The first preliminary round just got done here in sunny Abu Dhabi for the 2024 UCI World Championships. Congratulations to Yu Katagiri taking the top spot followed by Matthias Dandois and Yu Shoji. Top 12 make semi finals tomorrow.
Semi finals just went off at Fise world in Montpellier, France. Yu Katagiri held onto the top spot with an amazing run followed by Yu Shoji and Ryo Katagiri. Top eight make tomorrows finals…
Francois over at Hang 5 Podcast just dropped episode 43 with Japanese powerhouse, Yu Shoji!
“For this episode, I sat down with a 22 years old Japanese shredder taking the contest scene by storm. He is the 2023 pro flatland champion and currently sitting in 3rd place in this year’s ranking. He calls Moto Sasaki his mentor. Rides both front and backwheel. Does a whole bunch of crazy jumps. He is a ball of energy and yet shows a high level of maturity. This is a bit of a short episode taped while we were in Montreal for Urban Games in late March. I give you Mr Yu Shoji.”
The recent Chimera A-side contest in Osaka went odd, what a way to start the year. Do yourself a favour, and sit down wand watch this one if you missed it on Instagram the first time round.
Announcing the winners of the 2023 Flatmattersonline Year End Awards in Editorial and Reader Choice categories! Thanks to everyone to took the time to vote – congratulations to all the winners and nominees. It is always a pleasure to host these awards, I’ll be in touch with the winners shortly + interviews with the winners soon.
– Effraim.
YU KATAGIRI:
WINNER OF READER CHOICE RIDER OF THE YEAR.
CONTEST RUN OF THE YEAR & LINE OF THE YEAR.
2023 was an amazing year for Yu Katagiri, Yu dominated the X Games in Chiba Japan and many of you voted for him not only as Rider of the Year, stating the X Games was a big factor in that decision, so it’s understandable you also voted Yu for Contest Run of the Year with his X Games final run.
Yu won the Flatark, with a ridiculous “never been done” that you the readers of FM voted as line of the year during the best trick format finale to the contest, plus Yu won a few of the Chimera A- side events.
It’s no rocket science, Yu Katagiri is on top of his game right now and is the rider to beat on the contest scene, I personally would love to see a video part out of him each year as well as the contest riding much like Dub is doing. Congratulations Yu!!
JEAN WILLIAM PREVOST:
WINNER OF EDITORIAL CHOICE RIDER OF THE YEAR.
READER CHOICE & EDITORIAL CHOICE MUST WATCH EDIT OF THE YEAR.
Running Flatmattersonline my outlook on Rider of the year appears to be obviously different than the readers, which keeps things interesting. Many of you focus on contests, whereas running FM I think Video parts as well as contests are important. Jean William Prevost was that rider in 2023 that delivered on both fronts, the way I see it contests and having a video part also are really important in being a complete rider. Nowadays as the modern day pro, you should have a video part, someone like James White springs to mind here and someone I want to shoutout as he had so much amazing content all year, an amazing video part and even a few contests to boot.
Dubs “Comes in waves” could easily have been three video parts, we can of course focus on the amazing tricks, but the narrative and story telling throughout really shown through for me, and sat him apart from all the rest.
Dub killed it on the contest scene, with one of the best runs of the year at the Huffjam, podium at Fise Montpellier and X Games. Dub had an amazing year, also running IGI and helping out other riders along the way, and that’s what it takes to be rider of the year in my opinion.
AUDE CASSAGNE:
READER CHOICE FEMALE RIDER OF THE YEAR.
Photo: Swpix_cycling
Female Rider of the Year was the closet run award in 2023. For the second year in a row, Aude Cassagne took the honours, congratulations! Winning Fise Montpellier and the UCI world Championships in one year is no joke, plus a lot of instagram content and a solid “Revive” part makes Aude the complete package, understandable how many of you voted for the second year in a row.
YU SHOJI:
EDITORIAL CHOICE BREAKTHROUGH RIDER OF THE YEAR.
Photo: Swpix_cycling
Breakthrough rider of the year is in mind one of the most important awards for a number of reasons. We need new talent breaking through, that in turn pushes the top level. What a year 2023 was for our winner, Yu Shoji. Yu won the Fise Montpellier contest and the UCI world championship in Glasgow, dropping fresh moves throughout the year to boot including his new crackpacker turbine into snake spin with signature flat spin jump style. Congratulations Yu!
HERESY BMX:
EDITORIAL CHOICE BRAND OF THE YEAR.
The flatland industry is a small one, with so much love poured into each brands products to make them happen. This year’s winner is once again, Heresy BMX. Besides product, Heresy recently added Jeanne Signeur to their team, and adding another female to their amazing team adds another dynamic to the squad. Heresy are also one of the only brands in the game to release video parts each year, big fan of that they do for the flatland community. Congratulations Alexis and Heresy!
ATTILA TOTH / FOUR PEGS BMX:
EDITORIAL CHOICE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION.
Last year’s winner Rodney Williams was well received, this years award for Outstanding Contribution goes to Attila Toth from Four Pegs Bmx! This award isn’t really about riding, it is about a contribution to the culture and lifestyle side of what we love.
Attila goes out of his way to support the flatland and BMX scene, he also sponsors riders all across Europe, and supports events, he has recently started making bike parts and is doing it independent style, which I respect a lot. So much to admire about Attila, congratulations!!
The Chimera A-side contest in Japan earlier today did not disappoint, heavy line up and heavy riding on the contest floor!
Yu Katagiri was on fire as always, nailing his 360 bikeflip line in the final battle vs Yu Shoji who took second. And Yu Yamamoto in the third place podium position beating Kio Hayakawa.
In the Women’s Class, Carin Hommura dominated and took a well deserved win, followed by Ao Ogawa and Sona Yoshimura ended up in third place.
What an event, level up. Talk about starting 2024 with a bang!
It’s an annual tradition, right at the end of the year the Matsudo locals throw down a jam at their infamous riding spot. Infamous through the Moto Sasaki videos (who sadly isn’t on this one).
As always there is a great variety of riding styles on offer here, some of the highlights of the edit for me are: Takahiro Ikeda two footed spinning death truck body varial out at 1:12, Wild x-up spinning lawnmower body varial to two footed x-foot backyard line at 4:58 by Ren Oshima, Varo Hernandez front to back wheel line at 7:19, Yu Shoji’s Xft opposite hang 5 to xft halfpacker line is amazing around the 7:56 mark, and Ren gets the banger at 8:27.
The flatland community waits for this edit every year, and I guess we should include this in the year end awards talk as it falls in 2023.
Thank you Jimalog, and all the riders involved in this annual jam!
Don’t sleep on this one!
Great highlights edit from the recent Chimera A-Sode contest in Tokyo, featuring Women’s Class, Ams, and the Pros. Amazing riding from the Katagiri brothers Yu and Ryo, Kio Hayakawa, Yu Shoji, and many more.
Congratulations to Yu Shoji, winner of the Chimera Aside contest in Tokyo, Japan followed by the Katagiri brothers Yu and Ryo. Hopefully we get to see some footage soon.
Congratulations to Yu Katagiri, winner of the Japanese Championship in Okayama, followed by Yu Shoji and Moto Sasaki. Amazing level!!
You can watch the finals on Moyà’s twitch channel, link below.
