Headed Over the Pond

T and I are off to Ireland! I'm not sure if I will have internet access at all overseas so this may be the last post for a few weeks. I'll be stopping in a few local bike shops dropping off some stickers and swag hoping to spread some TYRANT love over the pond. I'm psyched to check out the scene in Dublin and the few local parks they have!

In other news...
Jake Lineberry messaged me to let me know that MSX is still alive and well, but heavily covered in leaves. Winter is almost upon us!

Snow Cross

Wow, I was complaining about being cold watching the cross races Saturday, check this out! Near blizzard conditions in Belgium and the race still goes on. Look at all those lunatic spectators! Kick a$$!

Superprestige Cyclo-cross Hamme-Zogge - C1. Hamme-Zogge, Belgium, November 23, 2008

Jonathan Page on the run-up

Photo ©: Roberto Bettini/www.bettiniphoto.net

Arctic Cross

Yesterday was the CT Cyclocross State Championships and I'm still thawing out from an insanely cold day! Lolli gave 'em hell in the Cat. 4 race, milkshake costume and all. Doug J. gave cyclocross a whirl for the first time racing the Cat. 3/4 race on his singlespeed 29er. All in all it was a fun day of cross action...but it would of been so much better if I could actual feel my hands a shoot more film! The few photos I did shoot are posted, CLICK HERE.

Riders Unite!

Great to see so many riders show their faces at the Bristol Skatepark meeting last night...too bad the town blew smoke up our a$$ and prolonged any action until December 2nd. The positive part of last night was the fact that the riders are being listened to, the town is giving them a chance to be heard, and is taking the riders needs into consideration...in a week and a half! I was also stoked that the Bristol Press and Channel 3 News reported on the issue in favor of the riders! Both news outlets recognize that the riders are being discriminated against and a change needs to be made.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

The next week and a half is going to be huge for the BMX riders in Bristol. This is your time to shine, your time to show utmost respect and build your strength in numbers. Keep clear of the park until the December 2nd meeting! If respect is shown now, respect will be earned in the long run! I realize it is far to easy to get into a shouting match when you have dozens of uninformed skaters shooting off at the mouth, but walk away and save your aggression for the December 2nd meeting!

December 2nd @ 5pm @ Bristol City Hall

Sadly, I am going to be in Ireland when this meeting takes place, but I'll be doing my part in the meantime.

Bittersweet

So today was bittersweet, some good and some bad. I found out today that I have a pulled quandricep and IT Band Syndrome, which will be ending my 2008 cyclocross racing. I'm going to be going to physical therapy a few times before I leave to Ireland in hopes that some ultrasound and massage eliminate my limp. I'm so bummed! Honestly, I could of cried when I was told to stay off the bike and not race the Connecticut State Cyclocross Championships this weekend. I'm passionate about my riding and my competitive spirit is second to none. Sitting on the sidelines sucks! Guess I'll have to resort to my alternate outlet Saturday, my camera.

OK, that was my rant of bad news, now the good stuff. T and I headed down to Haven tonight to meet up with Schmidty and Jay. I was supposed to be riding the park tonight, but instead I gimped around and shot some film. It was a chill, low-key session. About a dozen riders going off and having fun! T brought her bike and rode a bit, her first time on the steed in 4 months or so. Stopping by Haven for a few hours helped ease me up.

Check out the photos I shot by CLICKING HERE.

Schmidt taking a spin on the curved wall

EARS ARE OPEN!!!

We've got their attention and the newspaper has recognized our cry for action!

READ HERE!

The City of Bristol in willing to "consider" options for bicycles at the new skatepark or potentially a new area. It isn't what we want, but that fact that ears are open and willing to hear us out is a start!

TOMORROW NIGHT IS HUGE! PLEASE SHOW UP!

LET THE BIKES IN!

The City of Bristol has been saying for years that bikes would be permitted in their new skatepark. The time has come, the grand opening has taken place, and bikes are banned! Cops were at the park writing tickets all weekend and threatening to arrest riders at the grand opening yesterday. Show your support, bikes belong! Come out the skatepark meeting Wednesday and voice your opinion against the close minded officials holding riders down!

When: Wednesday, November 19th (2 days from now!)
Where: Bristol Town Hall - 1st Floor Meeting Room
When: 6:00 PM SHARP!
Why: Cause riders shouldn't be shut out!

Letters have already been written to the Mayor and Parks & Rec. The Park & Recreation Director was confronted on the matter and he walked away like a coward. He knows he screwed up not informing the pubic that a last minute decision was made to ban bikes! It isn't fair, it isn't right, and riders aren't going to stand for it! Riders have worked toward getting a park in Bristol for 6 years, and now the door is being slammed closed in their face!

E-mail the Bristol Park & Rec. via the link below and tell them how you feel. Let them know that bikes belong!

BRISTOL PARKS & REC.

PLEASE NOTE: If we want respect we have to show respect. Refrain from using profanity in any message sent or at the meeting! Keep your cool! Knowledge is power! If we slap them in the face with cold hard facts...they have to listen!

Mike Aitken Jam @ Haven

WOW, the Mike Aitken Jam was amazing! Literally hundreds of riders from the East Coast showed up to show their support for Mike and shred Haven. There were thousands of dollars in prizes and lots of free swag given out. Check out the photos I shot, CLICK HERE.

Evan Huggerd invert!

NEW SHIRTS ARE MINT!

I received my first shirt today that I ordered off the TYRANT Store and it is dope! The direct printing method is so clean and the detail is precise! I'm so psyched and I'm sure "Tiny TYRANT" will be when I'm wearing him around tomorrow at the Aitken Jam. HA HA! Support TYRANT, click that store link and order some merch. Plenty for the dudes and a few for the ladies!

