Episode 23 sees us chat with Chris Mapp, who most people know as the man behind the BMX Hype race team. What a lot of people don't know about Chris is that he is the driving force behind one of Britain's most innovative recruitment companies - Mixxos.
Chris shares the stories of his BMX career starting as a 6 and under who was too scared to ride down a start hill, to becoming a member of the infamous Crupi Europe squad counting Liam Philllips and Marcus Bloomfield as team mates as they raced around Europe and the world.
Chris also tells how he ended up almost leaving the sport, and the reasons behind that before making a run at the 2012 World Championships in Birmingham where a crash on the third straight put him in a wheelchair and unable to carry on with his profession at the time.
This forced Chris to step into a completely new job role, one that saw him find not only his calling but also led him to create an innovative new company in a notoriously difficult sector - recruitment.
This move has taken Chris to a level he never dreamed of, and he shares the lessons he learned along the way from racing BMX, that helping him manage a rapidly growing business.
Sit back, relax, and take a ride into the crazy world of Chris Mapp.... there's never a dull moment!
www.mixxos.com
Episode 22 of The BMX Commentator Podcast sees us catch up with Hyper Bicycles pro rider and Aker Farms owner Jeremy Smith.
Jeremy tells the story of how breaking his hand at the Verona World Cup race in 2021 led to him finding the property that was to become the Aker farm. Years of hard work have now got Jeremy and best friend Will Grant to the point where they have a private training facility in Florida with a practice track, gum and accomodation for visiting riders from all over the world.
Jeremy also covers his Paris Olympics experience, the races he'd love to go to (hint - bonjour!) and answers the all important Frankenstein BMXer question....plus much more besides.
It's all contained in episode 22 of The BMX Commentator Podcast.
To connect with Aker Brand go to https://akerbrandfarms.square.site/
@akerbrand on IG
@jeremysmithbmx to connect with Jeremy directly
Episode 21 of the podcast takes back across the globe to chat with BMX/MTB rider Jayce Cunning. This is a slightly different episode as Jayce is a rider I haven't met on the World Cup scene prior to our conversation.
Jayce tells us about his prior World Cup history in BMX, and how the move into the MTB scene came about. We also dive deep into why the Crankworx series is so good for riders, and what BMX racing can do to follow their lead whilst also diving into why it's so good as a media outlet for companies that are supporting riders within the sport.
We also chat about coaching young riders, what they can learn by NOT doing more training, plus we bring Frankenstein into BMX racing.
Yes, we create a monster hybrid BMXer in real time, and introduce you to him right before we wrap up the show.
It was an absolue blast to chat with Jayce, check out the conversation and give him a follow on IG @jaycecunning or look him up on YouTube to follow his channel.
Episode 20 of The BMX Commentator Podcast sees a chat with up and coming Australian U23 racer Bella May.
From starting as an eight year old on a local track, Bella has grown into one of the most exciting prospects in the sport. Bella went from pure novice to racing for an Aussie title within 4 months of setting foot on a track for the first time.
Find out how she manages the pressure of World Cup racing, which race she wants to do over, what it's like to have Caroline Buchanan on speed dial, what she thinks about being on a Prophecy for the next 4 years and much more. Bella drops another huge exclusive as she reveals her plans for the 2025 season.
Episode 19 of the BMX Commentator Podcast - A Chat with Mitchel Schotman about the dual role of organising a festival whilst balancing the responsibility of being a full time Elite BMX athlete.
The BMX Commentator podcast sat down with 2016 Olympic Gold Medallist Connor Fields.
The BMX Commentator podcast sat down with 2016 Olympic Gold Medallist Connor Fields.
Connor gives us his unique perspective on the Paris Olympics, and how he saw it from the perspective of TV commentator for NBC and most importantly through the lens of being a former Olympic champion himself.
We delve into why the all conquering French mens team are so successful, why the goup of riders born in 1991-92 became so good, and how they ushered the changing of the guard in the Elite class.
Switching gears, we touch on Connor's post BMX career working for PBS Vegas on Outdoor Nevada, keynote speaking at places like Nellis Air Force Base and UNLV....and much more!
Episode 17 of the podcast sees a slight change of pace, simply because I didn't manage to get a guest sorted and I didn't want to miss an upload.
So I went with an AMA (ask me anything) episode, got some questions in via Instagram and proceeded to answer them.
You'll find out...
