Spanish freeride MTB wild-man Andreu Lacondeguy has returned to his homeland after successfully becoming the first mountain bike rider to dominate Cam White’s huge dirt-jump line in Canberra, Australia.

?Lacondeguy, 22, and his brother Lluis, swapped the cold European winter for the balmy Australian summer during a four-week holiday Down Under, and took time out to hit the 2008 Dew Tour champion’s infamous dirt jump line that is widely regarded to be one of the world’s biggest trails.

?“The line is just amazing!” Andreu says. “It’s probably the best spot ever, man. You are hitting those 10ft ramps so fast, and they send you very high. It’s just the best fun ever.”

?Lacondeguy wasn’t content to just flow through the line, and threw all his biggest tricks over the massive booters, including his trademark Superflip Indies, 360 Nacs and boned-out Seatgrabs.

?“Watching Andreu on those jumps was one of the most amazing experiences ever,” says Unit filmer Allan Hardy. “He has such a flamboyant personality, oozes confidence, has incredible style on a bike, and when he crashes he springs back up like a cat. He really is a freak!”

?Producer: Allan Hardy for Unit Clothing

?Music: 'Woodstock 2008' by Bliss N Eso, 'Northern Beats' by Seb Taylor, 'Dig That Hole' by Monster Magnet

?Thanks: Darren Pokoj, Cam White and Family, Tom Dykes

Stay in touch with Andreu on his official facebook fanpage: facebook.com/?AndreuLacondeguyOfficialFanpage

• By Allan H

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Dane (foreground) and Tim Wood (background) putting some elbow grease into the Giants Of Dirt. PHOTOs: SIMON MAKKER

‘sup, guys,

It’s been a slow start to the year – the weather in Qld is fu#*ed. Too much rain has destroyed my Giants Of Dirt jumps and I’m just coming off torn ligaments in my knee, but I’m feeling good now

We have had a few sunny days in a row, so I’ve been out at the jumps starting to rebuild, so I can get this shit done :)

It’s going to take at least a 30-tonne excavator to build everything back up: all the lips and landings have turned into piles of shit. It’s a lot of work, but I’ve got some help up here now; a good mate of mine, Josh Stead, is an amazing rider and we have always ridden big jumps together, and is going to be helping me rebuild and ride the jumps with me.

Besides the big jumps I’ve just been chilling and riding with my room-mate Nick Cooper. We have hit a bunch of parks and street spots. It’s pretty fun – I never usually ride that stuff these days.

We also just got approved for a house that backs onto some bushland, so we will be building some jumps for sure. I can’t wait. I’ll have some pics of that soon, and will make sure I share then with you.

Laters
- DANE SEARLS


Aah yeah, the jumps are pretty f@*ked, hey!

• By Simon M

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Kyle Peters is on track for an amazing 2011 Amateur season.

Unit's USA amateur shredders have claimed more titles, with Yamaha racer Kyle Peters winning the 250 A Mod class at Oak Hill, Texas on the weekend.

Fresh from a third place in both the 250 A and 450 A classes at Mill Creek a couple weeks beforehand, Peters was up against a talent-packed start-gate, but barged to the front and held it wide on his way to the TX title.

Peters also finished fourth in the 450 Pro class and sixth in the 450 A Mod class despite having his boot melt and burning his foot in an earlier moto.

Both Kyle and Unit team-mate Nick Desiderio have their eyes on the A class titles at the World Minis in Nevada in three weeks time, before Peters and Austin Politelli begin the road to Loretta Lynns for their A class glory.

Check out some video footage of the Kyle in action at Oak Hill by clicking here. These kids are FAST!

• By Simon M

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Unit's big mountain freerider James Doerfling mixed things up recently, by hitting some amazing trails around 'Sooke', one of the more untouched parts of Vancouver Island, BC.

With the colder-than-usual El Nina hitting BC hard this winter, and the snow line creeping down to the water, photographer Margus Riga teamed up with James to ride and capture these amazing photos.

