BMX Cologne is morally an important event for us. Not only for being the oldest BMX event that has in BMX scene for 33 consecutive years, also because it makes us feel a part of the BMX family. For the riders the importance of the event is even bigger, they make their first step to being recognized and they get socialized, may be they have the chance to get sponsors.
This year BMX Cologne was more than a BMX tourism for us, because we had 5 riders who are devoted to BMX. In one way we were there to be the Voice of BMX in Turkey. We believe all our riders felt the same warm welcome in Cologne.
This article is written to give details of the performances our riders showed, rather than the details of the event. Below is an analysis of the street contests in Cologne:
The contests in Cologne were mainly in three categories: Street, Spine and Flatland. Our Turkish riders rode only for street. Street was mainly in two classes: Amateur and Pro.
İsmail Emre Dalgıç, Batuhan Güldengel and G-Shock rider Ahmet Samet Erdem chose to ride in amateur class. In pro street Red Bull and Haro Turkey rider Arif Gül and Bora Altıntaş who had Fibera BMX, Go For It and Haro Turkey sponsorships. Amateur class took place as direct finals only on Saturday. Pro class had the qualifications on Saturday and finals took place on Sunday.
Before assessment of our riders it is necessary to draw attention to the features of the street course. Last year the street course of Cologne was a raw technical street course made up of rails and benches. This year more quarter pipes were added which allowed riders with park riding talents to gain extra points. Therefore we heard complaints from street riders however that was the design of the course.
So, below is a small assesment of our riders' performances :
Pro Class-Arif Gül:
Arif and Bora arrived to Cologne on Thursday-2 days before the event. They rode in the small concrete skatepark of Jugendpark. That was an intense workout rather than riding for fun so on the day of the event they were exhausted complaining from muscle pain. Arif didn't do much to get used to the course due to exhaustion. Despite these negative facts he planned his trick series well. When it was his turn he was ready with the plan but not ready physically.
His first run was 80% good, but he fell twice:
At the beginning his second run he fell again which demotivated him:
Last trick was kind of successful. After two attempts he completed his trick in the 3rd trial, however at the last second he decided to add a tailwhip which he couldn't complete. We don't know if this made him lose points but the crowd liked his trick.
As a result Arif missed the finals by one person being the 13th in rank. Next day there was a surprise as one of the finalists withdrew and Arif was automatically in the finals! We could reach to Arif 1.5 hours before the finals while he was checking out. When he came to the course he was not motivated and he didn't have the chance to prepare himself mentally. Although we tried to motivate him, he fell on his first run and injured his hands. So he missed his next run and best trick as he had to be treated in the ambulance. To summarize it wasn't Arif's best performance in Cologne this year:
Pro Class-Bora Altıntaş:
Bora came to the event with his family and Arif. They stayed in the same hotel with Arif and tried to motivate themselves training together. Two of the best BMX riders being good friends is a big plus for our sport. Because riders make progress by influencing each other. Riding together has a synergic effect. Good friendships just boost the progress.
However each rider has a different motive. We strongly recommend riders to find out their own motivation tools. Both Bora and Arif made the mistake of killing themselves training in tha park and on Saturday both of the were equally exhausted. Bora began his first run with a nice 540 but he fell in simple tailwhips which wasn't expected from him and lost points.
Bora's 1st run:
During his 2nd run Bora again lost points falling off his bike.
He couldn't complete his last ttrick so he was ranked 18th in the contest and couldn't make it to the finals.
Amateur Class -Ahmet Samet Erdem
As well traveling out of Turkey for the first time Samet, İsmail and Batuhan' had their first contest abroad. Same was undecided whether to perform in pro or amateur. Based on our experience in Cologne contests we advised him to compete in amateur. So Samet was wise to listen to us.
We found Samet very quiet during the training in the street course and we criticized him for not getting warm. We beileve he was also stressed out being in an environment like this. We know as the lonely rider of Kayseri and he is not used to riding in big crowds. He couldn't complete any of his tricks during the training and we were a bit concerned. But when it came to the contest performance Samet was totally different.
Samet's 1st run:
Samet's 2nd run:
Last Trick was a complete success for Samet. He pulled a Feeble 180 Full Cap Half Cap Whip in his first try which was amazing and brave because he had completed this trick only once in his life.-
As a result he became 6th and represented Turkey and G-Shock in the best way he could. We believe Samet will do much better in the future.
Amateur Class-İsmail Emre Dalgıç
İsmail made a great effort to be able to come to the contest. He didn't listen to his doctor and came with a cracked knee and hardly got his visa at he last minute and came to Cologne with us. He was the one who enjoyed the event most. He was free of stress he simply enjoyed every moment of his riding in the course. 
At 08:00 am Saturday morning we were the first ones to come to the street course and İsmail did his training till noon. While we were criticising our other riders for not training in the course we had to slow down and stop İsmail to catch his breath. 15 minutes before the contest he fell and injured his palms. so he had to make his runs with bandages on his hands. However he made good use of his warm up runs and planned every single step of his runs with Ediz.
İsmailhe had the same symphaty in Germany from spectators. His full caps and x-ups over the wrecked car were significantly good and his last trick was successful. He got a nice 8th place.
İsmail's performances:
Amateur Class-Batuhan Güldengel
Batuhan had traveled abroad like his other mates. He was able to get a visa at the last minute. Batuhan is perdonally a quiet character and on Saturday he didn't train much prior to the contest. He preferred to watch the other riders and he made two succesfull runs in his scale and got 10th place. So out three ametur riders were on 6th, 8th and 10th places.
Batuhan's 1st run:
Batuhan's 2nd run:
