Friday 10 April 2009

Wrong turn!



Wideopen don't live here no more!
Don't be a willy - get your ass to our new site at:

Thursday 9 April 2009

Wednesday 8 April 2009

Photogravity - this weekend at Inners!



Not long to go now until Keith Valentine's PHOTOGRAVITY event up at Inners!

The idea is that get to ride Inners all day whilst the UK's elite mountainbike paparazzi snap photos of you - all in aid of the Ben Rogers and Tom Ineson fund.

You get to ride a great track, there's a discount on the uplifts and you'll get some sick photos of yourself to take home and plaster all over you facebook profi. You also get to support a good
cause. Winners all round.

Here's a reminder of the details:

1.photoshooting starts @ 12pm - 5pm -arrive sharp please
2.riders will be marked so the photographers & uplift know who has donated.
3.donations will be taken on the day before you start.
4.all donations will go to the Ben Ineson & Tom Rodgers memorial fund.
5.so far 9 photographers confirmed covering various styles- more to follow - all welcome.
6.some portrait shots will be available at the start if requested(while your kit & bike is nice & shiney).
7.photos will be put on www.flickr.com for riders to download free.
8.copyright will stay with photographers.
9.as a fun thing we want everyone involved to vote for there fave picture of the day.(please wait a week till all photos are on).1
0.you may be flashed in the face if you take part(but i doubt it,unless you want us to).ha ha
11.this is not a race this is a chance for riders to get cool shots of themselves styling it up & for photographers to shoot those great shots.
12.David Tally has said he may do an uplift deal for riders taking part ( exact details T.B.C).
13.please ride & flash safe as there may be other riders on trails & you style it up @ your own risk.
14.remember its a fun day & for charity so please give generously.
15.if anyone wishes to shoot film footage for the riders feel free.
16.only riders that have donated will have there photos made viewable & downloadable
17.anyone wishing to help/or learn from the photographers on the day let me know.
18.this wil be updated as more info becomes available - many thanks.
19.not sure what runs will be covered by photographers yet - but probably be usual race routes.
20.can photographers limit the number of flashes you use to 10,000
21.anyone can donate but due to overwhelming response we can only shoot the first 100 riders that donate so arrive early to get tagged
22.this event is now sponsored by lowepro - prizes may be forthcoming
23.we are trying to get special race style numbers made for this event so we know who the riders are.24.arrive sharp to get as many runs or photos in as possible.we shall be there from approx 11am taking riders details & donations.
25.we may put photos on pinkbike & this facebook site, to cover all event supporters.
26.there will be a wee trophy for the winner of the best photo.
27.and we have yet another sponsor comet who are paying for a wee trophy
28.you dont need to get an uplift if you dont want to.
29.can all photographers also send there best 2 or 3 shots from the event to jamie@wideopenmag.co.uk as they are doing a piece on the event
30.the meeting place for everyone wishing to donate , will be at the innerleithen sign at the bottom of the usual race route.
31.pinkbike are designing a special forum thread & are trying to send some goodies across for the event,also they said they may pod the winning photo - youve gotta be in it to win it.

Tuesday 7 April 2009

Confirmed Riders for BikeRadar LIVE


Check out this list of confirmed riders for Bike Radar Live....

Dual Slalom
Gee Atherton
Dan Atherton
Chris Kovarik
Romain Salidini
Steve Peat
Greg Minnaar
Brian Lopes
Nathan Rennie
Josh Bryceland
Matt Simmonds
Ruaridh Cunningham
Lewis Lacey
Lucas Mechura
Nige Page
Scott Beaumont
Dylan Clayton
Sam Dale
Dave Wardell
Marc Beaumont
Neil Donoghue
Martyn Ogden
Steve Taylor
Jordan Gould
Paddy Baker
James Norton

Dirt Jump
Jamie Goldman
Sam Pilgrim
Lance McDermott
Chris Smith
Dan Coggan
Phil Auckland
Pat Campbell-Jenner
Rory Backshell
Jack Gear
Daryl Brown
Chris Mohoney
Amir Kabbani

NPS4X Round 1 - UK Bike Park



It seems like there was a hell of a lot of racing going on last weekend with at least 3 race series hosting their opening rounds. The big one was of course Rd1 of the NPS 4X down at UK Bike Park in Dorset. We negotiated some of the poshest villages and windiest countries lanes the south has to offer to check it out...



