May 31, 2008
What a day. I will get to a run down of what went down today but here are the official results of today’s Elite classes.
Elite Men:
1. Maris Strombergs (Latvia)
2. Steven Cisar (USA)
3. Sifiso Nhlapo (South Africa)
Elite Women:
1. Shanaze Reade (Great Britain)
2. Ann-Caroline Chausson (France)
3. Sarah Walker (New Zealand)
5. Samantha Cools (Canada)
Junior Men:
1. Sam Willoughby (Australia)
2. Vincent Pelluard (France)
3. Denzel Stain (USA)
Junior Women:
1. Manon Valentino (France)
2. Lauren Reynolds (Australia)
3. Rachel Bracken (Australia)
5. Victoria Hill (New Zealand)
Elite Masters:
1. Dale Holmes (Great Britain)
2. Tim Dinger (USA)
Check out BMX Mania for all results.
Marc had an up and down day today; he had a bit of tough luck in one motto and crashed but came back to win his third motto which put him into the 8th finals. He went on to finish 2nd with ease in a really stacked motto. Bubba was in the same rack and was in 3rd behind Marc going into the last straight but was lacking the power to fend off the guys coming from behind and was passed at the line. Went down to a photo finish and Bubba was out, sucks considering he was killing his mottos. In the quarterfinals Marc hit the gate but came back into the first turn making a crazy move into third, however his tires couldn’t hold him and he went straight into Robert Dewilde and ate it. His day was over, it was very disappointing as he was flyin’ this weekend and could have produced a great result in the main, but that’s racing. This is just going to motivate him even more over the next few months to get ready for Beijing, he will have his day, mark my word!
On the girls side Sarah was having a pretty good day, she had Shanaze all day long in every motto and was always 1st or 2nd behind her. Samantha was hurting a lot and most girls (or even guys for that matter) would have pulled out and called it quits, but she grit her teeth and handled it and made the main. In the main Sarah had the best gate and had the pop, down the first straight she hit someone and fell back to 5th. Samantha didn’t have a great gate as her power was lacking from her injury but was pulling around the track. Samantha pulled up to 3rd place as a few girls hit down the 3rd straight and Sarah was still in 5th. Down the last straight Sarah poured it on and made a move up to 3rd place passing Samantha who had nothing left by that point. Great racing by both girls, Samantha impressed me on how tough she is, now she can go home back to Canada and have a few weeks of healing time to get ready for Beijing.
The Elite men were crazy, that’s the only way I can put it. They were going so fast it was unbelievable, Maris won from start to finish with Sifiso 2nd most of the way around the track until Cisar passed him down the 3rd straight. I don’t think anyone hit the straight as fast as Cisar did, the kid is unbelievable!
Jr. Men was straight up owned by Australian Sam Willoughby. I mentioned last month that this kid is the future, well he is officially here. I don’t know for sure but I heard that the Elite men’s final was only .01 seconds faster than Sam’s time and he is only a first year Jr.
In the Jr. Women class New Zealander Victoria Hill pulled off a great finish with a solid 5th. This is the first weekend I’ve had with Vic and she is such a pleasure to be around, such a character and great person. This winter I will get to work with her one on one and help her improve on a few things to help her reach the top.
The Canadians had a rough day today. Most of the riders didn’t show too much but Canada did earn themselves a spot in the Olympics (unofficially). Scott Erwood killed it in Mottos making it into 8th, as did Jimmy Brown. Both of them didn’t make it out of quarters which they need to do to get their spot, however since the rest of the field was so fast today most countries who needed to get their 1 spot also didn’t make it to quarters, thus earning them a spot. I don’t know who gets to go but if I had to pick on who was going the fastest today I would have to go with Erwood.
In Jr. Men, Alex Sailor was looking really good in Mottos transferring out really easily but didn’t make it out of his quarter.
Tomorrow is cruiser day; I’m going to bed!
Sam and I
Olympic Bound Sifiso and Denzel Stain
Victoria Hill talking with her Mom.
Sam Willoughby
UCI main man Mattis and Coach Herve
Bronze Medalist Sarah Walker
Yvan Lapraz
Me and Ceez (Steven Cisar)
Track Builders Tom Ritz, announcer Stan Horton and Canadian Track Builder Kyle Mitchell
May 30, 2008
First off I want to apologize if I offended anyone yesterday about my comments on the bus issue (which I deleted). I was misinformed that it was an HP bus only when it really was for everyone, sorry guys. I guess when I get 50 000 hits per day and just express my feelings, I will upset a few people here and there.