See the full gallery HERE, thanks to Pink Bike.

• By Allan H

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Rhys tears up the Shepparton DH course on his way to winning the Oceania crown. PHOTO: DIRTMAG

Unit DH MTB racer Rhys Willemse has returned from a broken arm to dominate the 2011 Oceania DH Championships in Shepparton, VIC on the weekend to win the Elite Men’s class.

After qualifying seventh on the chopped-out, loose and dusty course the 19-year-old didn’t hold much hope of a podium spot at the event (which also doubled as the final round of the nationals), but remained in the hot-seat at the bottom of the hill as the biggest names in the country couldn’t dislodge him.

“I sat in the seat and watched six riders come down and none of them could beat my time,” he told us this afternoon. “When the top qualifiers Rick Boyer and Josh Button came through and I still hadn’t been beaten I couldn’t believe it!”

Willemse’s last big win was at the Junior National Champs two years ago.

“It was finally good to take out a win in the elite class,” he said. “But now I don’t really know what to do. I had originally planned to take it easy this year, save some money and make a big push for the World Cups next year, but this result has got me wondering if I should try and return there this year. We’ll see what happens.”

We haven’t been able to get it confirmed, but word on the DH street was Willemse’s result qualifies him for selection to the Australian team that’ll compete at the World’s later this year. Fingers crossed for the kid!

Elite Men Downhill – Oceania Championships / Shepparton Round Results (Top 10)

1. Rhys Willemse 2:12.05
2. Rhys Atkinson 2:12.61 (0.56)
3. Tim Eaton 2:13.22 (1.17)
4. Cameron Cole 2:13.29
5. William Rischbieth 2:15.30
6. Rick Boyer 2:16.21

Elite Men Downhill – Final Australian Series Overall Standings (Top 3)

1. Rhys Atkinson 250 points
2. Rick Boyer 246 points
3. Tim Eaton 196 points


Winners are grinners: Rhys displays the spoils of war. PHOTO: PETER KARAS/PINKBIKE

• By Simon M

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Nawww, give us a hug, Patrick! PHOTOS: SIMON MAKKER

Over the weekend Unit's two-time World 4X Champion Caroline Buchanan had an international film crew follow her around the Gold Coast documenting for a "day in the life" TV episode to be shown on many TV channels around the UK and Europe.

The Trace TV crew shadowed Caroline and her Unit team-mates Nick "Richo" Richardson and Dane Searls as they went about a VIP trip to Dreamworld, an autograph signing at the park's MotoCoaster store, shopping at the Unit outlet store in Harbourtown, gym work-outs, surfing lessons, and a shred-session at the GC Compound indoor BMX park.

"It was lots of fun," she said afterward. "It's a shame it rained the whole weekend, which made us alter our plans a bit, but the filmers got loads of great footage and I can't wait to see the finished product."

As soon as the TV episode is about to drop, we'll give you guys the scoop, but can already tell you it's going to be a great insight into the minds of one of Australia's greatest riders.


Caroline, Dane and Richo meet some young (and soaked) fans at Dreamworld.

• By Simon M

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This past weekend saw the brand new Monster Energy Kawasaki race team attend their first round of Australian motocross in Broadford.

It was a big test for the team, and something that team riders Billy Mackenzie, Dean Ferris and Phil Nicoletti have been training hard for.

Team sponsor Unit Clothing followed closely behind to document the weekend, as the brand new truck rolled into Broadford, bikes were prepped and riders took to the track.

In the end it was Billy Mackenzie who would score the team their first win of the season, taking out the Pro Opens class. Team mates Phil Nicolleti in the Lites and Dean Ferris in the Opens had good results too, but some small mistakes and stumbles would hold them back in 5th and 6th place respectively.

