BMXStunts Reports from India
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Start
Date:
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10/26/00
San Diego @ 6:00am British Airways |
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Approx.
Travel Time:
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22
hours total Flight time to Bombay, India |
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Rest
Before Shows:
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5
hours |
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Total
Shows:
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27
shows. 3 perday. 9 days |
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Riders:
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Todd
Pelio, Jeff Winston, Dave White, Brian Blyther |
Purpose:
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4
undercover agents disguised as BMXStunts riders were to
complete a mission. The mission at hand was to retrieve
a top secret fish scent in a air tight canister designed
by Dr. Noah Wieder, and bring the samples back to America.
All four agents were to be stationed along the Arabian
Sea. The prime location was Essel world, Bombay, India |
Put
your bike in a box, fly East for 22 hours on British Airlines
and where do you end up. No not Indiana. That's only 2 hours.
I said 22. The correct answer. "India". "Bombay" to be exact.
That is exactly where Perfection on Wheels was invited to
perform. From October 26th - November 6th 2000, the country
of India got its first taste of professional bike riding.
For the first time ever, American riders performed BMX Freestyle
shows in Bombay, India. The objective was to perform 27 shows
over nine days at Essel World, as professional BMXStunt riders
and then complete our mission, the location was at the countries
largest theme park. The riders/agents were Brian Blyther,
Todd Pelio, Jeff Winston and Dave White. Dave White was an
ambassador for Dirt Brothers Bikes, while the others were
representing GT Bicycles.
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This Mission Was an incredible experience
It was an incredible experience riding for these people. There
are a total of about 2 riders in all of India. It is no surprise
that these people have never seen the sport of BMX before. Bikes
and Magazines are hard to get there. Bike stores don't sell
good bikes. A typical BMX bike costs about 2,000 Rupees. That
is about $50 dollars American money. Cheaply built bikes that
will break from doing a trick as simple as a wheelie. A $500
GT or Haro in America would cost almost double that in India.
Most People can't afford these bikes anyway. These riders did
meet one local guy, Rahul, that had a freestyle bike. A real
bike. It was a GT from the late 80's. The kind you would see
Martin Aparijo riding back in 1987. Rahul busted out some tailwhips,
rockwalks and kickturns on the boxjump. From what Rahul told
our friends, there are very few freestyle riders in India. The
majority of these people don't even know what BMX riding is.
It was the mission of these American riders to show these people
what BMX is all about. The closest these people have ever been
to seeing the sport has been on TV. That's right TV. The X-Games
have been televised there over this past year. This was their
only chance to see it in person.
Photos by Rahul |
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We had only five hours to rest and prepare
for our first show.
That was because they had no time. After getting off the plane and
arriving at the hotel, the riders had about 5 hours to rest before
their first show. That is not much rest considering the effects
of Jet Lag from 22 hours of traveling. With little rest, the riders
started out their first day of shows. Jeff Winston fell in love
with india from the start. They said food, he said "I love
you, where do i go". After eating their first meal at the Retreat
Resort, the riders stepped outside into the open air. There was
no doubting the Arabian sea was within walking distance.
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The scent
of fish was as thick as George W. Bush's head. Without much
investigating, the riders pinpointed the source of the scent.
A lady stood on a chair and hung dead fish skin on pole. It
was a scene from National Geographic if they ever saw one. After
taking a photo of the women hanging the fish, the riders decided
they would have to come back to gather evidence of the scent
some other time. They were within a few hours of performing
their first show and couldn't risk upsetting the mission. |
Everywhere the
riders went, people were shaking their hands and taking pictures
with them. When the shows first started the crowds were quiet and
didn't know how to react. After a few cool tricks the people began
to clap and cheer on the riders.
The riding area was not ideal for the riders, but they made the
best of it. The ground was bumpy and slippery. This made it hell
for the flatlanders. The runway for the ramp was a little tight.
The riders had to pedal uphill, ride through the crowd and bunnyhop
up a curb before hitting the boxjump. It took a little more work
than normal to gain speed for the jump, but they managed. The crowd's
favorite jump had to be the big 360's. They were also treated to
a backflip by Brian over the weekend. He was planning on doing a
flip each show but couldn't because he couldn't get enough speed.
The riders were surprised at all the media attention they got. Pictures
on the front page of the "Bombay Times"
and television coverage by AXN Sports. AXN is an extreme sports
station in Asia. Similar to ESPN. When asked about the weather,
Todd said it was extremely Hot and Humid. The temperature was in
the 90's every day and the humidity was bad. They did a 3 O'clock
show everyday in the hot sun. The heat, sweaty grips, bad flatland
area and smog made it difficult to breathe at some points. They
dreaded the sun filled 3 O'clock shows, but had less trouble during
the 4:30 and 6 O'clock Shows.
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