Anyway, today was beautiful! It was really hot out and the air was clear, blue sky all around. Its crazy how the sun really made the whole city shine and really get to see the beauty of China. Today I talked to a few people who vacationed in Beijing and Hong Kong before they got here and they all said how pretty and gorgeous the cities were. Apparently the city of Beijing has done quite a bit to get clean for the games and you can even ‘eat off of the streets’.
Today was a great day of racing. Connor McCormack (sorry if the spelling is wrong) from Kelowna is your new 15 boys Worlds Champ, the only Canadian to do so. This kid is Canada’s version of Mikey Day and is such a nice kid to go with his skills, awesome job. Tory Nyhaug had a tough day at the office and pulled off a 3rd. It’s crazy to say he had a rough day and still podiums at the Worlds; Tory is a Champion for sure and is my favorite amateur rider out there. He will be a Jr. Elite next year and will be hopefully getting his first of many rainbow jerseys in Australia.
Since I don’t know many of the Kiwis here is a press release that I pulled for my site.
Today was the second day of the UCI BMX World Championships in Taiyuan, China. Today saw the conclusion of the challenge (amateur) 20′ classes- UCI 15 and above. Four riders were scheduled for today, but sadly two did not make it. Hayley Gedye had a bad crash in practice, and was not able to compete. Josh Woodcock also crashed in practice; he is still hoping to make the cruiser event on Sunday. So that left us with Trent Woodcock in the 15 boys and Elyse Imber in the 16 girls. Trent had a good run (2-4-1) in his mottos, but it all ended in his semi-final. Trent still has cruiser day to make up. Elyse had a better day, making her final and ending up ranked World 5. A great effort, but Elyse reckons it isn’t good enough!
Also you can get a Canadian update from Canada Coach Adam Muys here. www.cyclingbcbmx.ca
Onto Elite practice.
In the girls practice Sam and Sarah looked awesome. There were only a handful of girls that could get thru the 3rd straight smoothly and both of them handled it with ease. Sarah had some great gates and had no issues with the rest of the track, she looking super smooth and is very confident (as am I) going into tomorrows race. Samantha is looking strong down the first straight and owns the rest of the track. She is hurting quite a bit but she will be able to tough it out, Dr. Robinson has been doing acupuncture on her all day and will tonight as well. Bill, you can relax a bit, she’s looking great, ☺.
On the guy’s side, Marc owned it today. He is looking better then I have seen him ride and had no issues with the track at all. His gate is on point and is in a great mood going into tomorrow. I can’t wait! Bubba was looking really good again until he crashed near the end of practice. He tore his ankle up again! I swear he can’t catch a break with that thing. Afterwards he was in lots of pain and pretty upset about it, frustrating for sure. I don’t know how he will do tomorrow but I’m sure he will pull thru like he has been doing all year. It’s going to be an issue for him until he gets it operated on, sucks that it’s an Olympic year.
Anyway here are a bunch of pictures from today.
On the way to practice, Victoria Hill (Jr. Elite), Ryan and Sarah
They dont clean out the porto potties here and they are so nasty that you can smell them from the other end of the track. They are so bad that I dont drink or eat all day so I won’t have to use them. Tony T made a toilet seat for the girls to use, haha.
3 members of the coolest family around, Me, Sam, John Cools
Samantha getting worked on, its all good Bill.
My daughters god-father, Bubba (and me.)
Bubba’s fiance Kasey and I.
Greg and Tory Nyhaug making Canadians look good!
15 boys World Champion Connor McCormack
Alfie Amor, Marc and I having some fun with our masks, this is the only time I had mine on.
May 29, 2008
Just a quick reminder that Aaron and crew will be doing two camps up in St. Albert this weekend. Saturday will be a novice/intermediate camp and Sunday will be an expert camp. Its open to everyone and there are still spots open, check the “Events” tab for more info.
May 29, 2008
Well I am finally sick, I think I have a sinus infection but I hope it doesn’t get much worse. I was hoping that I was going to be good but I think the air finally got the best of me. Today was the challenge racing for 14 and under, it was broadcast live on TV so we stayed in our apartment and watched. I wanted Marc and Sarah to relax and rest and stay out of the heat and dusty air. It was a big let down to see only 27 mottos, it was more of a local race then it was a World Championships.
