Round 1 of DownUnderGround took place in Sydney on the 19th of January. Freestyle Now squad members Paul Chamberlain, Shaun Jarvis, Jason Parker and Billy Brooks were there to participate in the good times. Another rider who always follows the good times in Tasmanian rider Matt Wootton. He was also in Sydney to hang out and ride at DownUnderGround . He was able to film some of the competition as well as the antics that went on during the weekend and the video captures the vibe of the weekend really well. Thanks Matt for getting the video done.
Freestyle Now squad members Paul Chamberlain and Billy Brooks are currently in New Zealand on a riding adventure with all round good friend Kit McKenna. After arriving in Christchurch the trio has cycled the 240 kilometers to Lake Tekapo. So far they have been on the ride for four days. The fourth day was a 75 kilometer slight uphill ride, into a hot head wind, to finally get to Lake Tekapo. With some camping at the lake and some rest and relaxation they will be making their way to Queenstown some 275 kilometers away, the harder leg of the journey. Scope the photos that the guys have sent through, they are having a blast by the looks of it.
This photo was titled – All packed. Using Maccas Internet. Sunburn, dead hedgehogs and trucks…
Street tools are good.
A river, Kit and Bill walking.
Clockwise from top left – Paul feeling the power, Billy getting a lifestyle selfie at Tekapo, Paul and Kit out swimming, Dinner at the lake. “These beans are amazing and suitable for vegans. I’m vegetarian now after seeing all if the farming practices close up between Christchurch and Ashburton.” Paul Chamberlain
Freestyle Now squad members Paul Chamberlain and Billy Brooks have set off for a 3 week adventure of a life time. The two riders just recently flew from Sydney to Christchurch in New Zealand to set off to ride to Queenstown, some 480 kms to the south. They are being joined by Melbourne rider Kit McKenna for the ride. Their plan is to ride, camp, climb mountains and then arrive at Queenstown to ride the famous Gorge Road Dirt Jump Park. Paul sent in these few photos and words upon their first days of arrival. “Bill and I arrived in Christchurch and went on a bit sight see ride. We had to wait for Kit to arrive from Melbourne. Christchurch is still mostly a ghost town from the earthquake in February 2011. The dismantling is a really slow process and rebuilding isn’t possible with all the aftershocks. Heaps of cool art spaces have popped through the Gap Filler programme like this place we visited called Pallet Pavilion, the site of a comedy bingo show, plus bar. It’s all palettes! Really cool. Will send more updates over once we have some wifi.”
Paul left and Bill right with their 3 week cycling set up. Below Billy chillin at the Pallet Pavilion.
Paul emailed this photo with the title “stand by me”. Billy on the left, Kit on the right and Paul’s bike in the foreground.
Last weekend round 1 of DownUnderGround the national bmx flatland contest series took place in Sydney. Freestyle Now squad members Paul Chamberlain, Shaun Jarvis, Jason Parker and Billy Brooks were there to ride and have fun. The day took a bit of a break when the rain set in for about 2 hours but everyone waited for it to clear and the contest kept rolling.
Paul took out the second place in the pro class just one point ahead of Japanese rider Yasushi Kajiwala but it was flatland icon Simon O’Brien who took out the win. Competing in the advanced class Shaun took 4th place 4 points behind Sydney rider Andrew Lightbody. Jason tied with Tasmanian rider Matt Wootton for 5th place while Billy who is not really a flatland rider, riding with no pegs took out the 7th place, with some great 360 hop combos and manuals.
Paul Chamberlin rolling no hands
Shaun Jarvis no handed backyard
Jason Parker hang five
Billy Brooks 360 to 180 foot plant, creative indeed
Freestyle Now squad members Paul Chamberlain, Shaun Jarvis and Jason Parker have converged in Sydney to prepare for round 1 of series 5 of DownUnderGround. The contest will see riders from all over Australia and some international riders attending the contest site just near the world famous Bondi beach. Jason and Shaun recently attended the DownUnderGround in Melbourne last November where they got 1st and 2nd respectively. The day is going to be a fun filled day, like a contest should be, and we wish the riders the best in smashing out some radness.
