One to watch out for...

Last summer I was chilling out in the Whistler air dome with our team rider Alan Hepburn, and got chatting to a very proud father who was there with his kid. His kid's name is Dakota Martin and he is a name to watch out for in the future as even at the age of 12 he was pulling massive no foot cans and back flips with good style.



I helped out and offered him a grass roots deal, since him and his dad were heavily involved in their local biking scene, so felt like it was about time the bike industry gave something back. (Not to mention the kid kills it!)


So last week Dakota e-mailed me to tell me that he is now officially the fastest 13 yr old on a BMX in Canada, after winning his age class at the Canadian BMX Nationals. He is currently classed #1 in Canada and #6 in the states for BMX racing.



He also sent me some pics of him riding his Wildcard. That half pipe is one that he and his dad built in their backyard in Kelowna, BC. They also open up their yard to local riders to ride it and keep the kids off the street! Good people!



So the kid has speed and style, as well as a good attitude and determination to progress in the sport, and the support of a proud family. That sounds like a winning combo to me. He just needs to learn to smile for the camera! haha


Dakota Martin remember that name!

Fakawi Banshee Podiums in ACC Asian MTB Championship!

Asian Cycling Confederation MTB Championships comes to Melaka, Malaysia for 2009.

This is the race on the UCI race calendar where racers in the asian continent come to compete and earn their UCI points.

Among the contestants qualifying for the race were our very own Fakawi Banshee Team riders Stanly Jalip JR riding for Malaysia in the Elite men's category and Ausanee Pradupyard flying Thailand flag in the Elite women's category.) Both racing on their Banshee Legend Mk1s.

Stanly Jalip JR (Malaysia) and Ausanee Pradupyard (Thailand) with their Banshee Legend Mk1s.

Ausanee "Am" Pradupyard did us proud by coming in 3rd with the time of 3.29.141 in the women's elite category in her Banshee Legend Mk1! 1st place went to Mio Suemasa 3:01.597 (Japan) and 2nd Risa Suseanty 3:16.933 (Indonesia).

Stanly was seeded 11th but finished at respectable 6th place in the Men's Elite finals, slowed down by a brief crash during the final bit of the track.

Stanly doing the drop..pic by Rizal

Results for Men's Elite:

1st-Ario Sejati Popo (Indonesia) 2:39.498

2nd-Naoli Idegawa (Japan)2:43.617

3rd- Jarupeng "Golden Boy"Tanaphon (Thailand) 2:50.283

4th- Nagata (Japan) 2:51

5th- Tan Hong Chun (Singapore) 2:55

6th- Stanly Jalip JR (Malaysia) 2:55.575

More Pics at FakawiTribe.com

Fogelsode #1: Woodward

Clayton and I road-tripped down to Woodward last week and met up with James and Jake.  We got all checked in and headed down to the Hanger.  The place is HUGE with a giant park, 14 foot halfpipe, a street area, and the foam pit.  It was super sick getting to ride the foam pit because I’ve never been to one and had some tricks I wanted to try.  Everyone threw down left with at least one new trick that they landed on the resi.  We did a ton of filming and I finally got around to putting the footy together.  This is the first episode of a series of web videos I will be making throughout the season called “Fogelsodes”.  Enjoy!

Fogelsode #1: Woodward from Jack Fogelquist on Vimeo.

-Jack

LOCations!

As you may have known, I spent most of last season making a full length movie that shows the various spots that we have to ride here in the Aptos/Santa Cruz area.  The film is called “LOCations” as it shows the different “locations” around here and riders in it are locals or “locs.”  The project has been a long one, but now it’s all on pinkbike.com, waiting for you to watch! 

The full movie can be seen here!

Here’s the article about it on pinkbike!

I also uploaded the individual sections so you won’t have to stream through the full movie to watch a certain part, so those are right here!

I’m really stoked on how it turned out and hope you enjoy it!