There were not too many Canadians who raced today other than Parker Simson who was defending his title from last year. In mottos he made a pretty aggressive move in a turn taking out his main competition, it was crazy enough that we all got pretty pumped while we watched it. Bubba even sent me a text as he was watching from his hotel room commenting in how burly it was.
In the main he had lane 8 and going into the first turn bumped bars with the Australian he took out in mottos which sent him back into 8th. He made up for it around the track and finished in 2nd, good job buddy.
Tomorrow morning is the rest of the challenge classes and then Elite practice in the afternoon. The weather is supposed to be pretty good so it should be a great day. I am looking for Tory Nyhaug to get his 5th UCI title as he was doing pretty well in practice the other day.
This evening Sarah, Sue (Sarah’s Mom) and I headed down to the track for the press conference that they held. There was a lot of Chinese press and they seem to be really pumped up about this weekends race and having BMX in their country. I have to say that all the Chinese people who have been at the track and hotel have been very nice. They really want to please you and will go out of their way to help out and do things for you, even a little too nice at times.
Here are a few pictures of the Main Organizers building and the press conference. The riders who took part in it were; Shaneze Reade, Sarah, the two Chinese Elites who I have no idea who they are (sorry), Kyle Bennett and Jared Graves.
May 28, 2008
We just got back from an awesome Japanese teppanyaki dinner, the best meal I have had in a real long time. It’s 10pm here and I am beat and about to go to bed but wanted to update with today’s news.
Practice went today for everyone, including all of the Elite riders. It was pretty windy today and it’s suppose to be even worse tomorrow, the weather called for severe sand storms, should be interesting. Today it was really hot and the air was reasonably clean compared to what it has been like, I even saw some blue sky today. By the end of the day though my lungs hurt, my eyes are sore and I was covered in dust as its really dusty on the track.
The track rode pretty well and as I thought a few people had some issues with the 3rd straight, really technical and will eat up those who can’t ride. It will even eat some people up who can ride as Patrick Lebel took a good digger but is fine.
Samantha was really sore but looked very strong today during practice, however couldn’t move very well afterwards. Dr. Robinson is here with the Canadian team and spent a good 45 minutes on her after she was done. She doesn’t feel good but looks great, hopefully her body will hold up for the race on Saturday.
Marc and Sarah both look very strong and other than having sore eyes and chest issues from the air, they are both feeling good. Marc was hitting the pro section and the third straight with ease and looks great, as does Sarah.
Bubba looks really good, better than he has in a long time. His ankle is very sore but is holding up and should be good to go for Saturday. In true Bubba style he hit up the whole track his first lap so I think he is feeling pretty confident for the race.
Scott Erwood looked the best out of the Canadian males and in my opinion is the best bet for Canada to make the Olympics. If one of the guys makes it thru to quarters they will hopefully earn themselves a spot, fingers crossed.
Unfortunately I have not had the chance to get to know very many New Zealand kids yet so I don’t know any names to report how they did. I do know that Trent Woodcock is looking really strong and should be able to produce a good finish on Friday. This winter (New Zealand Summer) I will be doing camps all around NZ, so I should get to know everyone over the next 6 months.
Speaking of camps, I will be in Langley next week to do a 3 night camp, check my “Events” tab for more details. I’m off to bed but here are a few pictures from today.
Pit Area
Canadians
Kiwis
Security caught napping and spooning and yes they were two dudes, haha.
May 27, 2008
We just got done doing sprints outside and what an adventure that was. There are no open or safe places around here to do what we needed to do. We rode around for about 30 minutes, in which we got stared at, laughed at and even chased by security as we were riding in a “no ride zone”. The funny thing is that all the Chinese people riding their bikes while we were trying to do our sprints had no issues, of course! Driving over here is nuts, its actually not allowed unless you have a Chinese license so if you rent a car it comes with a driver. I don’t think there are any rules on the road, you just lay on the horn and do what you want to do and turn when you want to turn.
People over here must think that I am a freak as I have been getting stared at the whole time. I guess it’s not every day they see a 6’2”, 250lbs tattooed guy running around, people have even been taking pictures of me, ha-ha.
