Last month the Recreo team headed to the NEC in Birmingham for the annual, UK Flatland BMX championships.
The championships, part of the UK Cycle show are organised by our good friend Matti Hemmings, and Effraim Catlow of Flatmatters. The weekend is split into two categories; Saturday focuses on amateur riders and Sunday is dominated by the pros. The contest format is pretty simple, each rider has two 3 minute runs, and the best run counts.
The atmosphere in the NEC is electric while the riders compete. As sponsors of the championship, we provide the music. We took our pal DJ Bunjy from Laid Blak with us; he brought vibes all weekend, with a strong DJ set in the Recreo booth.
The amateur category of the UK Flatland BMX championships is ten riders strong. Local amateur rider, Johann Chan pulled off one of his best runs for a while, earning third spot on the podium. Lee Wilson is back on the scene and came a very close second. The winning title was deservedly held by last year’s winner, Aran Gillan. Leicester man Aran, has a unique and powerful style, a talented rider who's one to watch in forthcoming years.
Aran Gillan in his flowSaturday’s 3 winners earn the right to join the pro comp the following day. With 16 overall riders, the depth of class for this year’s finale was unbelievably strong!
With riders coming from all over Europe for the UK Flatland BMX championships, it was good to see two Bristol riders competing and doing so well. Josh Briars was unlucky to only finish 8th, he gave two strong performances but had the PA cut out on him on one run which understandably knocked his rhythm. Andy Hale produced one of his strongest ever performances with two really technical, tight runs; earning him 4th place in the competition, a massive achievement.
The top 3 spots were a serious battle, it must’ve been such a hard call for the judges. Dominik Nekoiny, who had flown in from Prague that morning, displayed some staggeringly good moves, especially on his second run! We think he had the potential to win this if he hadn't of been on such a tight schedule.
Second place went to veteran rider, James White who produced probably one of the sickest moves of the day. His bike flip did enough to edge him onto the podium, above Dominik.
The undisputed winner of this year’s championships was Alex Jumelin. Alex, who came third last year, had driven over from Paris with his two young boys there to cheer him on. He absolutely destroyed the floor with two flawless runs! In truth, either of his runs could’ve won it for him, and it has certainly set the bar very high for next year’s comp!
This had been Alex’s 9th contest over 9 weekends! Travelling all over the world, riding back to back. Congratulations once again to Alex, the winner of the 2016 UK Flatland BMX Championships - well deserved!
Alex Jumelin from Paris 2016 ChampionIt really felt the event had grown in statue this year. There were more riders, tougher competition, and much bigger crowds watching. It really captured the attention of watchers with so many inspiring performances. The UK champs was Round 3 of the European flatland league, next stop Paris…
Thanks to Matti and Effraim for making this happen and inviting us to be involved again.
