BREAK(ING) GLASGOW - BSD X ODYSSEY
Looking back at ten days of actual dream team madness
Words & Photos By Fred Murray | Article originally published in DIG issue 99.99 December 2019
We all know that moment when you can’t control your limbs, and you’re internally forced to chase down whoever just landed their trick. On this occasion it was down to Backstreet Distribution's BSD X Odyssey trip in Glasgow, Scotland and an enormous over-pegs by bearded warrior Callan Stibbards. This was ten days of actual dream team madness where the hype was high and laughs were flowing. Here's five random observations that stood out from a rad time in our own hometown.
Callan Stibbards will keep you on your toes. Setup time is kept to a minimum with this guy and if you ain’t quick, you’ve missed it. Ultimate slayer of rails—this large piece on the edge of the River Clyde is a scary bastard for most, but Callan isn’t most.
01: Mother India
Balti, Bhuna, or a Biryani? The proximity of the Odyssey x BSD Airbnb to Glasgow’s finest curry house and drinking establishments really couldn’t have been any better. The apartment was placed above the highly esteemed Mother India restaurant and the smells wafting into the guys’ bedrooms was too much to handle. With Broc Raiford leading the way, many evenings were taken up by curry-fueled feasts that led straight into a piss up in the pub across the road. Apologies to the bar staff for smashed glasses and Grant Smith.
The newly-built Loading Bay Skatepark in Glasgow wasn’t even open yet and this guy nearly broke the roof.
"“FUCK!” = 99% of my reactions to Boyd Hilder's riding. "
02: Noise Complaints
Entering into Airbnb contractual obligations can be a daunting process—especially when you incorporate a handful or more BMX riders into the mix. A once clean, five-star Airbnb rating can soon be pummeled into the ground with one angry click of a button. Needless to say, with an always-stoked Tom Dugan on board the Odyssey x BSD trip, the chance of exiting the situation with a clean record was zero. BSD daddy, Grant Smith got a few frantic messages from the host requesting that the guests remove their bodies from the window ledge of the apartment and also stop shouting. Despite the police not being called in the end, Dugan still managed to get a telling off from the plod after channeling his inner war photographer and filming some action in a nearby residence. He successfully captured the arrest of a highly frantic and wriggling woman who was pulled from her home while wrapped in restraining straps. After turning to his Instagram following to ask if he was out of line for filming the situation, the resounding answer was: Yes!
03: Vape Juice
Despite being sent a very short and frank text message from his mum warning him that “people are dying,” Tom Dugan’s appetite for high potency tobacco vape juice was insatiable. Due to UK law setting the maximum e-liquid nicotine strength at a comparatively weak 20%, Tom’s thirst for fruity-flavoured vapour was far from satisfied. After some frantic calls home to the States, Tom’s girlfriend posted over some rocket-fueled holy nicotine water only for it to be sent to the backend of nowhere due to a confused delivery attempt. Over $200 worth of the stuff was sat in a random post building outside Glasgow much to the dismay of Doogs, but the man didn’t give up and leapt into an Uber to pick up said juice. Much hair pulling and many confused phone calls later, Dugan returned, fire in his eyes, clutching his American niccy pods. The moral of the story: never give up…and listen to your mum.
What the cluck is precisely what we all thought after watching Tom Dugan spin one off this Glasgow bus stop. He made it look like a doddle, (that's 'easy' to you) in true Dugan style. A local fanboy was on hand to add to the spice too.
"After some frantic calls home to the States, Tom’s girlfriend posted over some rocket-fueled holy nicotine water only for it to be sent to the backend of nowhere due to a confused delivery attempt."
There’s something about a thick facial growth that leaves me stunned. Moustache aficionado Justin Spriet unleashed the double stun with this mid-trick switch-footed underpass noz. This guy has many strings to his bow.
04: NEDS
“You fae California? Grass is legal there ain’t it?” Foreign riders who visit your hometown are usually naive to the local inhabitants who you’d usually give a wide berth. Although argued to be a folk etymology, the term NED stands for Non-Educated Delinquent—a figure of speech made popular in a 2003 Scottish parliamentary debate and keenly taken on by the people of Scotland. You can often distinguish a NED from a general member of public via their appearance: swathed in khaki coloured tartan material—Burberry topping the charts of NED hierarchy. A warning sign can also incorporate a similarly patterned baseball hat placed on the back of the head at a 10-20 degree side angle and fingers garnished in gold(ish) sovereign rings. In general terms, a NED is to be avoided; however, the Odyssey squad unaware of who they were about to interact with, quite often engaged in conversation with such delinquents (much to the worry of myself and our BSD cohorts). However, the NED is a person who reacts well to some witty interaction, so all was well in the end.
Denim Cox is like a coiled spring on uneven ground. You don’t know when he’s going off or in which direction but you know it’s gonna be wild. Double peg up on the lower rail to u-turn straight into this fast ice. Scary stuff.
Cox and robbers.
This one nearly got ridden straight past, but after some lingering and looking, it was on. Is there anything this Boy(d) can’t do?
"In various cases, this even turned into the group splitting in two and filming multiple clips at the same time—hence the stonking final riding timeline of seventeen minutes."
05: Two Filmers
Two’s company, three’s a crowd? Who knew, but two heads are definitely better than one when it comes to filming BMX. Both Walter Pieringer and Dave Sowerby were on hand to capture the action during this trip to Scotland and it was a sight to behold. In some situations this could possibly cause a confusing dynamic, but due to these two being well mannered, each spot was discussed and shot in a way that appeased both parties. In various cases, this even turned into the group splitting in two and filming multiple clips at the same time—hence the stonking final riding timeline of seventeen minutes. Even the combination of the two companies’ riders was exciting to watch; I mean, it’s not very often you get to watch Alex Donnachie and Callan Stibbards ride the same spot in the same corner of the world. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to design your own fantasy BMX league. - FM
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