The difference between a Wigan kebab abd a Wigan Big Mac, and why it matters.
How I prepare for commentating at a major event.
How I started as a commentator, and who influenced me in the early days.
The advice I'd give to anyone wanting to try their hand at BMX commentary.
The reason behind my racing days ending and why it was a massive positive, even though it took a few years to work out for the best.
The most exciting race I ever commentated on, with only 2 people on the gate when it dropped.
What you need to do become a top level BMX commentator (hint: be prepared to work at it for a long time)
All this and more besides... so dig in and have a listen.
Episode 16 of The BMX Commentator Podcast is with one of my most requested guests, Ross Cullen of the Great Britain Cycling Team.
Ross tells us how it feels to be in the unique position of going to two Olympic Games and competing in neither one, what his goals are for the years leading up to LA28, and how his dad broke his neck when he was a kid which then led to him discovering BMX racing for the first time.
He also tells us why people think he's a robot, why British Cycling have told him to 'dial it back a bit' and how he ended up with a deal with BMW UK to drive a new car and motorcycle.
I've said on more than one occasion that Ross Cullen has been a professional BMXer since he was 12 years old, such is his committment to excellence and the fact he leaves no stone unturned to be the best he can be in all areas of his life.
Indeed, in the week after recording this podcast, I visited one of Ross's current sponsors to buy some clip shoes for my son. I told them that he was to be a guest on the podcast, and their response was that he was the nicest lad, professional to a 'T'and a pleasure to work with.
And the BMX Mums like him as well :-)
Ladies and gentleman, the much requested and long awaited interview with Ross Cullen... enjoy!
It's only been a few episodes since we last had Scott on the show, but after we briefly touched on sponsorship and marketing last time around I was frothing to get him back on the podcast to dive into the subject in more detail.
Scott and I sat down to run through everything you need to know to get on a potential sponsor's radar (clue: Your social media numbers aren't the be all and end all!)
Also we talk about how to put together a proper sponsorship proposal (hint: use a spellchecker) and what you should do immediately after a new sponsor comes on board.
We also talk about the worst mistakes you can make when approaching a sponsor, what to do on race day to maximise impact for your sponsors, and how to build relationships ahead of time so companies know who you are way before you start to work together.
Scott is a fully sponsored (paid!) professional BMX and MTB athlete so he knows what he's doing... so sitting down and taking some notes might be a good way to spend an hour of your time.
Check out Scott's website www.beaumontracing.com and be sure to check out The 96 Podcast as another addition to your podcast rotation.
As an addition to this episode, I'd also suggest having a listen to Episode 310 of the Gypsy Tales Podcast with Caroline Buchanan. It's a monster 3+ hour listen, but Caroline drops a ton of knowledge bombs about how she markets herself as an athlete. The principles are there, you just have to dig them out and apply them...
Finn Hall spent a chunk of the early part of his life racing BMX against the likes of Ross Cullen, Nathan Wood, Euan Hunt and many others, eventually working his way onto the Olympic Development Program at British Cycling as a 15 year old.
However, a double wrist break ended his BMX dreams, and Finn stepped away from the sport he loved (and sometimes hated) An interest in the high end streetwear scene saw him sourcing high end pieces for resale and the beginnings of his business career started to take shape.
A follow on Instagram led Finn to discover the benefits of adptogens to aid his Crossfit workouts, which ended up with him starting his own company, Headstrong, from his university bedroom.
Now, that company is thriving - with plans to take it global in the next few years. Finn outlines his story from racing at Preston as a 6 year old, to becoming the face of a rapidly growing supplement company collaborating with brands at Paris Fashion Week and moving into Japan and South Korea in the near future.
Finn tells us his story in his own words, and dives deep into why BMX racing has been such an influence on his business journey.
You can check out Headstrong for yourself at www.headstrongltd.com
Tell Finn the BMX Commentator Podcast sent you there!
Note: We had a couple of audio issues on this podcast, and you may notice things go a tad quiet in places. I'm definitely not an Audacity expert but I've done the best I can with it. Bear with it, your patience will be rewarded... thanks!
Episode 13 of The BMX Commentator Podcast sees an in depth chat with New Zealand's former Junior Women World Champion Jessie Smith.
Like many succesful BMX racers Jessie Smith started racing BMX at an early age, working her way up the ranks and taking multiple Challenge titles in her formative years.
