I'm not sure if you know or not, but I have recently (last week) moved to New York City to take on more responsibility here at the ever expanding and super radical EXPN.com. I'm really pumped about the move and everything has actually gone fairly smooth considering I moved from the desolate vineyards of Temecula, California to the gritty, graffiti-ridden streets of Brooklyn. The only major downfall of my move is the fact that good Mexican is a bit harder to find over here on the east coast, although I must say that the pizza is just damn killer and everyone knows that it's always a good time for pizza. Anyway, I just wanted to let you Brap Hap enthusiasts know now that I'm physically further away from the motocross scene, I am still fully in touch with everything that is going on thanks to things like telephones, the Internet and my amazing contributors like Chris Tedesco and Garth Milan.

With that being said, let's move forward. Answer this — do you think that Twitch's rise to the top and recent Red Bull X Fighters win in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are due to luck or coincidence? Well, obviously the answer is no, but did you know that Twitch has been following a strict training regimen recently? I actually didn't, until Chris Tedesco hit me up, asking if I'd be interested in a little interview with Twitch and his trainer — take it away Tedeskeeeze!

Chris Tedesco

Many people don't know, but Twitch was a hop-scotch champion as a young lad.

EXPN: Charles, tell us about Icon Sport Performance and Wellness Alliance and what it's all about?

Charles Dao: Well, we founded iCON Sports Performance and Wellness Alliance in hopes of securing the nation's top trainers to lead our promising athletes to the next level of performance. We originated in Orange County, Calif. as a reputable and successful training company, spending years in the health care industry working within several local gyms and rehab centers, setting standards for high-level sports training, fitness and weight loss. Now in Murrieta, Calif., we've teamed up with legendary Master Carlson Gracie Jr. to offer the best in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and mixed martial arts training possible. We also offer a wide assortment of awesome programs ranging from Spartan training, X-Fit Training Systems and youth plyometrics. iCON Sports Alliance is a hybrid, innovative sports specific and fitness training company with every amenity available to reach optimal performance.

EXPN: Okay, let's get down to the nitty gritty — What are your goals for Twitch and how has he been handling the rigorous training you put him through?

CD: Jeremy's a total smart ass and a complete clown, but when it comes time to train or compete, he turns on his "A" game and brings it like no one else. That's what makes him one of the best riders in the world, as well as one of the funniest guys to work with. To be completely honest with you, it took awhile to finally get him in the right frame of mind to commit to the fitness levels in which I make him endure, but now that he's on track, he's coming out confident and swinging like never before. We train intensively 3 times per week and he rides freestyle every morning, as well as supercross about 2 times per week for cardio. As with most athletes, it has to be fun to train and with Jeremy, he also has to have a good time in order for him to excel. Our goals that we've set for Jeremy is to first increase flexibility as well as have phenomenal core strength. We incorporate a lot of explosive power lifting and balance drills for increased proprioceptiveness. Our style of training is extremely unorthodox and unconventional, utilizing everything under the sun from Concept 2 rowers with the TransforMX bars to speed ladders, kettlebells, med balls and endo boards. It's really hard to demonstrate any exercises verbally, but you can check out some demos on our website. Jeremy's fitness program doesn't stop at the training center, but is applied to the foods he eats as well. He's learned that you are what you eat and if he wants to continue being in tiptop shape, he's got to load up on clean foods and Cytosport supplements that will optimize his performance as well.

Chris Tedesco

And you thought normal push ups were hard.

EXPN: Twitch, why did you start working with Charles?

Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg: I started going to Charles because Ronnie Faisst kept telling me how gnarly of a workout it was and that forty-five minutes into the workout, he wanted to throw up — it took me awhile to get in here (laughs). I kept dodging his calls for a couple months, and then one day, while I was flipping through a magazine, I saw some photos of myself and I looked a little chubby. I figured if I wanted to ride freestyle motocross and be one of the best, I had better be in the best shape possible. Once I came, I was hooked — now I try not to miss a day.

EXPN: What's the biggest advantage of working with Charles?

JS: When I train with Charles, I work out the entire time that I'm with him. It isn't like going to the gym, where it's a social setting with meat-heads and hot chicks all around. Charles doesn't let up on you or give you any breaks, unless you wear him out like I always do (laughs). Charles is one of the best guys to train with because he trains us specifically for what we do — if I want more explosive movements on the bike, to be stronger or last longer — no matter what it is, he knows exactly what to do to reach that specific goal. I've noticed a huge change in my body and fitness within the two months that I've been working with him.

EXPN: What can we expect from Twitch now that he's dedicating himself to training?

CD: Other than his normal wisecrack remarks, expect him to come out with a whole other level of tricks and entertainment. People can criticize him all they want, but all those who are close to him will agree that he's got a heart of gold and he's a true warrior in all our eyes. He's dedicated and focused again, and he's going to be a force to reckon with at all the FMX events. As far as my personal expectation — I expect him to be one of the baddest riders there is in the game. Period. Simple as that!

Chris Tedesco

Twitch gets his stretch on.