I'll get a full repo in the mag but in short it was a pretty fierce day of racing with the bone dry and loose track claiming a few victims. Patt Campbell-Jenner ate shit big time down the first straight and had a really gnarly, mid-air over the bars that saw his day end early. Get well soon fella!



I'm still not entirely sure what's going on at 4X racing but as far as I could tell Chris Roberts had everything running smoothly. Scotty Beaumont took the Elite win followed by a super pro'd up Lewis Lacey in full team CRC colours.




It was also our first time meeting Wideopen team rider Chris Mucklow and his missus Laura which was great. He did really well in his first 4 moto's getting 2 1st and 2 2nds but got kicked in the heats after a dodgy gate. Good sign though of things to come though! Here's a snap of the boy himself leading one of his motos. Yeahhh boy.



Here's the rest of the winners with a few 'worthy mentions' from Chris R:

Juvenile - Dominic BARDEN
Youth - Alex METCALFE
Juniors - Tom Knight
Seniors - Kieron MCAVOY - Spank Prize Winner
Masters - Dominic BENT - Halo Wheel Set Winner
Veterans - Jason Carpenter
Ladies - Charlie PHILLIPS


Juvenile
Pint sized Joe BUCK taking 2nd Juvenile on a big bike.

Youth
Adam Thomas rode well to take second
Isaac MUNDY got push off the track but was really on it.

Juniors
Mike Yard won every moto but out in the Semi Final for crossing the start line

Seniors
Chris CUMMING man to watch out for in Seniors.

Masters
Big old Paddy Baker racing in skin tight jeans! UCI ruling on Skin Suits will have to be enforced to stop an more complaints from spectators!

Veterans
David HERMAN ripping it up on a little single speed jump bike

Ladies
16 year old Manon CARPENTER taking 2nd place!
Suzanne LACEY taking a hard slam but getting back on her bike and riding to finish.

Pro
Liam Phillips breaking four chains and not racing.
Will Evans was on a mission and trying every move in the book to win.

Next Round Bridgnorth 23rd May full details on http://www.nps4x.com/

Full results http://www.nps4x.com/2009/04/rd1-results-uk-bike-park-09/

Here's 2 charming snaps of the handsome Dave Lane and Andy Dunwoody who kept us entertained all day!


Sunday 5 April 2009

DHSpain.com video

Just a quick video from our week in Spain, take a look at www.dhspain.com for more info, I'm sure you can all see from the footage that it's an absolutely awesome place to go bike riding! Click HD for full quality!


DHSpain.com Video from Aaron Bartlett on Vimeo.

Friday 3 April 2009

The MSC BIKES/DESCENT-GEAR NPS DH



The Race Season is now wheel spinning into action and the UK hosts the top domestic race series in the World. You must race at a high regional standard before you can get into the NPS which is widely seen as the stepping stone up to the World Cups. Peaty, Atherton’s, Moseley, Beaumont, Warner, Bryceland have all been through the ranks, how about you?

The MSC BIKES/DESCENT-GEAR NPS DH is supported by: British Cycling and Monster Energy.

Each event is held over a weekend with Saturday for full practise followed by a quick practise session Sunday morning then straight into seeding and one race run, do or die!

The first three rounds are UCI Category 2 which means points are available for the top ten fastest riders on the day. Accumulate enough points and you could be rubbing shoulders at the next UCI World Cup with Sam Hill and Co..
Rd 1 April 25-26th - Ae Forest - (UCI Cat 2)
Rd 2 May 30-31st - Llangollen - (UCI Cat 2)
Rd 3 June 27-28th - Fort William - (UCI Cat 2)
Rd 4 August 15-16th - Carlton Bank
Rd 5 September 26-27th - Caersws



International Rider? Race at a good standard back home and want to measure yourself against the Worlds best! Then send your entry form in and couple that up with a reference/link to your results and you are in!Parking, camping and spectating is always free at the NPS and we provide a large marquee, onsite catering, live timing, huge timing screen, live commentating, SERVICED toilets, music through out the day. Everyone is welcome to walk up the course outside of the tapes and catch all the trackside action.