-Jack

A couple Mtbr.com awards

So at Interbike it was awesome when the crew at Mtbr.com came by to give us not one but 2 best of awards. One was given to a bike we aren’t even making anymore but no surprise its still popular is the Scirocco a previous best of winner in the freeride hardtail category.

New however was the Banshee Amp and well deservedly so as its a killer little bike.

I’m still hoping some of our other bikes start popping up. I know the Wildcard was only a mere 5 reviews with 5 chili’s away from getting a best of but maybe next year.

Don’t forget to review your bikes guys… its really cool to get the feedback from our riders and its what keeps us doing what we love to do… building bikes for you guys to enjoy.

 

Technorati Tags: mtbr.com,2009 choice award,banshee,amp,scirocco

Banshee Bikes Signs Team Geronimo as Factory Team

 

Banshee Bikes (www.bansheebikes.com) and Team Geronimo (www.geronimoracing.com) are both pleased to announce their new partnership for the 2010 race season. 2009 isn’t even a memory yet, but Jay MacNeil, General Manager of Banshee Bikes, and Team Geronimo are busy preparing for a jump start on 2010 – ready to hit the National, International, and World Cup race circuits on Banshee’s new Legend Mk II DH bike and Rampant 4X bike.

Banshee Bikes is amped on teaming up with Team Geronimo for the 2010 season and beyond.

The Mk I, which was not available to the public, has completed 2 seasons of testing and 4 years in development, culminating in the introduction of the lighter, faster and more racer-dialed Mk II version. This is one screaming fast rig, and Team Geronimo is stoked about the upcoming season.

The Banshee Legend Mk I

“Its great to find such an amazing group of riders that have in their hearts the same spirit and passion for mountain bikes and the sport. It’s like an extended part of our family and I can’t wait to spend time hanging out and hanging on as I try to keep up with them out on the trails” says Jay MacNeil.

Team Geronimo is not a new team – they’ve been steadily gaining steam over the last two race seasons, but their all-star lineup has expanded by three riders for 2010. Brothers Michael and Brian Buell, of Colorado, have been holding the team together since its inception in 2008, and racking up some fierce results. Now they are joined by Rachel Bauer of Utah, Colorado, California (and everywhere else her travels take her with fiancé Troy Walch), Graeme Pitts of California, and Cody Eichhorn of Australia.

 

No stranger to athletic competition, Rachel Bauer has been at the top of her game in Women’s Collegiate Track and Field and Cross Country for Fresno State University, and Alpine Ski Racing at the Pro level in both National and International competitions. She exploded on the gravity mountain biking scene in 2007, kicking butt and taking names. 2008 1st Overall Mountain States Cup Series, 2009 Colorado State Champion, 2009 2nd Overall Mountain States Cup Series, 3^rd in both DH and 4X at the 2009 Pan Am Continental Championships in Chile, and 1st Angel Fire Pro Gravity Tour #2 are a few of her recent accomplishments. On the podium at Pan Am Champs, her Chilean competitor called her “vicious”. Don’t let that sweet smile fool you.

Rachel Bauer

According to Rachel, who raced for Banshee in 2009, “The Legend Mk I was an incredible and reliable bike to race – no mechanical issues and maintained throughout the entire season. Rampant was equally stable in 4X and DS, and it was a great training bike prior to the race season. There was instantly a level of comfort and familiarity that came with the Rampant, and when the Mk I came out, I was ecstatic!”

 

The Buell Brothers come as a pair - they are the brother team in the Rockies. Michael Buell is the senior brother, and lays claim to having competed in 3 World Cup DH races at Andorra, Fort William and Monte Sainte Anne, as well as many other National and International races. A consistent top 10 finisher pre-2009, Michael’s 2009 season suffered from an ankle injury early on, but he managed to make an awesome comeback with a few podium finishes and 4th Overall in the Mountain States Cup Gravity Series. Fully recovered and now relieved of team management by a professional staff, he’s ready to get back to the business of full-time training and racing on his new Banshee rides in 2010. He’s back!

