Julia Preuss

The Blitz

2011-08-31T23:25:00.000+02:00

There I go. A few weeks ago, I picked up my Deep The Blitz frame which is super cool to ride. It feels great and pretty dynamic! I hope it takes me far enough with my riding skills. :)

Thanks a lot to Matti!

Flatland BBQ Jam

2011-07-29T13:32:00.002+02:00

Last Saturday was the first Flatland Jam ever since a long time, here in Berlin. The location was perfect and pretty much in the center of Berlin there was a huge hockey field. The ground was a little slippery but it was great to see that so many Flatland rider showed up. There was also a trick contest and a bbq as the name of the jam can tell. ;) It was a super chilled day with a dope party at the cassiopeia right after.
Thanks alot to Christian who organized this event pretty well and the riders who showed up! I think we should repeat this event a little more often now! :)

picture by David from Red Bull

BMX Masters 2011

2011-07-18T11:51:00.015+02:00

Last week I went to the BMX Masters 2011 in Cologne. It's like an old routine going to that contest and everything is still super spontaneous! ;)
After a 10 hours trip we finally arrived in Cologne, just missing the Flatland pro qualification. But it was fun anyways walking around in the Jugendpark, having some beer and a hotel booking action trip. So I ended up sleeping and resting in a hotel before the contest on Saturday. It was funny, during breakfast I met my friends from Austria not knowing in which hotel there are gonna stay. Later at the park I rode a little, dealing with the ground which was still good to ride! We ended up jamming during the girls contest which was so much fun! After we finished I was all motivated going back to my home spot but I knew that it's going to be a chilled weekend first with watching a lot of BMX. When the dirt finals were done and the fireworks began to color the sky we headed to the Gloria club. It was a good party ... well as far as I can remember.
I woke up in the bus all alone but Ali came back at 10 in the morning, so we headed back to the Jugendpark. There was still a lot of chilling, sleeping at the beach and watching the Flatland Master Finals. After the ceremony we were on the way back to Berlin which was a super fun and chilled trip. As usual I got home at 4 am all tired and exhausted getting ready for university exams ...

All in all it was a great weekend, I got 2nd place, met a lot of old and new friends and I am all motivated to ride and progress. Woohoo!

pictures by Stephanie Posch, Diego Tejada and xsportsisters

Cologne here I come ...

2011-06-27T17:03:00.000+02:00

... somehow.
The BMX Masters are in 2 weeks but I'm not sure how to get there yet. But I guess I will find an opportunity. ;) It's cool to see more and more girls that compete there every year. I hope there are going to be more Flatland riding girls soon! So .... see you there I guess! This is going to be another fun trip with lots of memories! YEAH!

B B B Bike Check

2011-06-17T16:46:00.000+02:00

mizzi.at is going to publish bike checks from female rider. The last one was my bike. Go check it out!

FreedomBMX Article

2011-05-31T13:00:00.000+02:00

Finally I got some time to put this little article online. You can find this page in the current FreedomBMX magazine. It's about a story about several BMX rider from the view of their very close friends, family or even employers. I've chosen my best friend Reile. If you are able to read it in German, enjoy. If not, enjoy it anyways. ;)

Flatland BBQ Jam in Berlin

2011-05-27T18:39:00.002+02:00

There you go! In two months there is a Flatland BBQ Jam in the Center of Berlin. Everybody should join and have a good time having a BBQ and a lot of BMX riding!

Game of Skills, Vienna

2011-05-21T15:58:00.000+02:00

Last weekend I took a spontaneous trip to Vienna again. This time for the second round of the Game of Skills Contest. I arrived Friday afternoon being all lost in Vienna. My friend Stephi picked me up and took me to the Heldenplatz later where we already met a few Flatland Rider. An hour and a flat tire later we left to get some food and a funny little parking lot session.
The next day I got to the Contest area early but unfortunately the contest started 3 hours later than expected. I messed up my run but I enjoyed all the other riders who were riding the contest. All in all the contest was really well organized by Michael Sommer. Lots of great riders were there and the party was fun, even if there weren't a lot of people. During the next morning global flat Martin, Sascha, the Canadian JF and me hit the road back to Germany. I got home all tired Sunday evening. But as always super motivated!

Thanks alot to everybody who helped me out during the fun weekend trip!