Aitken Benefit

I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU HAVE PLANNED SATURDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING....CANCEL IT! Everybody should be at Haven at the Mike Aitken Benefit...show your love for BMX and support for a fellow rider!

Blast from the past!

A blast from the past, the TYRANT Truckers hats are back! The last run of these was the camouflage ones back in 2004...and Schmidt stills rocks his! I'm going back to the roots here, back to the original TYRANT Trucker hat originally printed in 2002. Rock out this plain and simple old school hat with the original TYRANT logo circa 2002. Rumor has it mesh trucker hats are no longer cool! All the more reason to wear 'em! It's hip to be square!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

"Smile and enjoy the ride!"

Taj has a really well written post up on his Transworld blog. The end of the post really hit home for me, especially since I've been hesitant to get back on the BMX bike after my August crash. Take a moment out of your day and go read the whole post. Afterward, take a moment to reflect on how fortunate you are to be able to ride and how fun riding truly is!

"The beautiful thing about BMX, Freestyle, Stunt Riding or whatever you call it is that it’s yours to do what you want with. There is no definition. Don’t loose the magic of riding for the sake of a fad, a trend or a pay check. If Aitken, LeVan, Steven, Jeff Crawn or countless others can get hurt so badly, then any of us can. So, run a few checks on your conscience and make sure you are ok with what you are doing and why since you just never know what’s around the corner. And then, with that out of the way, smile and enjoy the ride!"

I'm sitting here with a toothless ear to ear grin thinking about the end of the work day and the opportunity to ride...and how fun it is going to be! Love life, love your bike, love to ride!

Trails Progress

I started making a lot of progress on my trails late Spring/early Summer this year, but a busy schedule and my crash in August put a halt to that. I spent the whole day Sunday clearing the East Haddam property of leaves and cutting up 2 huge trees that fell across the trails area. I'm so psyched for Spring and its still 4 months away! I'm keeping the trails clean and clear of leaves in hopes that the winter cold, snow, and rain will have direct access to the soft forest floor helping it pack down and toughen up. I'll be back at the house this coming Sunday finishing up the leaf removal, cutting up some more trees and obstacles in the way, and raking rocks and roots from a new 100 yard section of trail that I cut yesterday. Come Spring, I should have a BMX, MTB, and cyclocross friendly trail system on the property with a jumps section, a few wooden bridges, some freeride drops, and a 3/4 mile hiking/riding trail around the property. Should be fun, but its going to take time and hard work to get there.

Girls! Girls! Girls!

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Web Store Q & A

I received several e-mails yesterday with questions about the new TYRANT Online Store that I set up. This post is going to serve as a "How To" and hopefully make things run smoother.

If you'd like to order some TYRANT merch click on the link above. Browse through the various items available, click on an item to view it larger or view the logo larger, then select the item you'd like to buy, select a size, and order away.

Now to field questions:
1. Sizing charts are typically offered when you click on an item. Look up in the right next to the price and quantity field. Some shirts are tighter, trendier fits than others. I wear a size large in most of the stuff and I'm 6' 3" and 185lbs.

2. Yes, some items are available in multiple colors, look for the "MORE COLORS AVAILABLE" line below the item photo.

3. Yes, CafePress does accept all major credit cards and they do offer returns. See their site for details.

4. Some tee shirts are more expensive than others because they have printing on the front and back. Double sided printing is more expensive and like I said, CafePress has some steep fees!..but is very convenient and has fast turnaround times!!!

5. Sorry, bulk discounts are not available through me. Contact CafePress, I have no say.

Thanks a ton for all your interest and support! I'm hoping to post a new shirt design each week and check back for guest artist works from Shawn Hebrank, T. McCurdy, Jason Patrician, Ryan Schmidt, and "Tiny TYRANT" Brandon B.

Trendy New Tee

As our MySpace page says, "trying not to get caught up in any trends, not trying to set any either"...well I've succumbed to the pressure! Today I released the "tiny tyrant" Trendy Tee which is available via our ONLINE STORE. The graphic features "tiny tyrant" Brandon Begin tweaking a table on his backyard ramp its printed on a US made skinny fit tee. This is the perfect compliment to those skin tight jeans all the kiddies are wearing now days. Rock out and get yourself a shirt today! Make "tiny" proud!

Selling out until further notice!

My schedule has been nuts trying to balance work, riding, racing, and living a "normal" life. I have put very little time and effort into TYRANT over the past months, cause I've had little free time to dedicate. Instead of letting TYRANT die out, I sold out and opened up a CafePress account. For the next few months you can order tons of clothing and accessories online and I don't have to worry about scrambling to get them done for you. The prices are inflated, only because the printer charges a steep fee and takes a HUGE CUT for their quick turnaround! All the shirts are printed with Direct Printing. CafePress prints direct-to-fabric with no transfers. The result is a matte image that moves with the garment because the ink is actually embedded in the fabric for ultimate wearable comfort. That means greater image staying power. The few bucks I make off of each shirt goes directly into the sticker fund to get more vinyl made up and stuck up all over the East Coast. I'm sure there are a few peeps out there who are going to b!tch at me cause I'm taking away the "home job" aspect of TYRANT, but I promise you its only temporary! I'll still be making the bleached out shirts when people order them and as 2009 and Winter roll in things should slow down a bit allowing me time to get some screens going at home. Thanks for understanding and as always thanks for the support!

TYRANT's NEW STORE - CLICK HERE TO SHOP!