Kickin Rad BMX Ramp
Back in the late 80s when BMX Bandits was all the rage (in my street anyway), me and a mate of mine were doing some BMX tricks because we were wicked cool, oh yes.

These 'tricks' consisted of laying a very small plank, probably about a foot long, against an old tree branch at an angle to make a 'ramp'.

We contructed our rad jump leading into a 90 degree bend in our road on what we called 'the bumps'. These bumps (which were really a cheap sleeping policeman) provided a good way to prop our ramp together.

We took it in turns to do tricks. One would go to the other end of the road, which was a little way away around another corner, while the other would stay by the ramp to make sure it didn't fall over in a breeze or something. Then whoever was doing the jump would cycle as fast as they couild down the road, hit the ramp, fly for a bit then skid to a halt. (if you couldn't do a skid on your BMX you were a saddo)

After a few lame little jumps, my mate heads off up the road to take position for his jump and telling me "I'm going to go super-fast for this one!"

I'm sitting by the ramp waiting, and think "We must be able to get even radder jumps if I could get the plank to point higher". So I angled it higher, a lot higher, maybe 50 or 60 degress, and it held!

So by this time my mate has reached the end of the road, turned round, and is cycling like the clappers back towards the ramp. As he comes around the corner, he spots the ramp, which is a lot higher than it was when he left it.

This is where things from my point of view went slo-mo.

"Nooooooooooooo....." he wails as he trys to hit the brakes.

BANG! He hits the ramp and is seemingly fired up into the air. It seems like he is miles up to a 7 year old me but was probably only just above my head at about 5 foot.

"...oooooooooo" he continues.

In mid-arc he slows down, but his bike continues through the air. He thumps to the floor on his side after throwing a pose like a Karate Kick mid-air, while his bike punctures through someone's garden fence on the other side of the road.

"Waaah" he cried as he ran off home. I retrieved the bike for him from the garden and cycled off as fast as I could, feeling a little bit sheepish.

I was forgiven, because I told him he looked like a Ninja Turtle when he was doing it.
(stubbledchin, Thu 28 Jan 2010, 13:20, Reply)