Vienna in April

2011-04-30T16:52:00.001+02:00

This week I was in Vienna, mainly for some sightseeing with my best friend. But a trip without my bike is unimaginable for me, so I took it with me to ride in that lovely city. Sadly there was just one day where it was possible to ride some Flatland. So I met with my very good friend Stephi and her boyfriend to ride in a small skatepark with a pretty sweet flat area beside it. Some breathing issues made it hard for me to ride but I mastered some tricks and was alright, even if I was super tired of so much sight seeing. Right after we chilled at the Donau with some ice cream and beer and hit a party boad with a dope life band.

The trip was super cool, thanks a lot to Reile, Stephi and Roman for a great time in Austria! :)

Doing some tricks.

Looking super retarted while opening some German candy during a break from riding, haha!

On the way back to the hostel, done with riding for the day and a super cool view of some mountains.

Sightseeing in Schönbrunn which has a pretty nice backyard and fountains.

PSC Contest

2011-03-18T15:21:00.005+01:00

Last weekend I went to the Passion Sports Convention in Bremen. Deep BMX organized a contest which was pretty convenient for me. So I had a ride to Bremen with a part of the Deep Team. We hit the road on Friday which was pretty chilled. Arriving at 7 pm in Bremen, we went straight to the event place and helped a little with the contest area. The day ended with 10 huge pizzas and a relaxing evening.
During the next morning we went to the Sports Convention to get registered. But first Adam Kun and me were looking for a cash machine. Other than that we couldn't have paid our registration fee. ;) So after getting to the contest place I practiced a little and was waiting till the contest started. Unfortunately the ground was a bit too slippery so I couldn't pull any of my combos. This bummed me out a little but at least I gained some more contest experience.
The day ended with qualification runs, waiting for some results (I placed 14th.), more pizza and some beer with the guys. There was also a party right at the event place so everybody went to it. The party was so lame, that a few flatland guys did a show there which was really entertaining!
Right after that night, the Sunday was chilled with enjoying the Flatland finals, watching the deep stand, cleaning and removing the contest area. About 9 pm we finally drove back to Berlin. I got home at 2 am in the morning all motivated.
Can not wait for the next Contest right there! The rider were cool and the contest was well organized. Good job Deep team! :)

Too many bmxalot sticker, they put them on my glasses aswell

Passion Sports Convention

2011-03-10T13:20:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow I'm going to hit the road to Bremen. There is gonna be the Passion Sports Convention Contest organized by deepbmx. I'm looking way forward to that trip, that contest and to have some fun! See you there! :)

supported by defshop

2011-03-06T23:18:00.001+01:00

Lucky me, last week I received a box with some goodies from defshop! They hooked me up with some t-shirts, a hoodie and some little goodies which is a pretty cool thing! I'm psyched to represent this fresh online shop that has also some cool local stores in Berlin! Thanks a lot guys! :)

Some Riding

2011-02-28T23:57:00.005+01:00

The month February wasn't as good as I expected. I was sick three times and could not enjoy riding as much as I wanted to, sadly! Now I'm doing better again, no fever, no headaches and no more sore throats. I hope this condition stays a while! ;)
However there were days where I was alone at the ICC and took footage of a tiny combo, which I never filmed before. There you go! I hope for more riding days in March! I expect great things! :)

uncreative title from Julia Preuss on Vimeo.

freedombmx photo

2011-02-20T16:21:00.002+01:00

During new years eve, the German freedombmx magazine was published. A friend of mine noticed that I had a picture in it. So next thing I know I went to the magazine store to get that magazine and lucky me I also got the biggest picture of the Flatland Fanatics Contest Article. I'm psyched on that!

uni - done

2011-02-07T16:58:00.002+01:00

I am super stoked that I'm off university for 6 weeks. Exams are done, I am exhausted but this means I have a lot of time spending on my bike! I'm going to ride a lot, chilling in my hometown and I might go to Bremen for the Passion Sports Convention Contest.
Last week we could try out some letterpress while we had some print practice going on. This was fun! :)

frenchman in town

2011-01-20T14:44:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, Alex Jumelin came to ride at the ICC, since I've told him that this is a pretty cool underground spot in Berlin. I got sick the day before and was thinking to stay home since I felt like crap. But for some reason I needed to ride anyways and was on my way to the ICC. I met Krisitan, Michi and of course Alex. Riding for 15 min was feeling like i ran a marathon or that somebody stabbed my lungs.
Anyways I pulled a few things but was pretty happy so be back in my bed two hours later. It was a pretty sweet session yesterday, also motivating! Can't wait to get well and riiiiide. :)

midnight sessions are fun

2011-01-16T21:47:00.000+01:00

Last night I went riding after work at midnight which was super fun! This year started so well with so much riding! I love it! :)
2 weeks ago I also found out that there is a huge picture of me in the new freedom bmx magazine. I'm going to post it during the week since I've been busy with exams ...
Later! :)

