Track works

Keeping track in good condition is pretty heavy duty. It's 3th time now that guys are fixing the track for Scandinavian Champs. It's gonna rain at Friday night, so it's gonna be ruin again.

Here grass is not the problem. About 15cm under the sand is somekind of glass wool things. Under that is only rocks. I was pretty suprised when I saw that.

This is my drain tuning (no one belived that it would work). It was awesome to open up the pipe.. Guys called me to see huge puddle: "let's see how well your drain works". I open it, and all water ran away! Wonderful!

Other than my tunings, job is mostly scatter all dirt, move dirt back up (it goes down with rain, make it hart with that machine what trembles.. don't know the name, and then put some salt on in (salt makes dirt become harder).


Last night one finnish rider, Lauri came to Kungsbacka and during the day came one family. Finland is getting readyfor Champs! Go Finland!

Summer Race

Once creating can take years, dissolution is too easy

Tomorrow has passed alredy. I haven't still got done those techinques for turns :( Been little busy lately. Today we had Summer Race in Engelholm. I went there to race, but not that seriously. I sign in for sport class. I thought that there might be some nex beginners or other people who might race more relaxed. Well, with me were only about 18 years old boys, all with 20 inch bikes.. and they were FAST!

There is still some good things going to sport class. If I would have been in Elite Women I would have to race 6 laps (they had some scramble system, that means 3motos and 3 finals). Today was the hottest day of my year.!

Yep, and also I found out that you are not allowed to race with skirt..

365

I have so many things I want to tell you.. and not that much time to write :) For first; today is excactly 365 days (or it was when I wrote this) until next World Champs. Those are gonna be hold in New Zealand. My plans for future is stay next 2months in Finland. After that go back to Californian home for 3 months, And from there I'm going to New Zealand for half year.

http://www.bmxworldsnewzealand.com/

Also I want to mention that I was on the first page of local newspaper.. Well just because I was trying out my bike at the right time in right place :)

For third some BMX talk: Biggest difference between Scandinavian and USA (or maybe I should say Californian) coaching is mentality. In America whole training is based on raising champs. Mental coaching starts really early, talks about what winners think, what are you supposed to think when you go to race. In scandinavia we are more caring about that is it fun than who did win. I would need little that mental training. Just simple as taking the right line to ride. Some technics for turns.. I have to talk more about this tomorrow when I'm able to get it out more figuratively.

And last but far from the least blog of Henrik Thorseni; henkethorsen.com. Henke writes about practicing BMX and it's in english. He is trying to get people know the sport here in Sweden. I got to tell that he is just awesome person!

Perfect weekend

At Saturday morning Henrik came to pick me up. So we started road trip to Malmö. Track in Malmö was wonderful, advices what Henke gave were awesome and also riding was working well. Four hours on track went fast, it felt like only half hour would have passed! Manuals are fun :)

Next, on the way back we stopped by Engelholm. I had heard that track is not good at all.. But it was good! It was fun, nothing to complain. Little bit different but that's only good

Finally back at "home track". Henke kept on going to Lerum. He lives there, but there is also a track. For a short moment I was thinking that should I ride one more track, but it's good that I was able to hold myself from going there. Next day I had 5 hours lasting clinic on Kungsbacka track. We went thru everything; sprints, gates, pumping, manuals, jumps, turns.. WONDERFUL DAY. WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

Scandinavian Champs

There is pictures of the track. I can tell; track is long! Forexamble it's about 100meters longer than track in Birmingham World Champs!! Pump track is deepest I have seen.. What else, starting hill is high, so start is fast and turns are bluffy but not slipery at all. So for race you (and I) gonna need to be in good condition and pretty technical.