Her transition into the Elite ranks went as smoothly as anyone could have dreamed of as Jessie took the 2019 Junior Women World Championship title at a raid sodden Zolder in Belgium.
It seemed that a step up into the Women Elite ranks was no more than a formality, especially as Jessie could count the Smulders sisters and the Sakakibaras as regular trining partners and close friends.
Yet behind the scenes, Jessie was struggling with demons that no one knew about.... a crippling fear of the behemoth 8m start hill and hitting jumps at breakneck speed consumed her, resulting in a crash at the Tokyo Olympic test event that put her in a Japanese hospital for a week.
After much soul searching, Jessie decided to prioritise her mental health and future happiness by stepping away from BMX racing at the Elite level.
This is her story, told by Jessie herself. A story that unravels the side of BMX racing that no-one talks about... fear, anxiety, and crushing pressure from NGB's that seemingly have no one to answer to.
And even after all of this, Jessie describes her ongoing love for BMX racing and when asked if she would 'willingly step back into the arena...?'
Well... you need to listen to find out the answer.
Episode 12 of the BMX Commentator Podcast sees a chat with fellow podcaster Scott Beaumont of The 96 Podcast.
Scott spins so many plates his next sponsor will be Ringling's Circus... racing at the pro level, running the UK 4x series, and still finding time to smash out a killer 96 Podcast on the regular, Scott talks us through how the hell he fits it all in.
We also dive deep on content vs production quality with 2 viewpoints on it whilst simultaneously finding out who is the biggest microphone nerd in BMX.
4X racing is starting to grow again, and Scott tells us why he thinks that is and teases his desire to reveal the real story of how 4X racing was cut at the World Cup level.
Add in a foolproof method for starting a podcast if you've ever had the desire to try it, and there's plenty for everyone in this episode of The BMX Commentator Podcast.
Resources
Scott's Podcast on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/28CtGdcuIFvRFQx7AxzngX?si=a4b694f4999f43ed
The Think Media video that got Rich started with the BMX Commentator Podcast in under a week for less than £100 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3juTJ6GqB5s&t=402s
Rich's dream/next mic buy - https://amzn.eu/d/02ve0rOS
British 4x series - https://www.british4x.com/
Episode 11 of The BMX Commentator Podcast is a deep dive into sports biomechanics aroudn BMX with Masters BMX racer and PHD boffin Adam Brazil.
Adam tells us what the correct pronunciation of the field of study actually is (my attempt was terrible) and then takes us through ho it cab be applied to BMX racing.
We also touch on his dream gig, that requires a bit of funding from BC (hint!!) why Quillan Isidore will never be nearly naked riding down an 8m hill, and what the weekend warrior can do to eke a bit more out of his limited training time.
Note: Adam and I had to jump a few hurdles to get this recorded. so its a little higgledy piggeldy and required some creative editing. For a split second I considered scrapping the entire episode and doing it again, but that would go against all the reasons I started this podcast in the first place.
Bringing raw conversation with all its ups and downs makes the podcast and it's guests what it was meant to be, and changing that would be detrimental to what the podcast is.
So you get what you get. I won't be winning any awards for production standards any time soon, but I don't really give a stuff anyway!
Epoisode 10 of The BMX Commentator Podcast sees Dr Jason Richardson @realdrjrich walk us through some of the most common mental mistakes BMX racers make, and drops the science as to how you swerve the mental potholes that dominate many riders minds on race day.
We cover everything from trash talking to when the ideal time is to up your intensity on race day (Hint: It's not a good idea)
We talk about controlling pre race anxiety, grounding, breathwork, and building a process before the gate drops.
We even cover what Greg Romero said Jason just before his main at the ABA Grands in the early 90's, when the no 1 Am title was on the line.
Grab a pen and pad for this one, you made need to make some notes as Jason Richardson guides you on how to be stronger mentally for your BMX racing career.
To contact Jason, hit him up on Instagram @realdrjrich or at his website https://www.drjasonrichardson.com/AthleteMentalSkills
Episode 9 of the BMX Commentator Podcast sees an in depth conversation with strength and conditioning coach Connor Hedges.
Connor isn't just any old S&C coach either, as he pursues his masters degree whilst being involved with not one, but two top level sporting organisations.
Currently working with both British Cycling and Manchester City Football Club, Connor outlines the differences between the two sports, why a bog standard personal trainer might not be able to help you with BMX, and how to get your young BMXer stronger without even setting foot inside a gym.