Michael Buell

Brian Buell has frequent flyer status on the podium in the highly competitive Mountain States Cup Gravity Series, with a 2nd Overall finish in 2009. He was 2005 Junior Expert National 4X Champion, 2007 Collegiate National DH Champion, and has mile-long list of National podium finishes since then, including a bronze medal for this year’s 4X National Championships, and 1st place for DS at Colorado Crankworx. His International experience includes 3 World Cup DH races in Andorra, Fort William and Monte Sainte Anne. Better be wearing your sunglasses if he smiles at you, especially in the starting gate! Consistent, strong and great karma (with a capital “K”) – he is one to watch out for in 2010.

Brian Buell

Graeme Pitts is the baby in the group. At 19, he competed in the Pan Am Continental Championships in Chile, came home with UCI points, and pulled off a reputable rookie Pro year with a number of top 10 finishes against some tried and true competitors. In 2008, he was part of the formidable posse of the USA Junior Worlds Team in Italy after only 3 months in the Junior Expert class. Pitts will be spending the early part of 2010 in Australia with teammate Cody Eichhorn and his compadres. When the US race season starts, he will already have gotten into race mode at the Australian National Series, training with their top gravity riders.

Graeme Pitts

Cody Eichhorn - the wild card addition to the team from the Land of Oz. He will arrive from down under ready to race his first Sea Otter Classic – Eichhorn has been dreaming of spending his birthday at Sea Otter for a few years, and now it’s becoming reality. Managing to complete Uni (as University is called in Oz) while still racking up a huge list of podium finishes, Team Geronimo’s new Aussie competed in 2008 World Championships in 4X, a number of World Cup Races, Kokanee Crankworx, and was invited back to Worlds this year,

but was too busy traveling and racing with Pitts in the US of A. He took California by storm, acing out Eric Carter and Rich Houseman in the first round of 4X at Cal State Champs at Mammoth Mountain. He brings the Aussie flair and is an all around crowd pleaser.

Cody Eichhorn

Team Geronimo is also parent to an awesome Junior Development Team based out of Aspen Valley, Colorado. Managed by Brandon Turman, it is a collection of some of the hottest young talent in The Rockies and they are being mentored with Junior World Championships as the objective.

Plans are already in the works for Team Geronimo’s collaboration with The Wounded Warrior Project – returning, injured soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan who are regaining their passion for life through bicycles. The team is working with WWP organizers to schedule coaching clinics and entertainment with these worthy riders who put themselves in harm’s way so we can all keep living our dream.

The Fall is traditionally time for sponsors to make choices; Team Geronimo shares that odious task and will announce the rest of its line up soon. Anyone interested in seeing their products on Team Geronimo/Banshee should contact racegeronimo@aol.com

Technorati Tags: Team Geronimo,Banshee,Legend MkII,Cody Eichhorn,Rachel Bauer,Graeme Pitts,Brian Buell,Michael Buell

Ham and Steeze

The Ham and Steeze Jam went down at Post Office on Saturday and it was crazy!  If you’ve never heard of the Post Office jumps, let’s just say it’s one of my favorite places in the world!

The way it was set up was with categories of 13 & Under, 14-18, open, and pro.  It was a contest for all of the classes except pro, with pro being a big jump jam.  The day started out nice and foggy while the contest portion of the event went on.   It was cool to see a couple other riders on Amps out there!  Everyone threw down really hard, which was rad to see.  It was the coolest seeing some of the younger locals trying (and landing!) tricks like 3’s and tailwhips on bigger jumps than they’ve tried before.  Max Kauert got second place in the 14-18 class and won an Amp frame, so he’s psyched!  It’s gonna be cool to see that all built up.  After the rest of the awards were over, the Pro Jam started.  It was sick because it was a big sesh with all the locals, but with a little added pressure of the spectators and media.  Now was the time to throw down!  I felt good on the main set, throwing some tricks like back to back tailwhips, 360 1-foot x-ups, pendulums, a 270 on the big hip, and 1-foot x-ups to no-foot-cans.

