BIG Check-in from Tyler

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since I've done an update and I've been up to a lot the past few weeks so I figured I'd send one out. At the end of last month was a jump jam at the post office jumps in my hometown of Aptos called the "Ham and Steeze Jam." It's always fun when events get organized here because this is the place that I grew up riding and digging at since I was 10 years old. The beginning of the day started with an amateur contest and then it ended with a pro demo that had awards for best trick, best steeze, and best overall rider. I rode real well and had a lot of fun and ended up getting 2nd place in all three of these categories. There were no prizes for 2nd here but it still felt good to know that I was up there in all of the categories. There were a lot of good photos and video that came from this jam and I've attached a few of them. Here is a link to a really good video that was made by a local filmer. I appear at 1:40

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/107862/

The day after the jam, I worked on a bike check on my GT Ruckus with Jordan from Pinkbike. It should be pretty entertaining so check for that coming up on the Pinkbike homepage sometime soon.

Since then I was lucky enough to get the chance to go out to Ray's MTB Park in Cleveland, Ohio for their grand opening. GT sent me out there and I met up with Romo to shred some of the best indoor riding in the world. There was a super big turnout and Ray set us, along with a few other riders, up in the kitchen and we served food to all of the customers and local riders.

It was a fun and different way to interact with everyone and then we all rode together after everyone was stuffed to their mouth. Some of my BMX hero's were in attendance as well and I got to ride with Anthony Napolitan and Daniel Dhers. Watching those dudes ride in their own element is nuts and I definitely had one of my favorite sessions ever riding with them in Ray's new "Rhythm Room." That's where I spent most of my time because the room is filled with box jumps of all shapes and sizes. Hips, step-ups, step-downs, and rollers make the big set feel like dirt jump trails and it made me feel just at home. I also spent a lot of time in the foam pit working on dialing in some new tricks and that was definitely productive for me. I finally figured out my 360 downside tailwhips and made more progress on the infamous bike-flip. That one still needs a little more practice though. Hopefully next time I make it out there, I'll be throwin them over the big set in the Rhythm Room! Thanks to GT for sending me out there and to Ray and his crew for the hospitality...I wish I could've stayed longer!

I got back from that Trip on Monday and then jumped right into filming with local videographer Josh Talatzko at the Post Office jumps once again. He had a cable cam set up across the span of the jump set and this was the first time anyone had one out there. I got a few good shots until about 10 minutes into shooting when I took one of the worst crashes ever. I just screwed up on a no footed can and next thing I knew I was on the ground. I hit my head super hard but luckily my Giro helmet saved my life. It was crushed but luckily my head wasn't. I was pretty concussed though and I haven't started riding yet since then. I'm taking a few days off to let my brain heal up a bit! There is a video of the crash and it ended up getting Video of the Day on Pinkbike the other day and already has 17,000 views. Not the best way to get views but hey, I'm glad it was on film! Check it out..

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/109020/

I plan to get back on the bike again tomorrow and take it slow. I'll be preparing for AT's Showdown at the Cow Palace in San Francisco this coming weekend so hopefully I'll be ready to go by then. After that I'll be preparing for the X Fusion Side Flight Championships in San Diego on the weekend of the 5th. It's a contest to see who can do the best whip and it's something that I'm pretty excited about. I'll let you know how all of that goes for me.

Thanks again for all of the continued support!

-Tyler