Once you add to this fact that I'm gonna race in two different classes.. It's gonna be tuff. When other ones are resting I am riding all the time :) Luckily I have fellow sufferer and we are just heading to Malmö. I think at this time (7 at Saturday morning) otherones are resting again but we ride :)

Different kind of track

Dear BMX people :) Training has started well and not that well. Training is fun, really fun. But it makes my leg more painful. At Sunday I had to keep day off from track. Pain comes pretty rarely, sometimes not that rarely, but anyway it's not all the time.. Once the pain comes it's so bad that it almost makes me buke, but it lasts only 1 second and then leg is pain free again.

Anyway, may I give examble of spirit: Yesterday, I was lyeing on bed and laughing. Yes, I was totally by myself. I should have been sleeping already, but I didn't want to. I wanted next day to start already. I can't wait to get ride.. and do all other funny staff! So I must say I'm enjoying this!

Here is video of the track. I have film it with chest mount and I will send that helmet version later. But from this you are able to see that track is pretty long and pumpy :) Even if you are not coming here I would recommend to watch this just to get idea of diffirent kind of track.


Ok, It looks like that video is not uploading here, but it's in Youtube:

http://youtu.be/YMIlwZc99h8

Life in caravan

Settling down in Kungsbacka Sweden has been pain-free, too easy I would say. My trailer is park next to track. I have everything what I need; track, water and roof over my head. Even internet :) I got to go to grocery store, so there is some photos of my home.

Sweden

9.7.2011 I was having hard thinking about what bike to buy. I wanted to get RedLine, but the shop I were in, didn't sell it. I asked shop assistant to help me. I was rookie looking for racing BMX. Shop assistant offered me some BMX with gyro. I'm glad I wasn't that stupid! I decided to take best racing bike what they had. I hadn't ever rode on real BMX track, but I had seen videos. I knew I was going to like it. Now it's one year since I bought my first racing bike. Still I don't know lot about bikes.. or maybe I do, but there is just so much what you can know.

It's Bday of my "BMX carrier". I'm packing my equipments like crazy. Finally I start my car, many hours later than I had planned. Day has turned to next, it's 2.00 at night. Couple hours later on harbour I drive in ship. I'm on my way to place where everything started. Or it's gonna take some time until I get to Märsta, but atleast we are in Sweden again. I'm using plural because travelling by myself is becoming boring, so I took couple friends with me. Nestori and ilmari were excited to come with me. We are getting along really well, I can tell them all my secrets and I know they keep it. They also listen everything I say, getting answers has been uphill, but you know guys. I can't expect everything. Also hardly ever they irritate me. Sometimes they don't do what I asked them to do, but then I just have to force them do it :) They have been laying down on carrage last months without any meaning for living. So it's time to change that. We gonna have so much fun!

I can't wait! It's still 200km to Kungsbacka!

Back on track

Yay! At Thursday I was riding on track. First time for 6 weeks.. and I managed to do it without any pain afterwards. Riding may continue :) My new home (trailer) is getting ready on road too. I remodel all upholstery inside, so it's starting to feel like home again. Wonderful! And boys from Sweden were welcoming when I told that I'm coming there. YAY YAY YAY! I might be little busy till Tuesday, but after that all my energy is going to used on racing.

BTW. I got tell that I liked that atmosphere during practice in Lahti. It was relaxed but at the same time everyone were seriously practicing. Well, seriously is not the point, but I have to tell that I like culture of sports clubs what we have in Finland. You don't need to practice by yourself. In Cali you are not alone at track (well, I were), but you are mostly doing everything by yourself..

Thanks Lahti!

Testing

Well well, It's about to be lasts days until I should be fully recovered. On Thursday I'm allowed to ride again. So I'm gonna head to Lahti (2h drive my home, where is BMX track). My leg is not feeling that good, but it should be ok. I have been doing some test lately. Today I had Inbody test again what tells all facts about your body (fat, muscle, where..) and now I got armband from Bodymedia :)


I have decided that I'm going to ride Scandinavian Champs even if my leg is broken.. done that once, so why not twice :) There is not many people coming from Finland, that little bit sad :(


That's it for this time. BTW. I wouldn't mind if someone would be writing BMX race blog. It would be nice to see how others practice, progress.. and just what they are writing about.