Stu, mud and cornflakes

[paulgray]

A wet day in Newcastle in 1984 was one of the most exciting days of my life, a cold wind was blowing and the rain was coming down but who cared, the world was BMX mad and I was watching Brian Patterson, Greg Hill, Eric Rupe and friends competing in the 1984 Kellogg's Frosties TV BMX championship and it was magic. I came home with a treasured possesion, Eric Rupe's stem pad which he had thrown into the crowd, if Stu Thompson had been there on Redline it would have been perfect. 

The following year was my third year racing BMX, I'd taken the NBMXA number 2 plate in the 16 year old class behind Geth in 84 so I decided to skip 17+ and go straight to Superclass for 85. When Hotshot asked me to be their Team Redline Superclass rider for that years Kellogg's championship it was like a dream come true.

Moving swiftly on to summertime,I was at Senneley's Park Birmingham in my race gear looking at a fantastic but rain sodden Kellogg's BMX track, thinking we would be better off having a mud wrestling competition than trying to race BMX. There were four of five of us standing around a muddy puddle waiting for something to happen when I noticed a big tall blonde guy in a Huffy uniform striding in our direction, it suddenly dawned on me that it was Stu. I for one was star struck, as I gawped he suddenly burst into a run and jumped straight up in the air aiming to land in our puddle and soak us all. I was so shocked I couldn't move, it was like a super hero had just been ripped large from the pages of a comic book and was right here, in real life, about to coat us all in large sloppy helping of gloop. The others must have felt the same as not one of us moved an inch. Just as Stu's size twelves were about to impact he spread his feet and landed astride the puddle, saving us all from our muddy fate, well apart from he misjudged it a bit and his right foot sent a splatter of muck all over Simon Bailey's nice clean Hutch pants. We all just stood there in shocked silence, looking at Stu, then Simons mud splattered pants, then Stu, I think Simon broke the silence and said "I'll never wash them again" or such like. Stu turned and left, it was a strange and sureal encounter, Stu had come over to us and played a joke and we all just stood there like mute dummies. When I recovered I thought damn, I should have said something like "welcome to England Stu, thanks for comming" or anything but my brain had siezed.

Later that day when Stu and Geth were fighting for the win in the first Pro race I didn't know who to shout for, Stu the superhero or my teammate Geth the under dog, I could hardly believe it when Geth won, it was amazing the crowd went nuts, the greatest performance by a British rider I ever saw. Inspirational riders, both of them.

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I know it's a little late but I'd like to say "Thanks for coming to England Mr.Thompson, it was great to see you, I hope you had a good time and sorry about the weather".

[paulgray]

Another thing I remember about the Kellogg's in 85 was going to McDonalds for tea every night. We didn't have anything like that oop north in them days so it was a novelty for me. I can remember Tim March eating Big Mac's three at a time, we were well impressed.

[Bob_Acid]

Great story.

I'd never even heard of Geth till he struck up a conversation with me as we both put our bikes together in the car park outside Derby Storm one night a few years back. We got in the park and he ruled, he owned the place.

He pulled up next to me in his car at MK 06, 'hey dude, it's me Geth' he said, thinking i didn't reconise him, i was star struck.

[paulgray]

Great story.

I'd never even heard of Geth till he struck up a conversation with me as we both put our bikes together in the car park outside Derby Storm one night a few years back. We got in the park and he ruled, he owned the place.

He pulled up next to me in his car at MK 06, 'hey dude, it's me Geth' he said, thinking i didn't reconise him, i was star struck.

I always had huge respect for Geth as a racer, he was very hard to beat in 16 year olds. When he won that race at the Kellogg's it didn't diminish the US Pros in my eyes, not one little bit, but it did elevate Geth to a new height. It was even harder to race him after that, I suppose I hero worshipped the US Pros due to reading about them for years in the American mags and then when I turned Pro, here I was racing a guy who had beaten them, so I always held him in a certain amount of awe. That always put me at a psychological disadvantage when racing him, and that's one thing that Geth never suffered from, he never looked at an opponent in that way, he was always laid back, nothing phased him, not even seven US Pros, Geth just went out there and did his own thing.

[Bob_Acid]

Two lords of BMX there, Paul. I'd like to meet Stu 

[Dennis Dain]

Paul, that is a GREAT story. The whole Stu jumping in the puddle only to (try) to miss it is so like him. I am so sorry that you were not able to gather your wits about yourself and say something worth while.

When you get the chance to watch the "Stompin Stu" documentary you will not be disapointed. It is like he is sitting across from you telling you all about his life story.