3. January 2011

2011-01-03T23:28:00.002+01:00

I just found out that someone posted my video on a russian bmx portal. It's weird cause I don't understand anything in Russian. That's why i asked a friend of mine to translate which was pretty funny!
So here is the second video with a little change. Check it out if you didn't find it on the internet yet! :)
Other than that, it's my birthday today which I enjoyed with some riding! Later!

End of 2010

2010-12-31T18:06:00.001+01:00

This year was definitely the best year ever! A lot of stuff was going on. Entering contests and riding as much as I can after moving to Berlin was so good! Things work out so fine, now. I've never felt so comfortable in my life, seriously.
So I am really curious what's up in 2011. So I am just writing this last post before heading to a weird bus tour through Berlin, before celebrating in a club at midnight with my friends. So thanks a lot to everybody who kept me positive, who rode with me and took me to contests.
Oh and I found this picture (sportschau.de) of me at the BMX Masters, I so can not wait for summer!

Until then ... let's ride a lot and get wasted!

Video V1.0

2010-12-24T00:00:00.003+01:00

Alright people, here is my video made by fatboyfilm! Go, check it out, tell your friends, share it with the world or just enjoy it! There is also another version waiting to get shared, so stay tuned!
Thanks alot to fatboyfilm!

And have a nice holiday season, people!

Offline Magazine Translation

2010-12-21T13:27:00.001+01:00

Last week Atila from the Hungarian Offline Magazine sent me a translation of the article he posted about Erin Donato and me. So ther you go with the translation:

Girls are on the way, everyone can tell! If you search ont he net for girl riders, you will find some, who takes riding seriously. For example, these two girls, Julia Preuss and Erin Donato! Last week, fatbmx.com dedicated a whole week for girl riders, lots of videos, pics, and interviews were uploaded, showing for everyone, girls are here! I think, thats remain their secret, how can they manage to be a lady, and practicing for hours and getting dirty and sweaty. In my opinoin, there are two sides, one which thinks this is something to reject and laugh on, and one which thinks, this is very good and serious riding.

Recently I also mentioned that I had this little photo and video shoot with two friends of mine. There you go with a spy pic:

Offline Magazine

2010-12-12T11:42:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I received a message from Atilla, a Hungarian Flatland rider. He is doing the Flatland part of the Hungarian Magazine 'Offline'. Because of the fat favorites he posted an article about Erin Donato and me. It`s nuts cause Erin is for sure the best role model of every flatland riding girl! ahaha. So yeah, if you speak Hungarian read the article, if not just klick on the link and look at it! ;)

Julia`s Favourites

2010-12-06T22:38:00.000+01:00

Alright, tomorrow it`s the last day of the Girls Week on fatbmx.com and during that week my fat favourites list has been posted so far. There you go with those brand new pictures from last week and some favourites of me! Also stay tuned on some cool ICC pictures and maybe there is "a little something something" with moving pictures! Until then, let`s rock the ICC! :)

FAT FAV's

2010-11-29T23:03:00.006+01:00

Recently Bart from FAT BMX asked me to answer a few questions for their FAT FAV's list. From the 1. - 6. December FAT BMX is going to pay attention on Girl BMX Rider, which is totally cool! Let`s see when my FAT FAV list will be online next week, which also includes some brand new pictures of a photoshoot from today! :) (Everything started with a serious smile of course! ;) )

Riding at the ICC

2010-11-18T22:15:00.000+01:00

Since I moved to the center of Berlin this summer, you can always find me at the ICC riding! (Except when I`m working) It`s always fun having cool, long, exhausting riding sessions alone or with the other riders! Last time I forgot my iPod and this one skater offered me to use his walkman, so oldschool! ahahaha.
Can`t imagine my days without riding there daily! ICC, I heart you! ;)