Top – Paul rolling in Melbourne, Bottom left – Jason at last DownUnderGround in Sydney, Bottom Right – Shaun at DownUnderGround in Melbourne 2011.
It’s been a bit long in the making, with trying to get everyone in front of the camera to film clips for this, the first of many Freestyle Now web plays. But it is done. The first video to contain all the Freestyle Now squad members. The concept of the video is to show the riders and their everyday riding style. Featuring Freestyle now squad members, Andrew McDermott, Billy Brooks, Brady Thomas, Callum McCauley, Dave Pinelli, Dylan Schmidt, Jason Parker, Kie Ashworth, Kim Johnson, Laurence Bakewell, Paul Chamberlain, Phillip Marshall, Shaun Jarvis, Tánh Gá, Tim Rose. We are proud to have all these riders represent Freestyle Now. Enjoy and go shred.
The next installment of the DownUnderGround promo videos is amongst us. This time with Freestyle Now squad member Paul Chamberlain singing a popular Australian song, with a twist. The DownUnderGround is the national bmx flatland contest series and round 1 is set to for the 19th January at Waverly Park, Waverly in Sydney and only minutes away from the world famous Bondi Beach. This will be the start of series 5 and Freestyle Now will be once again supporting the contest along with Colony, and 2020 bmx magazine. Plan your journey and get yourself to Sydney to enjoy the fun times and radness that is DownUnderGround.
In early December Freestyle Now squad members Paul Chamberlain, Shaun Jarvis and Billy Brooks traveled to Canberra to host a skatepark competition at the Tuggeranong skatepark. The competition was rad, with scooter, skateboard and bmx competitors al having a blast. The squad members also got to hit up a few of the Canberra spots on their two day visit. The video below shows some of the highlights of the adventure. Back Bone Bmx rider Tyson Jones-Peni makes an appearance at Woden skatepark as well. Enjoy.
The new series of the DownUnderGround, the national bmx flatland contest series is set to roll out in Sydney on the 19th of January. The 3rd of the contest promotional videos is now released. The contest is set to take place at Waverly Park, Waverly in Sydney and only minutes away from the world famous Bondi Beach. This will be the start of series 5 and Freestyle Now will be once again supporting the contest along with Colony, and 2020 bmx magazine. Plan your journey and get yourself to Sydney to enjoy the fun times and radness that is DownUnderGround.
Freestyle Now squad member Paul Chamberlain has been traveling around Japan for the last few weeks, he is what he has to say about his travels as well as a quick video. Enjoy. “Hey all, I’ve been in Japan for a few weeks now travelling around. I haven’t ridden as much as I thought I would. I forgot that travelling gives you the same feelings as riding. The feel of exploring and doing something new you get on the bike all the time, but when you’re actually in a new place just jumping on and going for a pedal seems like a better option than rotating away the afternoon in the same location. Saying that I’ve actually learnt a few new tricks. One’s in the edit and the other can wait for the next edit. I went to the Circle of Balance and watched a Haro demo at a proper backyard setup where shady trannies meet wet gravel! Not the Japanese skatepark I imagined but I got to meet freestyle legend Dennis McCoy.”
Left – Paul and Dennis McCoy – Right – The Hiroshima monument.
“I was happy to see so many different bike setups and styles over the past few days. People always say that they ride freestyle here not flatland and street. I have been riding with some of the locals in Kobe, (two guys in the video) and the park rider is called Teisuke Shindoh. I got some clips of riding just across the river from the exact spot where the a-bomb exploded above the building in Hiroshima, the building now remains as a monument. Japan isn’t as expensive as people think. If you stay in hostels and eat cheaply you can budget $40 a day no worries. I spent about half my time in the swag so I saved even more because the hostel is about $20 give or take $5 either side. Food, people and culture are amazing. There are so many riders here and not just flatlanders. For riding Kobe is definitely the best place. Osaka for riders and parties. Kyoto for culture. The Kumano Kodo for wilderness. Gonna head to Osaka to pick up gear, then go to a jam on Friday in Shizouka, then Hokkaido for some hiking and finally Tokyo.”
