Dale Holmes Free Agent Team Limo 2012

[750Rush]

I raced for one year when I was 13yrs old at Bexhill Burners on a Mk1 Raleigh Night Burner (thanks for knitting the jumper Mum!):



I stopped after a couple of nasty falls and took up white water slalom canoeing where I made the British junior team and travelled most of Europe.



At the start of this year I had a mid life crisis and became interested in new school racing after taking my 4yr old to Bexhill Burner BMX track and then our new local track at Mitcham. After more than two hours of non stop riding I struggled to get Daniel off each time, so he clearly loved it and I got a few arm punches followed by comments of "I love you Dad" having rolled around the track with him.

Daniel was riding his Mongoose pitcrew and I was using my Mongoose Californian. Not the best track bikes, so we tried a few of the club bikes and then started to look for our own race machines. A guy called Terry Smith was selling a Redline proline mini which I though would be good for Daniel, and he had a rather special pro bike for sale too which I just had to buy when I saw it as it's a piece of living history.

Here is Daniel's Redline when we bought it:



and now with Answer carbon forks, carbon bars, Shimano DXR brake lever and Uni fire seat:



But here is the bike I got for myself to learn the ways of new school BMX and get some track riding under my belt:



Dale Holmes Free Agent Team Limo 2012!

As you'll probably know, Dale is a multiple World Champion and now manages the Free Agent Team.

Great Britain
24-time British Champion
16-time UK Nat'l #1
2-time U.S. National Champion
2-time European Champion
2-time ABA World Champion
1-time World Cup Champion
5-time UCI World Champion

The 2012 FA Team Limo was done in gold to due to Maris Stromberg winning his 2nd Olympic Gold at London 2012. The Free Agent Team free up large chunks of their time to provide Free Agent Coaching Clinics around the US and support a rider development programme. Having emailed FA, there are medium term plans to role out a similar rider development programme in the UK via FA stockists. Anyway, enough waffle. Here are some pics (Hopefully it's Ok to post these ones):











The story is, Dale rode over the line having won at a UK national race in Manchester and handed the bike over to Terry Smith along with all his Free Agent Rockstar race kit. What a generous champion! She misses the Californian sun but regularly stretches her legs at the Mitcham track:

























The FA rides like nothing I have ever ridden. It's sooooo smooth! 100psi in BMX tyres was something new for me too. It's been fun trying to learn to ride again after nearly 30yrs. I'm sure I used to be able to jump much better higher and further bitd!

We've got the bug and want to do some regionals next year, but our 1st race is this Sunday at the new national track at Burgess Park, Peckham...I just hope we both do ourselves justice.

[griff]

Great stuff & thanks for posting 

Some cracking pics there (my fav is the jumper one though  )

[rodriguez]

That wee Redline should be just the ticket for your younge one. 

 & that Free Agent is a fine looking steed. 

[750Rush]

Thanks guys.

The Redline mini now also has lighter mini welgo pedals.

1st race for us both tomorrow!

[pickle]

Those are real nice race machines!  how did your first race go? 

[750Rush]

For his 1st competitive race Daniel did me proud. He recently turned 5 and was racing 7yr olds. He managed the start gate on his own standing up and got to the end of each race and wasn't distracted by me shouting encoragement to him! It was a good experience for him of knowing how to line up for his race and remember his start gate position. One thing I noticed was that his pedal action was a bit choppy compared to the others and the gearing tough so some shorter cranks and rear cogs may be required as 14/37 on 145mm is a bit out.

I was put in the 16+ payback as there were no other 40yr old 20" novice racers when I registered, but luckily I got moved to the 14+ novice group. I initially felt bad for racing kids, but they were mighty quick!

I drew lane 6 for my 1st moto and finished 2nd. 2nd moto was lane 1 but I fluffed the gate and came 3rd. The 3rd moto was gate 3 and I was moving into position to take 1st on the 2nd berm when my ambition outweighedmy talent and I hit the deck! A quick dust down and I carried on. I started in gate 7 for the final and came 3rd. Most of all it was fun and my lad doesn't stop telling everyone that the man on the speaker went "Oooooohhhhhhhhh!" when Daddy crashed! He wants to race again at the next one in two weeks which is a result. It also gives me more time to try and learn to jump better!

[pickle]

sounds like you had a great day mate!  i bet you sacred the shyte out of the kids though when you lined up against them 

[Jon The Bassist]

Good work fella, I raced Terry regularly when I lived down south in the 80s, and then bumped into him again last year through racing. I'm sure Dale would be pleased that his bike is getting used properly

37/14 on skinny wheels is a very high gearing for a nipper, stick a 15 or 16 on the back and some shorter cranks. My youngest (6 expert) is on 130mm cranks and a 38/16 gearing.

[750Rush]

sounds like you had a great day mate!  i bet you sacred the shyte out of the kids though when you lined up against them 

They were a bit taken aback to be fair Pickle, but we all had fun!

Dale would be pleased that his bike is getting used properly

37/14 on skinny wheels is a very high gearing for a nipper, stick a 15 or 16 on the back and some shorter cranks. My youngest (6 expert) is on 130mm cranks and a 38/16 gearing.

That's what they are built for Jon, and the Free Agent name gets spread. We rode the track for an hour on Wednesday last week to get a feel for it and a little kid asked for a go. I asked him to do a lap on his own bike first and then let him have a  blast round on mine and he loved it. I wonder what he'll be asking Father Christmas for?!

I bought some used 135mm Answer cranks last night and am going to try either a 16t rear cog with a Crupi 38t chainring or a 15t with the Redline 37t.  Hopefully that should make it race ready for him. Thanks for the advice.

Terry is a good guy. He pmd me the other day to see how we were both getting on with the bikes and was keen to know if we had raced them yet. We are also really fortunate to have four great coaches at our club and most of them know Terry too. It's great to see him ripping up the track Stateside!