Best four out of five rounds count for series overall prizes and points. Hang around for podium time as we run five man podiums giving more riders the chance to get their name up in lights and a nice custom trophy for the mantlepiece from Hope Technology.Top tip: Hang around for podiums, if a rider misses presentations then their prize and trophy goes to the little kid in the crowd!

Supporting the riders at the NPS in 2009 and sponsoring individual categories are:Descent-Gear.com - JuvenilesLizard Skins - YouthsFox - JuniorsSwiss and Swallow - WomenNo Limits - Master MenTicket2RideBC.com - Veteran MenContinental "Black Chilli" MenLeisure Lakes - Expert MenNema Clothing - Elite WomenNema Clothing - Elite Men

TF Tuned will also be on hand at each race and will be presenting a big fat cheque for £200.00 to the rider who wins by the biggest winning margin. Pete Evans from 2StageBikes in New Zealand will also be handing over £200 big ones to the rider with the fastest combined times from seeding and their race run!

Marshalling?
16 years of age or older on the day of the race then please read on:

Marshall for one day: £30
Marshall for two days that weekend: £65
Marshall for all five rounds, both days: You'll get an extra wallet busting £100 bonus at the end of the last round.

You also get fed and watered and get to see the top riders in the country and even the World! Priority entry guaranteed (as long as you have 5 BC points) for your son, daughter, cousin, mate etc...
Extra Bonus: Provide a marshal for both days at the NPS DH and your rider will receive a "Queue Jump" pass! No more queuing, unlimited runs and that’s another incentive to get valued marshal’s on the hill to look after you! Training is provided along with high visibility vest, whistle, flags and radio.We back Marshals up 100% and operate a zero tolerance policy to anyone who abuses or undermines a Marshall.

Steve Parr and Si Paton welcome you trackside and promise a warm welcome to everyone.

Photos by Keith Valentine http://www.phunkt.com/

http://www.npsdh.com/

NASS 2009 plans are GO


This year's National Adventure Sports Show is GO for 10 - 12 July 09.

Latest news is that they've just added everyone's favourite UK hip hopper Lethal Bizzle to the line up. He's joining N.E.R.D, Chase and Status, High Contrast, Shy Fx, Scratch Perverts, Sub Focus. I started typing this with the intention of taking the piss but that actually all sounds pretty damn good!

Also - plans are now up for the all new street course:

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Day 6 from Spain

Well today was our last day in Spain and didn't we make the most of it! I really don't have anything funny to say - it was just mint. We started by getting up at 11 even though we agreed to get up at 8. Then we went to pick up Scouser John from the local Cafe and ate bacon and egg butties and soon enough we were "on the road again" out towards the first track we went to: "Fonz's track" to do some filming. After 20 minutes of mangina, pubic hair and Rob getting his giblet out yet again and chasing after his brother when we were supposed to be getting some interviews done we finally got a bit of riding footage done.

Pretty much we then just drove over to the track which was in Re - Focus to do some riding. The top section was the loosest thing I've ever ridden in my life, it was about a foot deep in dust all the way down the open hillside with sun beating down on us. The bottom section was really jumpy with some fast rock sections and smooth berms, was equally as fun. But one of the most interesting obstacles was the massive step up off the road which has had a new lip put on it according to main man Rob. Basically we got an "epic"/"gorgeous" (two of Milky's favourite words) tracking shot from the roof of a landrover of Harry and Tom on this section.

Basically we just pissed around on the bottom section for an hour or so and then headed back to let Milky get a shot of Baz doing a scrub on a jump behind Rob's house, it looked mint so nice one.

Flying home tomorrow so that sucks but it's been an awesome week of filming and riding. Keep an eye out for a little vid from DHSpain.com online pretty soon, get saving and get on it.

Mono