At Steal-Life we’ve always had a soft spot for freesports, we even dedicated a whole issue to freesports photography back in July 2003. So when we decided to put ‘Gritty Sport’ together to show it’s not all Premier League and Olympic winners, there was no question that we’d include a pro freesports feature – question was, what sport would it be? It had to be competitive but also have a strong lifestyle element too.

So BMX it is! And what better than to catch up with pro riders Ashley Charles and Will Jackson – the UK contingency to the ultra cool WeThePeople Bike Company. Last year they competed all over the world and we caught up with them to ask about last year’s season and see what they’ve got planned for this year.

‘The competitions are just a great excuse to get everyone in one place to get paid for doing what they love. You turn up in a town and head off in a direction and you’re sure to bump into other riders.’ Says Will.

Sounds like every boy’s dream - going around the world and getting paid to be the best possible rider of your bike! You’ve got to keep your feet on the ground though.

‘You get told at competitions that these guys are the best riders in the world and you can only see them if you pay to get into an event, but I can go on the street and see some fifteen year old kid doing the same shit in some small town yet no-one’s ever heard of him. There’s loads of people as good as us but just don’t get the opportunities we do.’ Will says.

Ashley agrees - ‘I met this kid who’d lived in London and he had separate friends who he rode with and who he didn’t. When he moved here he couldn’t understand how we were one big group of people doing everything together. For us, that’s what it’s about!’

Both our riders keep abreast of their hometown riding and still ride with mates like they’ve always done. It’s a lifestyle choice rather than a competitive sport, they know competitions are a way of getting to see the world and meeting new people, all that hometown practice comes in to use in the end. We asked them how the sport was moving in terms of styles in 2004.

‘The tricks are the same really, well established, like in skating. It’s the move towards street riding that’s the story. That’s what magazines are shooting and it’s more photogenic than the same old skateparks’ says Ashley.

So what are last year’s highlights?

‘We went to Cologne last year at the same time they were holding the world championship there. There was the premier Mardi Gras festival for the whole of Germany right next to it. So on one side you’ve got thousands of BMXers and on the other side you got every kind of person you’ve seen in you life – I saw everything!’’ Will remembers.

‘All of Spain was great. We stayed with this guy in Madrid who, for three days, just really looked after us. It was really hot and we had loads of fun, I’d like to go back there again’ Will.

Well there’s a whole year ahead for pastures new, we hope the boys make it back to Spain. Steal-Life will be keeping in touch with the team who, with the aid of a couple of cameras will be sending back slideshows of their high flying adventures – watch this space.

http://www.wethepeople.de