Flatland Fanatics Contest

2010-11-12T15:10:00.004+01:00

So Friday, we made it to Minden with being a little bit behind the schedule cause the guys had some trouble with the car. 2 Hours later, we could hit the road and 4 hours of highway traffic we reached the contest place where we found a bunch of riders practicing. For some reason I was to tired to ride, and when I finally made it to the riding area somebody turned off the light of the gym. So no midnight session with the guys! Well at least we were all chilling together and had some rest on gymnastic mats.
The next day started with a shower, a breakfast, some Jesus guys who were super annoying and finally some riding! I was stoked on my first contest run combo, which I pulled, but sadly I could not pull any other new combos during my run! Since I was the first rider I could enjoy all the other Master Class runs, which was so cool to watch, cause everybody rode so well!
I did end up 15th, which was alright. But I guess next time it's gonna be better! Around midnight we had a chilled trip back home to Berlin. About 4 am I was finally home and super motivated to ride in the evening. I'm excited about these winter sessions at the icc!
Big thanks to Sascha who organized the whole contest so well, to Kristian and Markus for taking me there, and every rider who was there!

Manuel Bernardo gave me some picture, a little bit blurry but better than no pictures. ;)

yeah zine photo contest

2010-11-11T15:10:00.000+01:00

All female rider, go take a picture and send it in!

Flatland Fanatics 2

2010-10-31T16:20:00.000+01:00

Next weekend there is gonna be the Flatland Fanatics Contest. I guess I`ll find my way to Minden on Saturday. Let`s see how it`s gonna be! See you there!

Trip to Vienna

2010-10-22T13:04:00.015+02:00

Last year when I was living in Paris, I totally had to get out of this country. So I did and next thing I know is that I was in Vienna. Here is a little report I wrote for mizzi.at.

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When the daily routine is getting bored and riding starts to annoy you, a trip will mostly help against those frustrating moments. So without wasting my thoughts, I booked a trip to Vienna immediatly. The 23rd October 2009 was the day to get ready.

Taking my bike apart and puting it into a huge bag was such a good feeling that i nearly forgot my pedals on the microwave.

After a stressful RER trip and a horibble flight, I arrived at the Vienna airport, where Stephi, founder of „mizzi.“, picked me up. On the next day she took me to „Wien Messe“ where we met Irina for a little session. Too bad that the ground was messed up with stones and leaves, so the session didnt last that long, so we went for a coffee and a poker night.

With a lil hangover, Irina and me went back to the same spot the other day and needed to clean it first. But with a lil hand broom it was kinda impossible. Happily there was this guy driving around with his cleaning car and borrowed me a big broom. After 10 minutes the ground was free from annoying things and we started with a lil jam.

2 hours later, Stephi joined and we started to take some footage of my riding. Setting me under pressure is such a good thing for learning new tricks. So after 20 minutes a new little combo was dialed and I was totally stoked but somehow I realised that after 5 hours.

With more videos and photos, we wanted to take some more footage at a totally awesome spot. Even a barrier wouldnt stop me from the ultimate picture. After taking off that sucker, a security guy came, yelled around and without saying anything we left as fast as we could. Being a little tired, the day ended with some hardcore sightseeing, that continued the next day. Around 5 p.m. I was back at the airport where I had to say goodbye to Stephi who took me back there. Back in Paris the daily routine started again, but one thing is clear: Travelling with the bike is just one of so many great things about that sport.

A BIG thanks to Stephi and Irina, who showed me around, letting me stay with them and haveing a real good time there! This was definitely not my last trip to Vienna!

