Sorry… that bring tha pain gag was rubbish. Here’s the full press release from UK Propain frontman Wayne Tabernor.  Drop him a line and hook yourself up with an awesome ride for next season.

2twenty0 the UK distributer for Propain bikes (propain-bikes.com), are looking for 3 team riders to accompany our 2 existing riders from 2009 aboard the Rage DH bike for the 2010 season. The team riders will also receive support form Sixpack racing (sixpack-racing.com), RockShox, Truvativ, SRAM, Avid,  Maxxis and 661.

Ideally team riders will be planning on competing in at least one local race series and the majority of the British Downhill series (where the team will receive full tech support for all rounds) as well as being prepared to purchase new kit and equipment for 2010.

If any interested riders that already have sponsorship commitments elsewhere but are interested in the rage frame then please still email as we are always on the look out for individual sponsorship opportunities.

Please remember although podiums are good for the brand, a friendly outgoing attitude is worth a lot more!

Wayne Tabernor
2twenty0.co.uk
info@2twenty0.co.uk

All photos here are by super snapper Andy Dunwoody and were shot for our world exclusive test of the Propain Rage. Check the test here (click the page to launch the mag):

Jamie News

In this festive season of mud, snow, rain and shite weather it’s good to look forward to the summer…

Our mate Joe Bowman from Dirtyhalfpipe just fired up a heap of helmet cam footy from his time in Whistler this year, that’s 6 videos of dusty, dry, drifty trails.

Give ‘em a look and dream of the summer!

A-line and dirt merchant helmet cam from joe Bowman on Vimeo.

Fantastic to Lower Joyride, Whistler bike park, B.C from joe Bowman on Vimeo.

Dhpengland.com helmet cams : Whistler Bike Park, Schleyer from joe Bowman on Vimeo.

www.Dhpengland.com presents Dirt Mercahnt to A-line helmet cam. from joe Bowman on Vimeo.

A-line to Crabapple into Lower A-line to finish. from joe Bowman on Vimeo.

Whistler Bike Park 09 from joe Bowman on Vimeo.

Right so if you’re still watching check out Joe’s site Dirtyhalfpipe here

Thanks from Joe and his mates to Whistler Action Cams also…

And… Look out for more from Joe in Wideopen in 2010.

Jamie News

Everyone at Racersguild invites you to join us for the 2009 Racersguild Season Ender Party and Film Première on the 2nd Jan 2010.

If you’ve ridden this year, come along, and if you helped out this year, marshalling, taking photos, filming, starting, please come along too as without the help we get all year long, Racersguild just wouldn’t work.

Ian @ Boon Productions will be showing his 2009 Racersguild film, Second Time Around.

Day: Saturday 2nd January 2010
Time: 7pm
Place: Birches Valley Forest Centre near Rugeley

It will take place in the same place as last year, the TreeHouse classroom behind Swinnertons. It’ll be all signed up on the evening. Parking is in the Go-ape Car park and is free.

Ian will also be selling copies of STA, so make sure you reserve your copy! Copies are £6 and you should PM Ian before the 2nd to make sure he has a copy for you.

Bring your own beer!

Both photos: Kitman (click for gallery)

Hit up here for the RG’s website and here for the party’s facebook event.

Jamie News

You probably know Jacob ‘Milki’ Gibbins already, he’s a very talented young photographer from Devon and works here on the Wideopen staff.

He’s only 18 but has already had a heap of Pinkbike PODs and has had more Emulsion shots and Wideopen covershots than everyone else put together!

To celebrate a great year of shooting he’s produced a top quality, hardback photo annual of some of his best shots.  It’ll include a few shots that have been online already and a few brand new ones and has been shot throughout the UK and Europe.

If you fancy picking up a copy for yourself you can check out a preview of it here on blurb.com. Could be a great after-Christmas present for any riders or photographers out there?

They’re £15 posted direct from Milki (email millki@hotmail.co.uk) or £20 direct from Blurb on the link above.

Here’s an online slideshow of some of his photos…

Jacob Gibbins Photography Portfolio Nov 09 from jacob gibbins on Vimeo.

Jamie News

Right so Foel Gasnach is up in North Wales,  it’s run by a club called the ‘FoelDHRiders’ and was set up as a replacement for the famous Scouse Track at Nannerch. There’s 4 tracks up there, loads of local riders and a great wee scene going on. It’s rad! Go riding at Foel in 2010!

Every year the club puts on a little Christmas race to get everyone off their turkey stuffed arses and out on the bikes. I’ve just  rolled back in the door from today’s  and as ever it was a right good festive knees up.

The tracks were a festive mix of mud and slushy snow meaning loads of soggy bums and a polite “thanks but no thanks” to the option of second runs. Riders were split into 2 cats with the ‘Best’ and the ‘Rest’ to give everyone a pop at the podium. Winners got Chain Reaction Cycles vouchers courtesy of the the club and a free lifetime subscription to Wideopenmag (with a free WO teeshirt or Foot out Flat out2 DVD). Post-racing we all chowed down on Lisa’s traditional Christmas BBQ before zooming off home for a pint and some left-overs.

Apologies the pics are a bit shit – I’m on crutches and was doing my best to get drunk and eat BBQ. Me and Justin snapped a few between us… They’re hardly going to challenge Sven Martin but they’ll do the job.

