The Round Up - Episode 11
Welcome to Episode 11 of the LUXBMX Round Up, where we present to you the very latest news, videos, sponsorship updates, competition/jam reports and all things awesome in the BMX world.
Things have been busy since we last checked in a month ago, we've seen another end of financial year (EOFY) come and go, including some hype around LUX BUX tripling with orders up until June - which has now sadly passed. Don't fret, there will be plenty of LUX BUX bonus opportunities in the near future.
Tim and Bruce on the grind
Also in the mix, LUX had its 13th birthday a couple weekends back, a special time of the year where we stop to pause and take pride in how far the operation has come. In true LUX form, the crew organised a BBQ and mob from the Woolloongabba warehouse to the city, taking Paddington skatepark by storm - open to all who were interested. The Journal was updated last week with a RAW video from the day, take a look to see how we celebrated!
Let's get into things. First up, the 2023 Bundaberg BMX Canetoad Classic/Rohdman Cup was held over the weekend just gone. A 2 day event featuring littlies through elite and all the way up to seniors, this event was particularly special. Our main man Bruce Morris trekked north to take part in the day, coming back with a tonne of photos which are neatly grouped on the LUXBMXrace socials. Keep an eye out on the journal for a dedicated post from Bruce, coming soon.
LUXBMX race kit looking good on the number 30 plate
Another Round Up, another new bike-friendly facility. Brisbane City Council has just recently completed a 'riding track', located at Kookaburra Park in Karana Downs. Featuring a 200m long concrete track, weaving through lush, shady parklands, the park is now home to a bermed path with single and dual approaches, riding ramp and elevated deck, being suitable for all ages and modes. LUXBMX were invited to the opening, with Tim and Kane manning the tent for the day. Great to see all ages and abilities enjoying themselves in the outdoors, for something a little unique, head out yourself af Caringal Drive, Karana Downs.
The new Kookaburra Park riding track, we're pretty lucky to have another place to enjoy biking in South East QLD. Photo taken from the Lord Mayor's socials
Touching on another local facility, this time a less sanctioned, DIY trails spot which you may have heard of, called 'Bloodgum' on the northside of Brisbane. Having been around for approximately 10 years now, masterminded by Dirty Dazzla Dale, the place is amazing, largely due to its lush surrounds. Over time, the trails (as they tend to do) have become home to many a biker, with a keen kinship forming to those who spend their weekends building, riding or hanging out. Unfortunately, the local authority have become involved and are contemplating flattening the jumps due to safety concerns. It's a classic case of david vs goliath, with liability concerns at the core. Great to see the boys reppin' the culture of BMX in this news piece, you've done us proud!
If you want to get involved in saving the jumps, head over to Change.Org to sign the petition.
Moving on, the annual Battle of Hastings is almost upon us, taking place at the iconic Source Park in Hastings, England over the 8-10 September. This is an unmissable event on the international freestyle BMX event calendar, often coinciding with the Our BMX Number One Rider Award (NORA) Cup, the place fills to the brim with charged up bikers and fans alike, yahooing and screaming, the underground park heaves and rumbles with the energy of the crowd. The event is also unique in its format, which is largely based around 8 x team captains who get to pick 3 x riders to join their team, competing against each other team for glory and cash. Incredibly, this year will see 2 x LUXBMX riders as team captains, including Josh Dove and Boyd Hilder. Check out the video from last years event to get a feel for the madness.
On the freestyle event front, the latest round of the UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup just went down in Brussels, Belgium. From the official UCI website:
"The third round of the 2023 UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup (Park) kicks off in Brussels on Thursday! After Diriyah in Saudi Arabia and Montpellier in France, action continues in Belgium. The best international riders will gather to consolidate or improve their positions in the overall UCI World Cup standings and to score points towards Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification."
You already know Australian stalwart Logan Martin was there and you equally know that he booked himself a podium spot. Putting together a classically consistent run of triple switch whips, flairs galore and bars on bars on bars, Logan forced his way into 3rd spot behind Japan's Rim Nakamura and France's Anthony Jeanjean in 1st.
Natalya Diehm also continued her post-injury renaissance, finishing 7th overall in the Women's Final. Congrats to the Aussies!
Logan with a massive flair whip transfer in his 3rd place winning run. Photo taken from the UCI BMX socials
The mens podium. Photo taken from the Aus Cycling Team socials
Wrapping up freestyle events for this month is the 2023 X Games Real BMX Best Trick. Thanks to the nous of Stew Johnson, the event finds itself home at the Rincon Middle School in Escondido, California at the famous 4 block (with rail hop). So so so cool to see an event of this scale, held at a legit street spot, sanctioned by the school officials themselves. While the broadcast video is an hour and a half, I'd recommend spending the time to watch it as you'll get a great insight into the mental battle around hucking and sending. Typically this stuff is reserved for video parts, so to see it play out in a competition format is pretty cool. Notably, Australia's Lewis Mills is up in this mix, doing his country proud with a couple heavy rail hitters.
Lastly, a quick note to forecast a few projects in the works, including a review of the new Fast & Loose full length, 'Magnetar', backed with an exclusive insight into the behind the scenes with LUXBMX pro Cody Pollard.
Fast & Loose units, Cody Pollard and Kris Fox. Photo taken from Cody Pollard socials
In addition, there will also be an interview with another Fast & Loose biker and LUXBMX Pro, Josh Dove. We're currently working through the interview process and will look to have the piece up on the journal in the near future. For now, enjoy some Dovey content below.
Dove man kicking it with Cult BMX rider Preston O'Kert. Photo taken from Josh Dove socials
That's a wrap. See you soon for more BMX flayva.