I am so blessed to have grown up with all the guys I raced with in the 70s. I take it for granted how popular BMX got in the 80s and how far those same guys took their game. I have many stories but those are for another time and place.

[nic968]

 Cool story Paul..I think most of us would have seized up at that time too..

 I wonder if Simon ever did wash those Race pants?

[Dex Dexter]

Cracking story Paul - brightened my day that.

[OrgasmDonor]

Paul, I am so sorry that you were not able to gather your wits about yourself and say something worth while.

  sorry Dennis, though thoroughly unintentional im sure, but i find this reads really really funny


great story dude, nice link too, proper racin weather

[retrogeezer]

Great story, great video - cheers for sharing. 

[Mattdub]

Great story Paul , I can just see you now mouth wide open ! 

Good to see that race again too , what was it Geth ? ........... chuffed ! 

I met Mike Miranda in 86 prior to the worlds at Slough at a gate practice evening where I helped him over a berm & he returned the favour !  . A genuinely nice guy , I saw him again at Slough and he gave me a Woodwood "staff" T Shirt . I've some pics but at work right now  . 

[paulgray]

Paul, I am so sorry that you were not able to gather your wits about yourself and say something worth while.

  sorry Dennis, though thoroughly unintentional im sure, but i find this reads really really funny


great story dude, nice link too, proper racin weather

The cat had got my tongue  What do you say when you bump into a demi-god  , if I'd tried to speak it would have probably been unintelligible, how    would that have been    I felt terrible afterwards cos it was like we'd all just blanked him. 

[paulgray]

Cool story Paul..I think most of us would have seized up at that time too..

 I wonder if Simon ever did wash those Race pants?

I suppose they could be hanging on his wall right now, but did you see the weather in the video, half a lap and you looked like a mud monster so he must have washed them. I remember the first race, my brakes didn't work, my grips were coming loose, it felt like I had banana skins tied to my pedals and the track was a swamp. On top of that I got a bad start and by the time I got to the first jump I was partially blind and had a gob full of crud, it was great fun I'm sure that race is on Andy's site but can't find it, here's another wet one.

http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?hl=en&safe=off&num=100&q=Schofield%20kelloggs%20BMX&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv#

[paulgray]

Paul, that is a GREAT story. The whole Stu jumping in the puddle only to (try) to miss it is so like him. I am so sorry that you were not able to gather your wits about yourself and say something worth while.

When you get the chance to watch the "Stompin Stu" documentary you will not be disapointed. It is like he is sitting across from you telling you all about his life story.

I am so blessed to have grown up with all the guys I raced with in the 70s. I take it for granted how popular BMX got in the 80s and how far those same guys took their game. I have many stories but those are for another time and place.

Dennis, I thought you might like that story  I just hope Stu's forgotten all about it  Obviously now that I'm a sensible adult  I don't get exited at all when Stu is on line 

[Dennis Dain]

Would you like me to send him a text and ask him to chime in on this story? 

Actually I think I will because I can see your throat tightening up already...

Here we go...

[paulgray]

Would you like me to send him a text and ask him to chime in on this story? 

Actually I think I will because I can see your throat tightening up already...

Here we go...

  No you wouldn't do it!  ....... would you?  ...... I believe you might   

I was hoping that we might get some more people posting their reminiscences of the Kellogg's event, or of meeting their BMX idols. If Stu has any stories of his time in the UK that would be  , I'll be very surprised if he can remember pulling his puddle prank.

While we're on the subject of the Kellogg's, I was really pleased to see that Ritchie Anderson was invited over and Tommy Brackens

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Scott Clark was riding for Redline so I got to meet him (and I managed to speak), a really nice bloke, but I didn't like the new Redline strip he was wearing, the old one was best. 

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I wonder why 85 was the last Kellogg's, it was a such a great event with all those big names, maybe the BMX craze reached its Zenith in the UK that week and was then in decline  .   

[Bananaman]

Great thread....I love these stories, gives you a warm feeling

[paul clarkson]

mc'donalds every night crap b+b john stockwells singing ,tablespoon of mustard ,what a magic week that was hey paul

[paulgray]

Team Redline's "Ace in the hole", a WMD on the race track.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Andyruffell#play/uploads/119/gIEf8m6zujI

[paulgray]

mc'donalds every night crap b+b john stockwells singing ,tablespoon of mustard ,what a magic week that was hey paul

I don't remember the mustard, but I'll never forget being trapped in the back of the van with that bloody song  what was it called?

http://www.youtube.com/user/Andyruffell#play/uploads/106/QBiYWSylg2Q