Producer: Unit Clothing

Film and Edit: Lachlan Russell

Music: Time Will Tell by Diafrix, Choose Your Side by Night Horse

• By Allan H

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Piano hucks a tidy Superman during the 2011 Unit Farm Jam. PHOTO: SIMON MAKKER

Hey everyone,

I just go back the other week from the Unit Farm Jam. It was definitely a rad time and if you ever get the chance to get out there and check out the event I suggest you do. It was good to have all the FMX, MTB and BMX guys hanging out together, and of course having a few beers after the event is always a good thing too!

I won't talk too much about the event, as you should just check out the videos that Al Hardy has put together - the place is amazing! I even got to shear a sheep: mean as!

Since getting back I have had a few lower back and knee problems plagueing me and giving me pain, so I've taken a few weeks to recover and get back on the bike.

I had a quick roll last night at one of the local parks and felt OK, so hopefully it's all good. I also got excited and put a skateboard together yesterday and took it down and had a skate as well!

Not too sure what's happening this weekend, but i think Cam White is coming down to hang out. I'm guessing that we will be having a few quiet drinks for sure!

In other news I was contacted by TSG helmets Australia today and they've asked if I would like to be on the flow team for them. They have some cool helmets that look like they could save my massive head a bit more when I fall, so I'm super excited to be on flow with them!

I have a event coming up next weekend in my hometown, so it'll be good to have everyone down to have a ride.

Go ride something,

- Cam Pianta

Cam shares riding tips with USA BMXer Anthony Napolitan at the Unit Farm Jam. PHOTO: SIMON MAKKER

• By Simon M

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Kelly McGarry recently filmed this amazing section around his home town of Queenstown, New Zealand, riding some great trails with a bunch of friends.

Keep shredding Kelly. Awesome video!

• By Allan H

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Unit rider Chris Kovarik is a true legend of Australian Downhill racing, and has made his mark all across the world. Check out this awesome gallery of images and information about Chris over at 613 Cycling.

613 CYCLING - CHRIS KOVARIK GALLERY

• By Allan H

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Check out this sweet video of Unit MTB freak Andreu Lacondeguy, as he practices for the Masters Of Dirt show last weekend in Vienna. Andreu not only shreds on a mountain bike, but also the moto! Keep an eye out for our video of Andreu's trip to Cam White's jumps, dropping soon...

• By Allan H

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New Unit recruit, 17-year-old Nick Desiderio has won Unit our first-ever Amateur Motocross Championship! The #57 Honda rider won the Open Amateur class with a 1-1 moto finish at Mill Creek, and posted two top five results in both B classes. Congratulations, buddy!

Expect to see more championships come from Nick and fellow Unit racer Kyle Peters next week at Oak Hill,. Texas.

Check out a small video clip of Nick in action by clicking this link. Kid is on it!

• By Simon M

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Invercargill local MTB rider Conor MacFarlane held off a hungry field of riders to successfully defend his MTB crown at the 2011 Unit Farm Jam at the bottom of New Zealand’s South Island.

The contest essentially boiled down to a two-man duel between MacFarlane and his riding buddy Luke McCombie, as the pair Front-flipped their way ahead of the rest of the field and pushed each other to new heights.

Fresh off a broken collarbone, Unit rider Kelly McGarry ignored the pain threshold and charged hard to finish third in the contest for the second year running.

Producer: Allan Hardy for Unit Clothing

Music: Play Our Game by Karton

• By Allan H

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Sauly practises the 360 into Cam Sinclair's foam-pit. Looks like he's got 'em dialled. Let's see 'em to dirt, buddy!
PHOTOS: ADAM KAMENEK

I’m sitting on the Air Train from the Gold Coast to the Brisbane airport with Brad “The Cuddler” Burch and let me tell you it’s times like this I wish I had my own private jet.

After spending a couple of weeks at Jackson Strong’s place, I learnt how to ride again and started doing all my big tricks like I used to. If you spend a couple of weeks at Jacko’s you know your riding is going to get a lot better, you’re going to get up to a bit of mischief and you’re definitely going to see a lot of nakedness whether you like it or not.