Winter is coming

2010-10-18T18:28:00.002+02:00

Winter is coming I guess but I can glady say, that I am still riding! I`m so stoked to have the ICC just around the corner which I really aprecciate. If I wouldn`t live here in Berlin I would get depressed in my hometown, not riding! My motivation is so huge, I can`t even imagine myself! haha
So, since I`m working on some new tricks I try to take some footage as well to set me under pressure, to improve myself and to dial those tricks. News are coming soon! Peace! :)

dedicating this post to mizzi.at

2010-10-11T15:04:00.002+02:00

A few years ago, my super supportive friend Stephi from Vienna started her extrem sport blog called mizzi.at. She is updating news about female athletes which is so motivating to see other girls doing their thing. So I was mentioned a "few" times in her blog as well! Without thinking I put her blog adress on my link section. Make sure you visit her blog regulary! Nice work, keep going my friend! :)

Rock Rip Roll Girl Interview

2010-09-28T13:12:00.004+02:00

A few days ago Christine from rockriprollgirl published an Interview about me. She mentioned that "It was one of the few ones that I've already completed before I got the answer." I was one of a few female BMX rider, who got interviewed on her website, so I really appreciate that a lot!
She asked me about competing, my promo video and of course BMX. You can check out that Interview right here.

BMX Masters 2010

2010-09-13T20:57:00.000+02:00

Two Months ago, the BMX Masters were held in Cologne. Like the last year the Flatland guys from Berlin rent a bus, I joined them with the goal not to miss my run this time. haha! (last year I missed my run cause they messed up the time table cause of the weather)

Friday, the 16th of July I met two of the guys at a train station. Since we had to pick up some Deep T-Shirts and Frames we were a little late. Around lunch time we hit the road and with a few stops in Hannover, highway restaurants and traffic jams we finally arrived at the Jugendpark. For some reason I couldn`t register anymore, also the security went nuts. So we found another way into the park. The night ended with some beer, flatland and a sleeping place in the rented bus somewhere in the center of cologne.

In the morning we woke up cause some people were yelling right infront of the bus, so we got up and drove to the Jugendpark, which made me super nervous! After sitting around, having breakfast and taking a shower, I went to the Flatland place to practice. I was surprised cause it was so nice to ride. Then there was a little session going on with the other girls. The contest run started, I was the first and all chilled during my tricks. It was so cool, having the Flatland guys from Berlin with me! Having something familiar right next to my run is such a good influence! I felt really good after my run, so I really could enjoy the riding of the girls, also street!
Somewhere in the middle of the day, I found out that i placed first, which was really great, so after alot of cool riding action the day ended with a good party at the Gloria Club. The goal was to find a place to sleep. But after a few weird happenings we ended the night, well morning in the bus. I slept in the trunk with my bike besides me hahaha. Weird! But comfi!

Sunday we spent the day with watching the pro finales, which was super cool and motivating! Well we also spent the day with waiting for the ceremony, since i won the girls flatland contest. We were way behind the schedule, so we hit the road back to Berlin around 8 pm. With some weird sight seeing in Hannover and some more hours on the highway, we made it to Berlin around 1 am. Good thing for me, I had to wait for my train home 2 more hours. Around 6 am I was home and totally happy about this cool weekend!

Newspaper Article

2010-09-11T10:36:00.000+02:00

I feel a little bummed cause i couldn`t post anything since I don`t have any internet connection in my apartment yet.

Anyways, in July I got interviewed for a little report before the BMX Masters 2010 started. Suddenly it was in the local newspaper. There you go with the first part, it`s just in German. It`s mainly about my riding, preparation for the BMX Masters and how I feel.

HERE you go with the bigger readable version.

The Masters went over so we did another Interview, just to mention what happened. I`m gonna post something about the trip later.

So there you go with the second newspaper article.

Flatland Church Fight, 31. July 10

2010-08-31T12:58:00.007+02:00

One month ago, the Flatland Church Fight was held in Litomerice, Chech Republic. 2 days before, I was asked to join the trip over there. So without thinking alot I said yes and met Rayk and Dave at the motorway exit Friday morning. 3 hours later we hit the Chech boarder and were kinda confused that the highway ended somewhere in the middle, 20 min away from Litomerice. We went a long way around but made it on time to have some practice before the contest started. Over 20 riders made it to this little village and the contest place was so crazy looking, since it was held in an old church. Qualification started and i sat around, watching every run. My run was at the end, which made me super nervous. I didn`t pull all my tricks but since I got alot of props from the audience it was super fun anyways to ride there! The judges didn`t really judged me tho, which was sad to see.
The finals were held a little later and I enjoyed some really cool runs. The constest was over around 5 pm so we grabbed our stuff and headed back home. See you next year, I guess!

pics were taken by anne yarbrough and martin from global-flat.com

Rider of the month

2010-08-28T20:35:00.008+02:00

In June global-flat.com did choose me as "Rider of the month". So I answered a few questions, took some pictures and the Rotm was done. It was cool to see that people recognized me just cause of this interview.
Right now they are looking for a new one, since "Julia´s ROTM was a real inspiration". You can vote right here in the global-flat forum!