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Man, the competition is heating up in the motocross blogging game. Long time Brap Haps contributor and part-time amateur FMX rider Mike Mason will now be producing his own blog at yardbarker.com — Mase explains: "I recently got a email from Beeker over at Fox, asking me if I'd be into a blogging job for Yardbarker.com. The first thing I thought was, is he messing with me? Because yardbarker sounds like a fishy website. I thought it was a joke, but when I checked it out, I realized it's a super gnarly sports site that gets over 7 million hits a month! Top athletes from every sport have a blog on the site, so I began to feel pretty damn special, haha. Now, instead of reaching out to my 16 fans on MySpace, I can actually bring FMX into the public eye and let everyone see that our sport is pretty cool. Maybe something will come of this or maybe it won't, either way, I am pumped to have the chance to do this and I hope I can come up with some cool stories! I'll be blogging twice a week so between me and Leyba, I think we can help you guys pass some time on the Internet"!

Mason is one funny and talented dude, so I'm sure he's going to kill it. Be sure to check out his blog regularly, but if you start looking at his page more than the Brap Haps here on EXPN.com, I'll find you and make you wish you never owned a computer in the first place! HA HA HA HAAAA (evil laugh)!

Oh ya, speaking of Mason, have you seen his new Oakley ad in the latest Transworld MX Mag? I'm really feeling it — Mike can't pull a rabbit out of a hat, but he's sure getting good at pulling wads of cash out of his wallet.

oakley.com

Magic Mase will be appearing all week, so be sure to get your tickets before they're gone!

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I don't know about you, but I believe that Mike Metzger is more powerful and holy than the almighty Ganesh. I mean come on — Metz practically invented the sport and lifestyle we now live for. In my opinion, he is the creator of this religion we like to call freestyle motocross. So, how much would you pay to have Jesus Christ's or Ganesh's autograph? I know that I'd sell everything I own just to get a signature from my homie Haysoos. Now get this — my lord and savior, Mike Metzger, is offering up his autograph on a 4" by 6" and you don't even need to sell your house to attain it! All you gotta do is visit MetzgerBrand, place an order and BAM! If you're smart, you'll save that baby and sell it on eBay in twenty years, unless you've grown attached to it, or course.

eBay here I come!

Here's what Brandon Roberts of Metzger Brand had to say about the promotion. "Mike absolutely loves his fans and he wanted to make sure that everyone who supports Metzger Brand gets an autographed signature card. So while supplies last, every purchase made online will get shipped with an autographed signature card!"

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Okay, I promise this is the last Brazilian related Brap Haps blog that you'll be forced to digest for a long time! Ha, man, did Brazil really have an action packed few weekends or what? So yet again, my main man Garth Milan hit me off with some lovely text and pixels from the finals at Red Bull X Fighters in Rio de Janeiro. I'm going to spoil it for you now — Twitch won! Haha, nice work Twitch and welcome back to the top of the podium! Take it away Garth!

Garth Milan/Red Bull Photofiles

Mat Rebeaud gave it his all in the finals against Stenberg, but in the end he was just a hair short of what would have been the Swiss rider's second straight Red Bull X-Fighters victory of the year.

South America's first-ever Red Bull X-Fighters went down in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this weekend with resounding success, as a full house of nearly 30,000 screaming fans packed the historic Sambadrome to watch 12 of the world's best international riders battle for the win on arguably the most challenging X-Fighters course in the event's seven-year history. In the end, the final head-to-head battle came down to Jeremy Stenberg and Mat Rebeaud, with Stenberg taking a narrow win over Rebeaud.

"The course was really tough here, and it kept us all on our toes; you never could get too comfortable out there," said Stenberg. "It really elevated the more technical riders, and even we [Stenberg and Rebeaud] didn't nail our runs perfectly. I think we both threw a dead sailor or two in the final, but it's all good: Rio ruled!"

Australian rider Robbie Maddison finished third after nailing several different flip variations, while Spaniard Dany Torres was fourth. Rounding out the top-five was Norwegian badass Andre Villa, after recovering from a horrific crash in his final run. Villa hit the eject button midway through a backflip, skidding on his stomach face-first all the way to the bottom of the landing upon impact. "All of the training I do in the gym during the week really paid off here in Rio; I don't think I would have walked away from that one had I not been in good shape," said Villa of the crash.

Although tropical rainstorms threatened the event all night long, the rain stayed away until literally just a couple of minutes after the podium ceremony, when the drops finally began to fall.

With two of the five 2008 Red Bull X-Fighters rounds now in the bag, Rebeaud leads the field by a margin of 30 points, despite finishing second to his series rival Stenberg in Rio. From Brazil, the Red Bull X-Fighters travel to Texas next, where the USA will host their first-ever X-Fighters event on June 14th at the historic Fort Worth Stockyards.

Check out a slideshow from the event right about HERE!

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So, I know all it's easy to get confused with all of these contest's starting with a capital X in the country of Brazil, but here's footage from one of our (ESPN) own. Exclusive X Games Brazil footage only here at The Brap Haps. Peep it!

Best Trick

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