| Column written by Martin Koren |
Of my experience, rider jams are just about the most fun thing around riding. I first experienced a jam last year at Fredds place. The Sweetspot Allstars Jam in Nynashamn. It was Fredds second episode and as I left from that place I realized what riding really means to me. Its Friends, fun and gaining motivation from trying to impress other riders with your skills. Leaving from Sweden, I felt like I wanted to pay back what I gained and basically do the same thing in Prague.
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As our Czech team GeneralX, we put together or first Jam in the end of that summer. It was fun and the road was set for a second edition. Early in the year I was set off the bike due to a cross ligament injury in the knee. Shit always has a good side, and so I at least had plenty of time to organize everything. So here we go…
The idea for this year was to invite a group of friends that ride good and get along well together. Stay in Prague during the week for fun activities, ride in the afternoon, do an official jam for the people and do a best whip, double, run and trick kind of thing. After that have a good afterparty and go home before the weekend starts. |
The riders count was limited to 10 dudes. Busty, FAB, Jader, Muph, Libor, Liemann, Rejsek, Kuchar, Pilat and Fredd. Unfortunately Petr Pilat and Petr Kuchar got injured just a week before that Jam and didn’t ride, so we were at 8. Arrival in Prague was scheduled for Monday night. As we gathered up, we jumped into my T4 bus and we did a tour of the center of Prague and the scenes from the movie xXx.
On Tuesday, we headed out of Prague to an old army training camp in Benesov for a game of paintball. Riders Vs. Partners. It turned out that almost all the partners invited called to be busy and didn’t make it. So in the end, it was riders, friends, Paul from Motorex CZ and a few media dudes that tore up the battle field. This Paintball game was really awesome and will defiantly become a tradition for the jam. We played several types of games.
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Teams, catch the flag, fighting for a bunker, but by far the funniest was, when we played Napoleon wars, where the teams got on two sides. We stood 7 on 7 about 15m from each other, aimed and fired on the call. Who was hit stepped out, and who was still alive made a step forward and did the routine again. In the end it was 5 soldiers against an alone standing Jader at something like 8 meters. For those who never played paintball, the only real way to know how it hurts to get hit is to really experience it. ITS NOT JUST A GAME when it hurts. But that’s what’s fun about it. After running around killing our selves in the forest, we headed for lunch and then to the track to set the ramps and get some riding in. |
Wednesday we headed up to Prosek, which is a hill in Prague with a great view. The bobsled restaurant prepared lunch for us and we had tickets for the bobsled track. This day was set for the media guys to be able to do interviews in a calm place and ask the boys whatever they wanted. We had Radio Wave of Prague traveling with us all the time doing live chats with us, which was really cool. Bobsledding may sound like a really kid thing to do, but hey, that thing travels 55 and more at the bottom of the run.
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Thursday was day D. Everything was set. I was running around since morning directing things and as the boys arrived at 12, we were ready to go. People started to slowly arrive and the jam began.
We had an open riding session and then went to disciplines such as a best run, best whip, best doubles run and best trick. The winners received a medieval trophy resembling Prague and the event… a real medieval sword with the logo and wining engraved in it.
We had two high towers for filming and photos and some of the material is really cool, so don’t forget to download the video at www.horsefeathersfmxjam.cz |
From the jam we headed to the afterparty, which was situated on the Vltava River in Prague. We had a good time and some of us continued and knocked out a few more places before we knocked our selves out. As the sun started rising, I realized that I was pretty fucked up and needed to go to bed so I could take Fredd to the airport in the morning.
I knew I was never gonna get up, so I decided to go to his hotel room and sleep next to him on the open bed. Fredd drove himself to the Airport and I kind of woke up in the car as we said good bye. I was still pretty wasted after 3 hours of sleep and driving in that state was really stupid, but I felt I had no other choice.
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As I was almost home, I was on the phone (you cant phone while driving in CZ) all the time getting some after-event stuff sorted out. I was stopped by the cops. Man that was trouble. The only thing that popped into my mind was to get all the papers in my hand, get out of the car and sort things outside.
Maybe that way the police officer would notice the alcohol from my breath. We started talking, I showed him all the stuff, I said im sorry for calling in the car.I explained the situation and the event. He asked me about X-Fighter (I commentated that for a big CZ tv station), asked questions about the bike… well as he kept wanting to talk to me and got closer, I stepped back so he wouldn’t smell the alc. |
From my breath. We made 2 slow circles around the car, and in the end I was drunk, phoning in the car and didn’t put my blinker on the intersection. He toke a bribe. 500kc (15 Euros) and I headed home. Welcome to the Czech Republic.
Thanks to all the boys that welcomed the invitation to Prague. Its these things that bring friends closer together… and yes, we will get the power back!!!
Check out www.horsefeathersfmxjam.cz
Peace!!!
Martin
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