BMX Weekly

This is my second podcast with John Salami on BMX Weekly. John stayed with us a couple of weeks ago while he was out in San Diego for the Gold Cup Finals.We catch up on the latest with the New Jersey BMX Hall of Fame, which John runs, along with his BMX Legends Society group and Lunch with Legends podcast. John shares stories about some of the guests he’s had on the show, the backstories behind the interviews, and plenty of BMX history along the way.Then we switch things up with a bit of a “name game.” I throw some legendary BMX names at John and get his thoughts and stories on each of them, including Pistol Pete Loncarevich, Brian Lopes, Chris Moeller, Geoff Schofield, Mickey Lundy, Craig Reynolds, John Tomac and Dave Cullinan.Always great catching up with John and talking BMX.Check out MX Legends Society Lunch with Legends on YouTube.

We talk British BMX Hall of Fame, do today’s riders care about nostalgia? Upcoming races in China, World Cups and Olympic points for 2028 about to start.Driving around Europe with my dad in the 80s and 90s to race, taking ferries and dealing with different currencies.Current talk on Cam Wood, current wide-open turns and are riders blowing off the track because of the speed of SX?Jason brings up Eddy Clerte’s new Sunn and the seat height after his post on No Holds Barred REAL BMX blew up.We also talk Frogtown, Dirty Fest and a few thoughts from our side.We hit on one of our guests on the Podcast, Scott Felt, calling it a day on racing 20-inch.Last week’s posts on the BMX Weekly social media pages, bicycle trials, a little mountain bike talk and more.

We wrap up the summer with Dr. J and cover a lot of ground.We start with some post Worlds talk from the UCI BMX World Championships in Australia, including new Elite Men’s World Champion Jesse Asmus. Can he back up the title, become a major player moving forward, and maybe even win another World Championship? We give our thoughts.We also get into the Malverns Classic, the new USA BMX schedule, and imagine what riders like Gary Ellis, Charles Townsend, Matt Pohlkamp, Dr. J, and Pistol Pete would look like racing today with slammed seats and modern setups.There’s plenty of bench racing too, including some of the fastest women to ever race BMX and a few potential GOAT names that newer racers may not know as well, but who had incredible careers in their eras.We debate whether BMX bikes are getting too small and whether racing on 24 or even 26 inch wheels could make sense. We also talk about other BMX podcasts we listen to, the atmosphere and finish line scenes from the recent Mountain Bike World Cup, and throw it back to four cross World Cups and dual racing from the late ’90s into the 2000s.Jason shares thoughts on some of the local San Diego AA Pros from the ’80s and ’90s, we revisit the old World 1 through World 8 number plates for World Championship finalists, and ask whether BMX should bring that tradition back.Plus, riders we admire, a few potential guests we’re hoping to get on the podcast this fall, and more.

This one has been a long time in the making. Big thanks to Brian Randolph at BioLab for making this one happen.The Andy Contes PodcastOn this episode, Andy talks about the early days of his BMX career, from the Arizona teams he first rode for, to getting picked up by Free Agent, followed by Haro and GT, before eventually returning to Haro.We also talk about Andy winning almost straight off the bat, his battles with GT Factory superstar Shea Pierce, winning the IBMXF 1994 World Championships at Waterford Oaks, Michigan, and finishing second a year later in Columbia, along with his thoughts on that World Championships in 1995.Andy also talks about first getting on GT, battling the likes of Haro's Mike Brant, Powerlite's Mario Soto, and other top Ams on GT, Robinson, and Powerlite. He shares his thoughts on finishing second at the 1998 UCI World Championships in Australia behind Thomas Allier while still an Am, winning the 1998 ABA Amateur Title, turning pro, surviving a car crash with his GT teammates the day before racing at the 2000 World Championships in Argentina, attending graduate school while racing professionally, completing an internship at GT, and juggling both school and racing at the same time.Andy also reflects on winning a Pro Cruiser title, the challenges of balancing his career on and off the track with school and a full-time career, and returning to Haro for the final chapter of his professional career before retiring.We also talk about Andy getting back into racing, reconnecting with Jamie Leija at BioLab, and returning to the sport through his kids, who are now racing. Since coming back, Andy has already added two more World Championship titles to his incredible résumé. He also talks about his career at Intel, the Contes Gate, working with Toby Henderson, his future in BMX, being inducted into the Arizona BMX Hall of Fame, and so much more.

What a mess over the UCI Worlds in Australia. Another World Championships cancelled, with the results decided by the times from the last round the day before. A lot of unhappy people.Social media is in uproar, so it only made sense for Dr. J to swing by early this morning and record a podcast to share our thoughts.Check it out!