Today was practice for the Challenge classes so we went down to check it out. The track is in really good shape but I think there are going to be a few issues in the 3rd straight as it’s a bit tight for the speed you hit it with. While we were there a few people crashed pretty hard but this is the World Championships so it needs to be a bit more technical and I don’t think the top kids will have much problems with it. This is going to be one of the smallest Worlds of all time, there are only 700 riders here and a bunch of classes don’t even have a full gate. It’s really sad for this calibre of race but I guess it’s kind of expected. Lots of top riders are not coming as no one wants to take the chance of getting hurt and then dealing with the Chinese hospital. I know that Jenn and Avrianna will not be coming to Beijing for the Olympics as originally planned as there is no way I will bring my daughter here.
Since this race is so small the UCI has decided to give the Elites an extra practice tomorrow. So now practice will go Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with the race on Saturday. The additional practice for Elites goes as this:
3:00-3:55 Elite Women
4:00-4:55 Elite Men (European)
5:00-5:55 Elite Men (Non-European)
I will have more pictures of practice tomorrow. Here is a bunch from today.
Cab drivers here have a safety cage.
Ryan sporting our new fashion.
Driving down the street.
Track.
Our hotel.
These are out of my window.
Doing Sprints.
May 26, 2008
Sorry for the lack of updates over the past week, we had a lot of fun in Phoenix and I wasn’t really on my computer at all while we were there. Right now I am sitting in the Beijing airport as we have a 6-hour layover before we head out to Taiyuan where the race is being held. I think a few people still think that the Worlds are being held on the Olympic track when it’s not even anywhere close to it.
A quick update on Samantha, she flew back home to Canada (cost $2000 to upgrade to first class so she could lay down) to get medical attention. She got about 12 hours of massage and chiropractor work from Dr. Richard Robinson (Team Canada Chiropractor) and she is good to go. I guess she had some good track sessions with the rest of the Canadian team in Abby over the past few days and is feeling pretty good considering she has been in a neck brace for two weeks.
The last week in Phoenix went really well, we had a lot of down time to rest as we are tapering down for this weekend’s big race. Marc and Sarah really enjoyed the whole USA thing and really got on well with Bubba and the boys. Jenn and Avri also had a great time and it was nice to be able to hang out with the family as well as be there for my team.
Bubba has a few guys that are permanent fixtures around his house, Karl Clark (Super Camp head trainer) and Deek Brown who is also a trainer for Super Camp, kept us laughing the whole time. If you ever get a chance to do a super camp in the states then you better go, these two are great guys and will do nothing but make BMX fun for your kids and also teach them a thing or two.
Marc and Sarah had some great sessions on and off the track and it was good for them to ride some tracks that they have only read about it magazines. I know that they both can’t wait to get back to North America and start training again for the Olympics.
While we were there I was lucky enough to be able to go to Bubbas little sister, Annie, high school graduation. Annie is like a little sister to me and when I met her she was about 8 years old, and now she is a beautiful high school graduate, it’s kind of a trip. Her graduation was held in the Arizona Cardinals stadium, the same stadium that held last years Super Bowl, crazy. This place was huge and unfortunately pictures can’t do it any justice. Congrats Annie.
The air here in Beijing suck’s, actually it’s straight up horrible. You can’t really see further than maybe 200 meters before everything is engulfed with the smog. It’s hard to breath outside and the air smells of pure pollution and on top of that is very humid, I have been sweating since I have gotten off the plane. I’m sure there are some great things about China and there is no doubt that they have an incredible culture, but how are athletes suppose to perform at their best when it’s so gross outside.
We just had some lunch and that was a whole new experience for me. I love Chinese, but I guess I love the North American version rather than the real stuff. I ordered a chicken (thought I was playing it safe) and they actually brought out a whole chicken, head included. Lets just say I lost my appetite. It’s a good think that I brought an extra bag of food that weighs in at 80 pounds, ha-ha. Lots of pasta, canned goods, protein bars, energy drink mix, protein powder and anything else that will help with the athletes this weekend.
Marc and Sarah are getting massages right now (yes there is a massage parlor in the airport) to work out all the kinks of the 12-hour flight from San Francisco. I will do my best to update my site everyday while we are here so keep checking.
Doing top speed sprints, they were chasing me in the truck while I dragged them along.
Estrella BMX
Pics from Annies Graduation
Beijing Airport
Lunch, mmm
May 20, 2008
I’m hanging out at Bubbas house right now in Phoenix AZ and had a few minutes this morning to update my site. The weekend in Kingston went really well and we had a great turn out of kids. Kingston is one of my favorite places to go and do a camp, the track is fun and good to teach on, and the people are fantastic. We had a few rain delays here and there but nothing that Todd Harper and his crew couldn’t handle, thanks to Todd and everyone else out in Kingston for a great weekend. I will be setting up another camp for the summer time, maybe even a full-blown summer camp!