There you go with that Interview:

I’m REALLY pleased about this month’s ROTM, for a many reasons. First, we finally have a female ROTM! About time! Martin, our esteemed editor, passed on Julia’s details to me, and I couldn’t be more pleased… we need more women in Flatland, and BMX as a whole. Come on ladies, be inspired and pick up a bike! Second, Julia is also moving into art/design, and also plays Bass Guitar, which are two BIG passions of mine outside of Flatland. Here are a few words from Julia to wet your appetite: “Never give up if it becomes hard, just try it again and set your own goals. Oh and support more female BMX riders!”

You can read the rest here.

10 Fragen an ...

2010-08-26T12:32:00.000+02:00

Last week funsporting.de published 10 questions that i answered which was super fun. There you go. Oh well its just in german.

Let`s do this!

2010-08-25T11:20:00.001+02:00

Alright, i spent my first blog entry posting the wof interview, because this was one tiny reason to start bloggin! This summer started with so many online articles, newpaper entrys and contests, that it started to get a little confusing for me.

I`m gonna post all of those things that happened during the following few weeks, also adding new things for sure! This is it for now, I`m off riding.

WOF Interview

2010-08-24T21:23:00.002+02:00

A few weeks ago, I had an Interview with Paula from Canada. She wanted to ask me a few questions to put it on wofbmx.com

Here you go:

By now you've probably already seen Julia's promo video that she unleashed into the public just a few short weeks ago. I remember when I first saw Julia riding. It was in a flatland video she released about 4 years ago, for a girls bmx video contest. I also entered the video contest, but I was floored to see video footage of this 15 year old girl from Germany. She had a raw talent and passion that was so apparent it was screaming through my computer's monitor. She progressed so rapidly, and I could tell she wouldn't give it up. Ya, I see other girls ride. I see them pick up a bike and ride it a couple of times. They realize it's hard, then they use their bike as a chair before it goes into the storage closet, or into the classifieds. I knew within 25 seconds of watching Julia's video that she was a contender, that she was here to stay on the flatland scene. I wanted to be her friend. We started talking over the computer and kept each other updated with our flatland progression. Recently I asked Julia to do this interview, and learned much more about my German friend. Julia speaks english and french, too!

Basics....
Julia Preuss: 20 years young and a rider since the tender age of 14.

I asked Julia to give me a break down of her routine riding.

JP: I try to make it to the spot 5-6 times a week. I mostly ride at a basketball court in my hometown, but sometimes you can find me riding the spots in Berlin too. Riding alone is whats up. Sometimes its`s alright but also nerve wrecking cause there is nobody who tells you what you do wrong. So I totally enjoy to ride with the guys in Berlin, it`s so much fun spending time with them at the spot. It´s always fun, if Ali B. brings his big music-trash can-player along. I love good loud beats during riding.

WOF: how did you get into flatland?
JP:When I turned 14 I got a used Felt bike, sold it later, cause I tried to ride street. During summer I started Flatland at the Mellowpark, Berlin and i fell in love with that sport. So at the end of my holidays I got a used Flatland bike with a We the People Pony frame.Thats all I remember. Over the time I changed a whole lot so now Im riding a bike that is perfeclty made for me.

Julia rides brakeless, so I thought I'd ask her about that, seeing how it's such a BIG deal
JP: I guess nearly everybody started with breaks, but after a few weeks of riding I couldn`t fix them real good, so I was annoyed and got ridd of them. So I nearly spent all of my riding time riding around without them. A few rider told me to put them back on, which I did once, but I just can`t deal with them.

Riding brakeless defines your style to a certain level. Here's how Julia describes here style.
JP: A G-turning rolling style I`d say, because I`ve never liked scufing that much, and if I spin I just do it for the dizzyness ;)

WOF: What tricks are you working on now?
JP: I try to get comfortable with a few basic tricks like time machines or wheelchairs. Linking them, getting down new combos. Barflips and switch footed things should work soon too!

Julia is moving to Berlin in September, a move into independence and one that will surely increase her riding frequency. Riding with others is a great way to motivate yourself and make life lasting friendships. I asked Julia where else Flatland has taken her.