It was time for another Showtime event at St Kilda, which has about 300,000 people walk though during the day. I had an awesome weekend with the Showtime crew, Matt Mingay doing skids and wheelies on his Harley (everyone loves a burnout), and Monster Energy also had their sweet decked-out truck on display - that thing is real NOICE. Oh and don’t forget the smoking hot Monster babes. I was lucky enough to get a signed calendar from one of them (I swear that’s all I got) ;)


Saul Whip-Flips the his Showtime FMX riding buddy Brad Burch at the Avalon Air Show.

All the shows were spot-on except when the wind came up at the end of the day, but we still did what we do and finished on a good note. The next round of shows was for the Canberra Royal Show. Conditions being pretty tough with wind and wet grass. The only time I was getting traction was on the ramp, which made things pretty scary.

We ended up driving from Canberra to Melbourne to ride with Sincs and Bilko for the week. I ended up flipping really small gaps off a standard ramp, which is pretty cool to see (so the boys tell me). It’s kinda gay, but it’s really helpful when it’s too windy and we can only do smaller-gap shows. Mark Monea (AKA Monz/ Carry-On) on landed the world’s first Front-flip 360 looking thing off the super-kicker at 50ft. That was amazing to see.

Off to the Avalon Air Show we go. On the Friday it would have been the windiest conditions, we have ever ridden in, and that practice Backflipping small gaps came in handy on the Friday! Saturday and Sunday were windy as well, but we stopped being such pansies and did what we do on the bigger gaps.

Anyways I’m running out of things to talk about, so I’m going to get off this thing before I start talking a whole lot of trash.
SEEEEUPP!


Here come the Men In Black...and green.

• By Simon M

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On a picture-perfect, windless day more than 2000 fans from around the remote Southland province in New Zealand's South Island, grateful for a temporary relief from the massive earthquake disaster hours away in Christchurch, piled through the gates of the Frew brothers' 2500-acre farm to witness some of the best riders in the world throw down on the FMX, BMX and MTB dirt jumps.

For the first time in its four-year history, Australian riders filled the entire FMX podium at the 2011 Unit Farm Jam at the end of February. Western Australian Red Bull X-Fighters rider Josh Sheehan proved he is one of the best riders in the southern hemisphere when he beat the likes of Crusty Demons’ Unit rider Matt Schubring and X Games silver medallist Levi Sherwood around the predominantly natural terrain FMX course.

Producer: Allan Hardy for Unit Clothing

Music: Infinity by Phatchance, Bored With Sorcery by Monster Magnet

• By Allan H

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Hey guys,

I just built up a new bike with the help of Helensvale Bike Shop. Flick Trix toys have been asking for a new bike, so knowing its going to be a toy for kids I wanted to do something different, and this is what I came up with.

Not sure how long it's going to be around because I'm not the biggest fan of white bikes, but afterwards it will go on the wall for sure.

Frame: Colony Rebirth

Fork: Colony Dagger

Bars: Colony Dagger

Stem: Colony Offical

Grips: Edwin Animal

Barends: Animal

Headset: Colony

Seatpost: Colony

Seat: Colony Trails

Cranks: Colony Colonial V2

Sprocket: Colony Offical

Chain: KMC Light

Brakes: Colony (with fly pads)

Cable: Odyssey

Brake Lever: Colony Transformer

Detangler: SNAFU

Front Tire: Colony

Front Wheel: Colony clone

Front Hub: Colony clone

Rear Tire: Colony

Rear Wheel: Colony clone

Rear Hub: Colony clone

Pedals: Colony Fantastic (might be my fav part of the bike )

Pegs: Colony Oneway

Modifications/Other/Extras: Its amazing that 99% of my bike is COLONY I run what I trust. The stem is still my fav Colony part.

Thanks to Helensvale BMX for putting it together for me.   

• By Ryan G

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