For the older lads, Connor outlines what you should be doing in the gym to maximise your BMX related 'gainz' ;-) and more crucially, the order you should do the work in... Hint - heavy squats shouldn't be the first thing you do...
There's plenty to take from this for both BMX parents and older riders. I've also tee'd Connor up for a part two Q&A style podcast if the demand is there.
You'll need more than one listen to this as Connor drops knowledge bomb after knowledge bomb. Might even be worth making some notes too...
Episode 8 of the podcast is a chat with Australia's fastest heating and cooling engineer, Bodi Turner.
After a severe leg break at the UCI BMX World Cup in New Zealand, Bodi has been on a mission to try and get recovered to continue his Elite BMX career. Get the low down on his crash, his recovery and how long he plans to race BMX for (hint - he's not planning on going anywhere yet)
Also, Bodi dives into how he manages to train like a pro whilst working a 'more than full time' job and the dangers of buying lunch at a petrol station.
There's also a look into how he became a member of the Tangent Cartel, and what a young rider should do if he's truly serious about becoming a BMX athlete.
This episode of the BMX Commentator Podcast is a chat with BMX Development Coach Adam Carey. Adam led the Thai National BMX Program for a number of years after racing Elite whilst studying for a PHD in Sports and Exercise Physiology. He also coaches some of the Australian riders that took W plates in Rock Hill at the recent World Championships.
The basis of our chat was about junior development, but we also touched on social anxiety at races, neurodivergence and process orientation. Plus an inside take on what happens in corners during a Masters moto at Worlds...
So it was a pretty diverse 45 minutes or so.
The door has been left open for a part two to this podcast in the form of a Q&A, so if the thought of that tickles your pickle let me know and we'll get something set up.
Episode 6 of The BMX Commentator Podcast saw a first in person conversation rather than the usual online chat. A quick trip up the A49 to Chorley and a sit down in the living room of @theseatpostman John Lee, former Torker and Raleigh factory rider in the 1980's.
Nowadays John has a thriving business specialising in removal of stuck seatposts from high end frames (yes, that's a real money making business) John's an engineer at heart and LOVES making stuff better, or better still...making new stuff.
John covers his foray into making two speed set ups for an S&M Steel Panther, the reason why he thinks they should be on a BMX bike, what your gearing should look like and why your chainring isn't actually round.
Yes, you read that correctly...your chainring isn't round. It's something else entirely.
He also gives his take on the Mateo Colsonet French multi-speed set up and how it works. There's a few theories knocking around, and John's is probably the best I've heard.
Lastly, John gives his one pearl of wisdom of how you can make your bike more efficient. You'll smack yourself in the head when you hear it...it's that simple. Yet I've never heard a factory dad talk about it in the same way they talk about carbon bike jewellery, it's nowhere near as sexy!
All this comes with a side helping of Japanese chain encyclopedia and drag co-efficiency measurement.
Dig in and enjoy!!
Please note I didn't have access to my usual audio set up and the quality isn't as good as it normally is. The podcast is a work in progress, and improvements will be incoming in as we go along.
We take something of a detour from BMX in Episode 5 of The BMX Commentator Podcast, having a chat with David Davidson who is the founder of mountainbikeacademy.com
David overcame injuries from his younger years and with the help of his brother in law started coaching riders in becoming better by using their bodies better, and using them how they were designed to be used.
This is not your standard 'BMX bro' training, you won't be posting IG stories of you squatting a Nissan Micra, it's about making your body work for you rather than against you.
It's a conversation that'll be of particular interest to the 30+ crowd, the cruiser bruisers, and the Grand Vets.
Open your mind to a different approach, and you may get some different results.
Dave's YouTube channel is @mountainbikeacademy and his website is www.mountainbikeacademy.com
Check it out if you're even remotely curious.
Episode 4 of the podcast sees us chatting with Chase Bicycles Vet Pro rider and YouTuber Barry Nobles. Barry takes in depth on his life in and around YouTube and his clothing brand NineFive Ride Co, gives us the inside story on winning the 2023 World Champs in Glasgow, reveals how long he's planning on racing for, and what you can expect to see from him in the future. To connect with Barry on social media go to @barrynobles95 on YouTube and Instagram. For the BMX Commentator podcast it's @bmxcommentator on Instagram.