Thanks to Wappers for sorting it all out, Lisa for the BBQ, fella whose name I’ve forgotten for the uplifts, the club for getting the trails ready and everyone for coming along for making it an awesome race as usual.

See you at Easter for the next one!

Check out www.foeldh.com for more North Wales downhill.

Here’s a shady article I wrote about Foel way back in Issue 6 - click the image to open the magazine

Merry Christmas folks and thanks for an awesome year of Wideopening!

We’d love to throw a big bash, drown you with booze and stuff you with mince pies to say cheers… but sadly it aint going to happen! So instead, here’s a monster mash of festive nonesense for you to enjoy as we count down to Christmas. Sort of a virtual Christmas Party… right?

Thanks for an awesome year and for all of your support… Enjoy!

Essex Moto from Tom Grundy on Vimeo.

Autumn from Tom Grundy on Vimeo.

DJ Cheeba-The Reels of Solid Steel from Solid Steel on Vimeo.

Jacob Gibbins Photography Portfolio Nov 09 from jacob gibbins on Vimeo.

A tribute to the greatest Christmas film of all time…

Thanks to Rhodri JM from Bristol for this one! Not safe for Grandma…

One from Tom Ford up at Wentwood DH – cheers mate… I think?

… And Milkpro just reminded me that’s been out shooting some vids this year!

LOCALS- Luke Ball At Gawton from jacob gibbins on Vimeo.

Fran Simpson from jacob gibbins on Vimeo.

James Matthews Riding Tavi woodlands from jacob gibbins on Vimeo.

LOCALS – Adam Price from jacob gibbins on Vimeo.

LOCALS-James Mathews from jacob gibbins on Vimeo.

Jamie News

Like a speeding BMX shaped bullet, issue 5 of Fastlane BMX magazine has exploded onto the news stands!

Ok that doesn’t make much sense… but it is out now and ready for you to buy for a modest £3.70. Features include Shanaze Read, Interbike, Southern Champs and a heap of UK and International BMX action. We love Fastlane.

Hit up the Fastlane site today and order your copy here.

Jamie News

Mike Marsden and the Borderline team are very happy to announce the launch of their all new Borderline/Solid UK team.  The team will be riding Solid Mission 9 BPS race bikes and will also be supported by Bike Tart, Electric and O’Neal.

The team is made up of 8 guys all of which will doing their best to crush the opposition and steal some podiums in 2010. The line up is….

Ryan Chambers (team captain) - expert
Nathan Vials - expert
Tom Kelly - expert
Jamie Hall - junior
Jay Atkinson -youth
Joseph Vials - junior
Freddie Oxley - youth
Mitchell Skene - youth

Borderline’s Mike Marsden will be heading up the team and sorting out all the paperwork, I fired him a few quick questions yesterday…

Why did you decide to set up a team?
It was an idea I had about a year ago – I just thought it would be cool to have a team I could call my own.  I never really thought much more until recently and after a quick chat with Col Williams of Fli Distribution (UK Solid Ditributor) we decided to set up a team.

What were you aiming for from the team?
At the beginning I never really had an aim – but after seeing the C.V’s come in it all became a bit more real.  At that point I started to look more carefully at each C.V.  The effort that people had put in was amazing and I found that I had the opportunity to perhaps spot an up and coming rider and also support some riders that had achieved so much already and offer them some extra support and exposure.

How did you select them?
The team selection process was quite hard – Having never done it before and with so many to choose from I took a lot of time going over and over the C.V’s and chatting to various riders.  There were also a few riders that already were on Solid’s and we decided to bring them altogether under one team.

Tell us about the guys you’ve got on the line up?
Well to be fair on this one I don’t really know each of them that well.  Jay & Jamie I already knew but the others I did not.  I have tried to select a team that covers all categories and also covers the UK – This will help with exposure of the team and hopefully encourage new sponsors to come on board.   I had a chat with Ryan and made him Team Captain – I’m not sure whether other teams to this but he has an extra bit of responsibility and was keen to get involved.

Good and bad points so far of running a team?
Certainly quite exciting – been quite a lot of work up to now but when I see my riders at races in a kit that I have designed and racing for me and enjoying being involved in my team then I know it will all have been worth it.

Last but not least – there’s still plenty of room for people to get on board and support the team. If you or your company would like to support Borderline/Solid UK give Mike a shout on michael.marsden@uni-travel.co.uk.

That’s it for now – head over to Borderline’s new team page for more info on the riders and updates as they get out and start taking some wins. Also look out for a team feature in Wideopen Magazine.

Thanks to Mike for another Wideopen Exclusive. Good luck fellas!

Jamie News

The first uplift is go for January 17th at Nant Gwrtheyrn.

Nant is an all new race venue up in North Wales, built by the Simply Downhill team. They reckon it’s fast, rough and technical with great uplift access and even a cafe and showers at the bottom. They’ll be racing the track in August 2010 and this is the first chance you’ll get to ride it.

Book your ass up here or check out our exclusive feature on the track here.

Jamie News

A short film folling three mountainbikers through these wet and muddy months.
Filed, Edited and Produced by Tom Grundy.
TOMGRUNDY.BLOGSPOT.com

Jamie News