4:30 AM - The Push Up

Sunday, 04:30. Time to push up Skidaw in the Lake District for a days filming with Sam Oakes and Liam Little. Our plan was to get up the top for 6:30 so we could catch the sunrise to match the awesome views with epic light. Not the case we hiked up for 2 hours and when we got to the top it was cloudy, we couldnt see much and it was freezing. We wated around for 45 mins hoping it would clear and nothing. we figured we’d just have to make do and shoot in them conditions. After a quick interview it was time to get some riding in.

6:30 AM - The Interview

7:15 AM - The Riding Starts

The First Of Many Loose Shaley Turns

07:49 the clouds started to break up, What a view, everything then went frantic as we needed riding as the clouds where passing (litterally 10 second of awesomeness every 5-10 mins).

7:49 AM - Stoaked, After 75 Mins We Get A Glimpse Of What We'll Be Shooting On

The Long Trail Down

Dolly Shot

Pushing Back Up, As You Can Tell No Lenses In The Goggles

10:09 The sky was clear the sun was out and the views where imense. We finished that section of filming on a ridge. Loose turns, Steep terrain and big cliffs to fall off, Perfect realy.

10:09 AM - We Where Filming On This

Oakes Ready To Shoot, Liam Pushing Back Up After Dropping Supplies Off

Roost, The Slo-mo Dolly Roost Shot Was My Idea

12:30 The shoot was all wrapped up, Sam and I both had gotten what we wanted. I’ll defo be going back again at some point to get shots on a sunrise.

Anyway here is the video, Hope you appreciate it:

The Redbull Minidrome was a gladitorial track racing event held in the legendary York Hall in London’s east end-scene of many a boxing tear up. The riders first had to qualify in a race against time and then go head to head in a pursuit race around the tiny wooden circuit. I shot the event from start to fiinish , end to end, as the German track designers bolted the sections of ply together to the trophy presentations.

This weekend was the first ever mass start  ‘mega avalanche’ style race in the UK, which was held at Kielder Forest, the race attracted a good turn out including some enduro specialists such as James Shirley and Liam Moynihan, with a number of XC racers and British Downhill Series racers.

James Shirley hauls ass down the start with Liam Moynihan closely following

The format for the race was similar to that of the mega avalanche with the seeding for the heat races using the first entered first on the grid system which unfortunately left me at the back of my grid. I managed to work my way through getting stuck behind a number of riders on the single track, but managed to get myself into 8th getting a place on the eighth row of the ‘A final’. Impressively in Liam Moynihan’s heat he started at the back of the grid but managed to get up into 1st and take the heat win with a massive gap.

When yout lying down waiting for a shot the least the rider could do is whip

On Sunday not a lot of riders practiced the track and most made there way to the top of the hill for the B final, it was a good start with a lot of elbow bashing a someone ended up on the floor rite at the start. it was good to see some awesome off camber sprinting from the boys on the outside of the pack. Very impressed with Hamsterley boys Zak Hubery and Thomas Reed managing to make there way from the back up to 4th and 5th.

Final sprint over some tables in qualification

Then came the A final, there was a massive scramble and I managed to get a decent start and got past a few just before the first jump and a few more pedaling as much as I could down the flat out loose fire road.

Orange 5's where a good choice when mixing fast loose descents with short climbs

Once we got onto the single track there was about five of us stuck behind one kid at the front and we were there until the start of the climb but as we started to go past the now walking rider who with a bit of a disappointing attitude was trying to push people off the track with his bike as we had to get off and try and push around him, after getting very annoyed and pushing past him I got back on and slogged up the climb. Once we were into the next single-track section I was behind a rider but after a second attempt managed to get up the inside of him in a berm and got a decent gap.
I managed to pass around 16 riders and got up into 12th position. Well done to Michael Thickens with the win, James Shirley in second and Liam Moynihan in 3rd.

Winner winner chicken dinner, Michael Thickens takes the win

Really good, fun weekend, well done to the Northern Downhill Boys on a successful first ever UK mass start ‘Mega Avalanche’ style race.

James Shirley still has some energy to throw down some style