After camp was over on Sunday, Squire and I headed out to the airport where Squire went home and I started south. Two hour drive to Ottawa, fly to Toronto, 5-hour flight to Vegas, and finally fly to Phoenix when I got in at 2:00am.
Jenn and Avrianna flew here on Sunday morning and were already here when I got in. It’s crazy hot here, yesterday it was 110F (43C) and today it’s going to be just as hot. Last night we went out to the Estrella Mountain BMX track in Goodyear. Justin the track operator opened the track for us to get in a good session on the track. Bubba called a few of the local fast guys and they joined our guys for the track practice.
Today we have a day off as we are tapering for the worlds and are taking a lot of rest time to recover from the training up to this point. So we are going to drive out to the Grand Canyon today as Marc, Sarah, Bubba, Jenn or I have ever been. During my years of being on the road with Burlin I probably drove by it a good 30 times and never once stopped. Hopefully it will be worth the 3-hour drive.
Congratulation to all the kids who raced last weekend in Abby at the National Championships and did well. Good job to Scott Erwood who won Elite (which I called) and to Christine Miller who won the girls Elite. If someone wants to submit a report on the weekend then send it on thru.
Here are some pictures from last weekend’s camp in Kingston.
May 17, 2008
Squire and I got into Kingston last night with no worries other than this insane Ontario traffic balling us up a bit. We did a session last night with the kids that were there and then tarped up the track before we headed out to Todds house for a ‘brown’ and a streak, thanks Todd.
It looks really sunny and nice outside right now, but today is calling for some rain. Hopefully we will be able to get the camp off today.
Just got this from Brendan Arnold out in Abby.
A Hot Day in Abbotsford
from : Brendan Arnold, Manager High Performance, OCA
Under 30 degree weather the Canadian National BMX Championships started today in Abbotsford, BC.
The track was well prepared by BC BMX Head guy, Adam Muys. Friday was Time Trials and many riders were looking to put some final laps together before the racing gets under way on Saturday.
In the Elite Women’s class the battle between Christine Miller and Danielle Brisson heated up with Christine posting the fastest time in round 1 and Danielle coming back to post the fastest time in round 2, Danielle was the quickest overall and will be the favourite going into Saturdays championship. In the Elite Mens class it was all about Crupi’s Scotty”The Big Easy” Erwood, Scott put together a fast lap just beating out BC’s Nick Goertzen and Alberta’s Jimmy Brown for the top 3 spots on Friday. With some warm and windy conditions on friday the Pro section became the highlight of the session with more than a few Elite Men struggling with the line and speed.
Ontario’s Randall Neave also looked very fast on the technical Abbotsford track, Randall will be one to watch come Saturday afternoon.
With a trip to the worlds on the line the competition is sure to hit fever pitch come Saturday afternoon. In the Junior Mens category it was Alex Sailor who posted the fastest time, Alex made quick work of the track and looks to be the favourite going into Saturdays competition.
With 18 degrees and sun expected for Saturday, the racing should be exciting and intense.
Photos as follows
#1 Scott Erwood after getting the top spot on Firday
#2 Christine Miller is pretty in pink after taking the top time in round #1
#3 Jimmy Brown was looking super fast in practice, watch for Jimmy come Saturday afternoon
#4 Ontario’s Chris Dasilva unfortunately took a big wipeout in practice, get well soon Chris
#5 Scott Erwood ready to snap in his time trial
#6 Avent’s Patrick Lebel takes on the Pro section
May 16, 2008
Shane Clark and I are just sitting in the Calgary airport waiting for our flight out to Ottawa. From there we have about a 2-hour drive to Kingston from the airport. It feels like I just got home from Europe and now I am flying all over North America!!
We are going to do a few hours of coaching tonight to get the camp started. I think we will run from 7:00pm to 9:30pm tonight. Tomorrow we will run from 10:00 to 4:00, weather permitting and then from 9:00am to 2:30pm on Sunday to finish out the camp.
There are still spots open for this weekends fun so I hope to see you there tonight. The cost of the camp will be $125 per rider and will be geared to push everyone’s skills to get ready for the ’08 season.
This weekend is also the Canadian Championships out in Abby. Obviously I won’t be there but will post info as I get it. Good luck to everyone, I hope the weather turns out in everyone’s favor.