
Alex Hiam AUS
Kenneth Tencio CRI
Roomet Säälik EST
Kostya Andreev RUS
Kevin Peraza MEX
Dan Foley USA
Victor Peraza MEX
Irek Rizaev RUS
Jonathan Camacho ECU
Justin Dowell USA
Rim Nakamura JPN
Paul Thölen GER
Andres Lainevool EST

The USA Cycling Board of Directors has named Rob DeMartini as president and chief executive officer of USA Cycling. DeMartini joins the organization from New Balance Athletics, Inc. where he spent the last 12 years as president and CEO. He will begin his new position in February 2019.   “Our entire Board and management team enthusiastically welcome Rob as our new CEO. His passion and ambition for both the future of USA Cycling and our sport is inspiring. He also brings the proven leadership, commercial skills and resources to elevate USA Cycling and to do more for our members, partners and athletes,” said Bob Stapleton, USA Cycling Chairman of the Board.

During his time at New Balance, DeMartini accomplished one of the highest periods of growth in the athletic footwear and apparel industry, driving the company from $1.5 billion annual revenue in 2007 to $4.4 billion in 2018. He led the expansion of international sales and guided the brand as it regained its position as a leader in specialty running while also focusing on cultivating company culture.

“As I join USA Cycling, I look forward to working closely with Chuck Hodge (chief of racing and events)

Between the 30th November and the 2nd of December, the Malta BMX Association hosted the 5th BMX Fest - Xmas Edition International Event at the BMX warehouse 086 in Pembroke. Over 30 foreigners traveled to Malta for this event, where 22 international BMX Athletes competed over the weekend. The main competition took place on Sunday during the Open competition where 18 BMX athletes competed, 4 being local riders. It was 14 year old Dutch rider Jari Roggeveen who took 3rd place, followed by UK rider Jack Mould in 2nd and Defending Champion Tom van den Bogaard from the Netherlands who took the win for the second consecutive year. 

A best trick competition was also held during the open competition which was won by UK Rider Jack

What beter venue than the 040BMXPARK to host the first official Dutch BMX PARK National championships. The park has attracted some of the top riders from the Netherlands who moved to Eindhoven just to be able to ride the park on a regular basis. Pim Scheers, Levi Weidmann, Daniel Wedemeijer, Milan Tenbult, Erik van de Wardt and Tom van den Bogaard now live close enough to ride the park multiple times per week with Shanice Silva Cruz, Jari Roggeveen and others making the trip to Brabant on a regular basis to get better at riding a bike. The Foampit and Resi section have given the riders a safe way to learn new tricks but at the first KNWU Freestyle Championships those two sections did not count (of course).

On the Women side The Netherlands could use some more riders but it's a growing process and with the attention that Shanice Silva Cruz is getting in the media, it's just a matter of time before girls will find their way into BMX Freestyle. Shanice grabbed the first Dutch title in BMX Park as expected doing 540's, flips and tailwhips at a park that she has visited for years.

The 8-man final in Eindhoven was of a high level. Riders are stepping it up and now it was time to shine. With DJ Winchester bringing the tunes, Dutch national TV filming and a big crowd on the balcony the riders went in full force. 2 runs each, best run counts. The format allowed for the riders to shoot for their best run possible and do it twice. Daniel Wedemeijer had an unfortunate crash on a flair-whip and hurt his hand during run one and did not get the result he wanted.

The points chase toward the 2020 Olympic Games has started. During the qualifying period of 1 November 2018 - 12 May 2020 UCI licensed riders particiating at events listed on the UCI calendar can collect points for their Individual ranking. This ranking is updated weekly and includes all points scored at eligible events over the past 12 months from the day the rankings are updated. This can include National Championships, Class 1 (C1) events, Continental Championships, World Cups and World Championships. Please find below the current Individual Park standings for Elite Men. World Champion Just Dowell has scored a total of 4330 points over the last 12 months for instance followed by Brandon Loupos (3650 points) and Daniel Dhers (3580 points).

Results UCI C1 BMX Freestyle Park event. NCBMX series North Carolina, USA.
Elite Men:
1 DHERS Daniel  VEN 33   90.8                 200
2 NYQUIST Ryan USA 39   90.0                160
3 DOWELL Justin USA 18 84.4                 130
4 FOX Brian USA    23        75.8                 110
5 SMITH Tucker USA 19    75.6                  90
6 BARON CORREA Cristhian COL 24 69.4 70

Results BMX FEST Malta X-Mas edition
Open Competition
1st: Tom van den Bogaard
2nd: Jack Joshua Mould
3rd: Jari Roggeveen

Best Trick: Jack Joshua Mould
Best Local Rider: Karl Naja

Full House Jam All-In Skatepark, Zurich, ON, Canada. Sunday 2 December 2018.

Park results:
1) Jaden Chipman
2) Alex Leibrock
3) Zeb Dennis

In the fifth and final instalment of VANS UNFILTERED, the unique pairing of Courage Adams and Simone Barraco ventured across remote areas of Sicily. For the high-powered and technical duo Sicily was bliss, countless spots surrounded by dusty roads and volcanic sand beaches. Even the hot temperatures and locals hustle wasn’t enough to slow these guys down, in fact, it added a touch of Italian authenticity to the trip.

Sicily turned out to be the perfect setting for UNFILTERED visionary Rich Forne, the sights and sounds helping spark the trip into life, just like Mount Etna does every day. Barraco remarked, “I’d previously visited Sicily before, however Catania was a completely different level of craziness,”.