[News]

China FMX: The Other Side of FMX

7 years ago | Words: Cam Sturtridge | Photos: ARD FMX

Cam ‘Sturto’ Sturtridge is a retired FMX legend turned strength and conditioning coach, and in 2016 he has been the manager of one of the hardest working FMX teams on the planet, The Australian Ramp Design (ARD) FMX team.

The ARD FMX team have been performed day in, day out for five months to a bunch of excited fans in Tianjin, China. Sturto came to us with the idea of uncovering ‘the other side of FMX’, all the hard work and sacrifice that is associated with a modern day FMX athlete. This is Struto’s story:

Sturto: Freestyle Motocross is all about the glitz and the glamour, parties, no responsibility, no training, rock star lifestyle… or is it? That might have once been the case but the level of the sport has progressed so far that what was an X Games winning run less than 10 years ago can these days be seen at the local fair by a relatively unknown rider. Sure there is still the big personalities of the sport but the game has changed, the elite level of FMX is a legitimate professional sport that involves countless hours of behind the scenes work including strict training both on and off the bike. The days of rocking up to a competition still hung over from the pre party and just having a crack are long gone and there is a new growing side to FMX, away from the competition scene with even less glitz and glamour, one that many people are ignorant to and don’t see or even hear about.

team-ard-with-chinese-staff-mc-and-james-from-stunt-show

Hidden away in the north of China for the last five and a half months has been one of the hardest working FMX teams on the planet, Australian Ramp Design (ARD) has had four of their best riders performing day in day out for Chinese crowds at the Binhai Aircraft Carrier Theme Park. ‘Binhai Hangmu’ is a Russian military themed amusement park built around the ‘Kiev’ a decommissioned Soviet Union aircraft carrier that overlooks the whole venue. Twice a day every day Australian FMX athletes, Joel Brown, Dillon Kattler, Brayden “Muggins” Davies and Codie Rooney perform for crowds of up to 6000 people on the ARD built FMX setup. All this is overseen by event manager and retired FMX athlete Cameron “Sturto” Sturtridge.

From the outside it might seem like an easy job, turn up do some jumps, leave and go to the pub, but the reality is so much more. With little to no practice these riders have to turn up and turn it on for the crowds, the toll that doing two shows a day takes on the body is nothing to take lightly either. The high impacts involved in FMX along with the risks of unpredictable weather in an outdoor show means that the ARD team has to be 100% on their game and look after their bodies accordingly so they can remain consistent, safe and perform at their peak day after day.

joel-and-brayden-waving-to-the-crowd

These guys all sacrificed a lot for this opportunity, they packed up their lives, some leaving wives and girlfriends waiting behind in Australia all to move to China working full time and continue the FMX dream. Living in a foreign non western country has it’s additional hurdles that you might not always expect, language barriers and cultural differences come to mind. Things that may seem unacceptable or rude in Australia are the norm in China and vice versa so the team has to be sensitive and aware of these differences. Show manager Sturtridge said “I’ve been coming to China to perform in and manage events for the last 13 years, though the country has changed a lot in that time there is still huge differences to how things are at home, the biggest struggle for the boys is the language barrier! It just makes things difficult, I know a little Mandarin but still nowhere near enough to get by with ease. Fortunately technology has helped this situation with smart phones and translation apps but it is still a struggle. We are fortunate to be working alongside a stunt performance team who have lived here for 4 years, this helped a lot with finding where shops and services like the gym are located around where we live.”

ard-team-playing-with-their-selfy-sticks-in-tianjin-city

It’s not all work and no play for these guys though, with every Monday rostered off it gives the opportunity to relax, unwind, maybe finally get to the pub for a drink and experience what the local region has to offer, which is a lot. From the ancient to the modern the team has experienced it all in their time, with the Chinese capital Beijing only one hour away on the 300km/h bullet train and an international airport at their doorstop the ARD team have taken full advantage of the opportunity. Day visits to the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Hong Kong, Qing Dynasty Tombs, and Forbidden City to name a few. FMX rider Dillon Kattler said “it surprised me how easy things were from here, it’s my first time in China, for a country this big, I’ve been able to visit some of its most famous sights all within a day”. “It’s hard, with only one day off we want to rest but at the same time the opportunity to be tourists for once is a nice change and I’ve taken full advantage of that ticking a few things like the Great Wall off the bucket list on this tour” said rider and team mechanic Joel Brown.

dillon-brayden-codie-trick-train

As fun and as big as the adventure might be, living away from home in another country can be a struggle though. Mentally its testing from time to time being away from friends, family, and pets but also simple things like getting access their favourite foods can be hard/impossible.  The team has done their best though to keep things as familiar as possible, living in well set up apartments, high speed internet, gaming consoles, bicycles, and home cooking have given these guys a retreat from living away, even if it is only a temporary retreat from the reality of China life.

qing-tombs-royal-pathway

All in all this team of FMX athletes have shown their commitment and professionalism in the way they handle not only themselves but also the challenges of pursuing their dreams day in day out in a foreign land. Taking full advantage of the opportunities given to them, they remain humble and level headed because they are aware of what it really takes to be a pro in this industry.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks for personal insights from the riders and management on their own experiences and methods to maintain motivation and stay focused during their time aboard.

Be the first to comment...

You might also like...

1 month ago

BAJA 1000: ‘BEYOND THE LINE’

‘Beyond the Line’: a cool, bite-sized insight to the iconic annual Baja 1000 race.

1 month ago

HOW-TO: REPLACE YOUR GRAPHICS – PROPERLY!

The six key steps involved in replacing your bike’s old, worn graphics.

News

1 month ago

Entries Open: 2024 Transmoto 8-Hour at Narrabri, NSW

Public entries are now open for the third annual Transmoto 10-Hour at Tumut, powered by GASGAS, to be held on the March 16-17 weekend.

1 month ago

GIFT A MATE – AMA SUPERMOTOCROSS VIDEO PASS

Buy your mate an exclusive ticket to watching AMA SX outside of the USA.

1 month ago

HOW-TO: CHAIN & SPROCKET REPLACEMENT

We walk you through the 10 key steps that’ll ensure your bike’s chain and sprocket are doing their job properly.

Royal Enfield

2 months ago

ROYAL ENFIELD’S HIMALAYAN 450 – FAQS ANSWERED

We answer your most FAQs about Royal Enfield’s landmark new Himalayan 450 adventure tourer.

2 months ago

HOW-TO: HANDLEBAR CONTROLS SET-UP

Eight simple steps to help you declutter, service and update your bike’s handlebar-mounted controls.

2 months ago

HOW-TO: FOOT-CONTROL SET-UP

Five simple steps to help you get your footpegs, rear brake pedal and gear-shift lever properly adjusted.