Roll on Flatland 2.0

ROLL ON 2.0 THAT’S A WRAP

Pitt Street Skatepark in Portsmouth was the venue for the 2nd Annual @rollonflatland jam.

The once derelict food superstore has been converted an amazing All Wheels, All Ages, All Skills, All Weather skatepark that now serves the community far and wide.

The idea of the Roll On Jam was the brain child of Freestyle bike rider Mike O’Connell @mikeobmx, who whilst now in his 50’s still rides most days. “My desire is to continue to give something back to the sport that has given me so much since I was ten years old, and be part of the solution” said Mike.

The event saw around 30 riders of all ages and skill levels enjoy a relaxed session followed by both Expert and Pro competitions.

 Huge congratulations to the winners:  ( full results soon).

Expert

1st TGM Maz

2nd James Ovens 

3rd Ellis Morgans

4th Jake Lloyd

Pro 

1st Yinka Thomas

2nd Steven Green 

3rd Jason Forde

4th Amos Burke

5th Matt Cole

A big thank you to all the sponsors who supported the event. @bsdforever @steelyflats1991 @deadsailorbmx @t77bmx @pittstskatepark @backto_the_lab amazing handmade trophies from Leroy at @atomicwelding , gifts from Steve Habbishaw plus @mikeobmx , Jacob @pittstskatepark each throwing down the £100 cash prize for 1st place in Pro

Thanks @handsome_dave_rocker on the decks, with judges @emer_johann and @rangajobsy 

And finally massive thanks to MC for the event, my first ever riding buddy and right-hand man for this event Effraim Catlow @effraimcatlow whose career achievements include multiple contest wins, judging, hosting events, multimedia activities and running freestyle academies, Big E is BMX! Be sure to check out his recent Union Tapes interview.

It was amazing to see the BMX community come together for a second year. Thank you to everyone who made the trip, riders and spectators, and everyone who helped behind the scenes. #bepartofthesolution

Mike O

Effraim Catlow: Bicycle Union Podcast

My Bicycle Union podcast is live, great catch up with John Dye a few weeks ago at Volt BMX in London.
We talk about my younger years growing up surrounded my amazing talented riders such as Carlo Griggs, Jamie Morley, Carl Westfield, Vince Gregory, Martyn Knight, Craig Campbell and many more at Southsea Skatepark.
My days running a ‘zine, growing up riding with Mike O’Connell, competing all the world, winning the worlds and the controversy, sponsors, Through to modern day, judging all over the world, starting Flatmattersonline, taking the DIY approach, riding in my 50’s, sampling all eras of my riding and running a flatland school.
There’s a lot on here, enjoy!

FLAT SYSTEM 012: UCI RULE CHANGE IN FLATLAND

In this episode, Dub discusses the recent changes to the rules/format of the UCI BMX Freestyle Flatland sanctioned events worldwide.

What do you all think about the end of the 3 minute run? Dub raises a lot of good points about format change, rider reps, loss of Bart de Jong as technical director…

Here is the link to the modified memorandum:
https://assets.ctfassets.net/761l7gh5…

Gals Weekend: Chenga World // February 14th

Chenga-World will be hosting Gal’s Weekend 2026!

In conjunction with Ray’s MTB park

Chenga will have special hours Friday February 13th, opening at NOON!

Friday hours will be from NOON until 9:30 PM — open to all riders.

Saturday FEBRUARY 14th, hours will be from NOON until 9:30 PM also, with special $5 admission for any girl riders:

(BMX, MTB, STAKEBOARDING, SCOOTEER, ROLLER BLADE, and yes…. ROLLER SKATE TOO!)

All women riders will receive 10% product discount all weekend for any purchases in Chenga’s pro shop.

ALSO…..A special FLATLAND JAM too!

The flatland jam is open to any flatland riders and will begin at 2 PM and continue until Chenga closes at 9:30 PM.

FREE for any FLATLAND only Gals!
$10 for flatland guys

Call during business hours with any questions…..

THE 2025 FLATMATTERSONLINE YEAR END AWARDS: WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

It’s time to announce the winners of the Editorial and Reader Choice 2025 Flatmattersonline Year end awards. 2025 was one of the better years, in terms of edits, instagram clips, add to to that of course jams and contests in recent times.

As I put together the editorial side of things running Flatmattersonline. I like to discuss why I’ve picked the winners and offer some insight. It’s time to get into the details, it’s cliche to say, but truly just to be nominated feels like a master achievement in my opinion.

Let’s kick off with your votes in the reader choice category….

Effraim.

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