I think I had the most fun with some of the trains we did.  Someone would yell out something like “360 train on the ___ line” and everyone who dropped in would have to do at least one 360.  It wasn’t always tricks, there were many good ol’ “Steeze Trains” where everyone would throw down their best style.  For about the last third of the Jam, everyone began seshing the trick jump, throwing everything they had.  It was going off with people throwing superflips, flipwhips, 3-whips, upside-down 3s, double tailwhips, a frontflip, cannonballs, giant transfers, super nothings, 3-flattys, and attempted bike flips.  I started out with the tricks I felt really comfortable with, like flip tables and no-foot-can whips.

I had been thinking of trying a 3-whip at Post for a while, since I recently learned them at the step-up.  With the crowd cheering, Black Sabbath playing, and Guy French killing it on the mic, I figured this was the time!  I ended up seat-landing it a few times, and got pedals on the 4th try!  It’s always sooooo satisfying landing a trick to dirt for the first time, and with a trick like that I couldn’t have been happier (or so I thought)!  I wanted to try some flip-tucks to dirt while I was at it and ended doing a whole bunch!  I went for a double whip as well and seat landed it!  I was sooooo stoked after that, and soon, the Jam began to slow to an end!  Tired and hungry, we all got some bbq and congratulated each other on all the new tricks everyone pulled!  What a day!  And no better way to end it than a nice mellow sun-down sesh back at the jumps with some smooth cruiser runs!  Thankfully not a single person got hurt the whole day!  That was probably the best day at Post Office I’ve had, seeing all of my friends throw down new stuff and landing a few new tricks of my own!  HUGE props go out to Justin Brantley for putting the whole thing on!

Here’s a few clips of me from the Jam!

 

Here's a cool video my friend Keegan made!

And another from Jordan at Pinkbike!

Anyway, solid day to say the least!  Can’t wait till the next Jam!

 

-Jack Fogelquist

I'm back.

Hey Guys,

I'm back from hospital in body at least... think my mind has some catching up to do still as painkillers and drugs have slowed it down.

Operation went pretty well, and recovery was generally good (after the first few days of vomiting... but that is to be expected really). I'm going to have to take it easy for a while just to get my mind back in the game (certianly don't think that designing bikes while at this level of brain activity is a good idea). I'm going to try and catch up with all the e-mails I've been send over the rest of this week, please bear with me. Sitting upright hurts quite a lot right now, so extended periods at my computer are not really an option, but that will improve quickly I'm sure.

What used to be my tummy! (at the bottom of the pic is where I had a wound drain in place, It was a small 5mm diameter tube sucking blood and fluid stuff out from inside me. I figured it was only a couple of inches long, but when they ripped it out of me it was over a foot long and went right deep inside me. the nurse who pulled it out got squirted and covered in blood from the puncture wound for her effort, it was like being stabbed in reverse!)

Just wanted to say thanks for all the kind messages I recieved, they all made a difference! Considering that 10 days ago I was totally disemboweled with my guts on a table next to me, I have to say that I am feeling surprisingly alive!

On a side note... I watched Jack Fogelquists new full length movie 'Locations' earlier on his pinkbike blog. Well worth checking out to see how many cool spots they have in his neck of the woods down in Ca. (you might have to friend him on pinkbike to see, I'm not sure?). Good work Jack!

Fakawi Banshee Team podiums in Specialized DH Championship

4th UKDI-Specialized International Downhill Championships, Indonesia.
16-18 October 2009.

FakawiBanshee Team rider Gig from Thailand notched an impressive 2nd place losing to Risa Suseanty of Indonesia in the women's category.

Rizal "Redride" on the other hand managed a 4th place in the Men's Master A category. More pics to come...

Gig in her glory!

Rizal ..another podium

Gig on her Scythe. [Pic by Meita Glen]

Rizal on the Legend mk1, airborne at the rockdrop

Krempl, our Deity sponsor, pinning it!

The Claw! That's a 5m high road gap.. "That's the biggest road gap I have done in 3 years" claims the Claw!

Friday Night Lights