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Thursday, October 26

Crabtree, Quebec Dirt Jumping Extravaganza

By Eric Myre
BMXonline.com

Just in case you are not too familiar with Canada I'm gonna help you out a little. Quebec is located in the eastern part of Canada, just north of New England. It's also the only French speaking province (or state if you prefer) in Canada. The BMX scene has always been pretty good in Quebec, but lately with the help of television it has seen a major boost in popularity, just like anywhere else, I guess. So here are some things that happened during the weekend.

A stylish seatgrab one-footer straight out od Troi-Rivieres by Phillipe Mercil. Photo: Myre

The dirt jumping contest was held during the Canadian racing championships in Crabtree, Quebec on August 26 and 27. And was put on by local promoter Dylan Vanier, who also organized the whole racing thing.

The contest was supposed to consist of two big doubles, but one the jumps turned out to be way too mushy to ride. So it turned into a one-hit contest, which was a good thing for skatepark riders who were not used to riding rhythm sections.

The city of Trois-Rivieres, now known as the dirt jumping capital of Quebec, was well represented by the likes of Phillipe Mercil, David Berube, Charles Tremblay, Simon Trepanier, and way too many others to name here.

Since the Crabtree race track sits in the middle of a corn field it can get pretty windy, to solve that problem the organizer decided to put a couple of 48 foot vans on the left side of the jump in order to block the win, and it worked great. Martin Lemire, a Trois-Rivieres local, made good use of the van by dropping from its roof right into the landing. The crowd and the riders loved it, so thumbs up for the white monsters.

Not many people entered amateur, which is surprising considering Crabtree is located only 45 minutes from Montreal, and there were some cool prizes to win including Krusher stuff and a Standard frame. I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed in the Laval crew, since none of them showed up.

People may talk shit about nac-nacs but when Phillipe Mercil makes it look that good you just sit back and enjoy. Photo: Myre

Jamie Brierley out of Kingston ended up in third place amateur with moves like supermans and nothings. The funny thing is that Jamie is a racer and there are no dirt jumps where he lives. Jamie, if I were you, I'd buy a shovel and start digging!

After an impressive victory at the Montreal Skatespace contest two weeks earlier, Patrick Denis was looking for another win. He wound up in second place with huge no-footed can-cans. Not too worry though, you're gonna see a lot more of that kid in future.

First place went to Charles Tremblay who rode smoother than most of the Pros and pulled an impressive seatgrab no-footer among other things. For his trouble he received a brand new frame and lots of respect.

Nine Pros tried their best to win some of the prize money, but only three of them received a check. Steve Bohn looked great in practice, pulling 360 x-ups, Indian airs and barspins-to-X-ups. But things fell apart for him in the contest and he ended up in third.

On the other hand Vincent Daniel, who is not known as the smoothest guy on a jump, did great in his runs with a list of tricks that included a no-handed flip and a cliffhanger. A well-deserved second place went to Vincent.

First place went to the guy who can make any trick look good; Phillipe Mercil did it all in style with big flips, one-footed toboggans and a one-handed 360. A big check went to someone who really needed it.

So there you go, hope to see you next year.