JP: I spent half a year in Paris to improve, of course, my riding and the language. A highlight was always the Marché St. Honoré spot where I saw a whole bunch of riders, pros and video shoots. During my time there I got the chance to go to Vienna, Austria to have a few sessions with the girl riders. I went to L.A. 4 years ago, also for riding. Cologne is always cool to hang out during the Masters and there are a few trips here and there thru Germany. This summer I`m planing to go to Hungary and the Czech Republic for some contests as well.

Julia is taking advantage of her location on this world. So many riders would die to have these possiblilties surrounding them. But flying half way around the world to ride in LA is a tremendous indication of her committment to this sport. There are endless flatland destinations you can go on, I asked Julia where would she go if she could enter any contest.

JP: To be a lil realistic it would be Fise, but I also would like to go to some Japanese contests as well! But first of all lets see what the contests will bring during summer!

If you haven't heard Julia took first place this year at the BMX Masters, in women's flatland. The contest was almost scrapped, but revived in the final hours. Flatlanders have to fight tooth and nail for every bit of floor space, and keeping flatland in the spot light is critical. As soon as events start being scratched off the list the foundation starts to come down. It literally comes down to individual votes and riders to keep this action alive. Keeping this event alive was Julia and the other girls who made it out to Cologne. There aren't many out there, but they are the life support of our sport. It's difficult to get good companies behind events like this. I asked Julia if she could pick one sponsor who would it be and why.

JP: That`s a tuff one. I would pick a company that produces bike parts AND clothes including good riding shoes, cause tires, grips and shoes wear out soooo fast.

I always thought I'd be cool to ride for a charity, get awareness out there for a good cause and bring people into flatland. Picking a single charity to ride for would be equally as difficult as picking a sponsor. Here's what Julia would do.

JP: I think I would support a charity that`s all about children without parents and their education. Helping them to find a way to express themself, having goals and reach something in life.

Time to get down to the Woffle aspect of things. Being a female in this male dominated sport takes a certain type. You have to be strong, you have to be focused and you definitly need to know why you're in it, and when times are tough remember why you're in it. I took a few moments to ask Julia some questions based purely around this tiny detail.

WOF: What challenges do you come across as a female rider?
JP: I would answer this question without thinking a lot, there wouldn`t be a huge challenge that comes across riding. But when I see a few guys talking shit about female rider, how “ugly” we are and that we can not ride bikes then I could slap them in the face.

I very much liked Julia's response. There really aren't many challenges, except for the pigs. Overall I fair Flatland to be populated by the most supportive athletes to have ever lived. :D

WOF: What are some of the positives of being a female in this sport?
JP: I think its a little more easier having success in riding. Since we are just a small piece of the BMX community, its not that hard to get noticed. Seeing riders who are stoked about what you can do on the bike is always good and motivating.

WOF:How do you view the female talent on an international level?
JP: The talent of the ladies is incredible. It`s always fun to watch those street and park rider kicking guys asses. They really can keep up with those male riders with so much style and tricks. Love it. Same with the flatland girls, seeing them doing combos and tricks like the guys is so nuts. Even if it`s sad that I can count the flatland girls on my fingers.

WOF: How do you feel about representing your gender?
It doesn`t really feel different. I just go out, ride, take footage and show people what I can do, that I have fun doing it and that I love it. That`s it. Letting the world know that female bmx rider can be as good as guys is just a little part of this representing thing. We all still know thats it`s just about having a good time on our little bikes.

Basically what I get from all of this is that Julia is just like any other flatland bmx'r that I've ever met. Passionate about riding, experiences the same pain, difficulty and joy while trying to progress, looking forward to the next jam/contests and riding with her buds.

It was Julia's promo video that made me want to do this interview. I knew Julia was out there, somewhere in Germany riding practically every day, but for the longest time I never saw one edit, not even one picture of her riding. I was curious as to why she wanted to be so underground when what the world really needed was a female flatland superstar/hero. I was extremely happy when this little diddy Promo Vid surfaced.

WOF: How do you feel about the reaction your promo video has received. Have you received any negativitiy? How do you deal with that (or think you would if it did happen)
JP: I just heard good things about it yet and this motivates a lot to step into another riding level, learning new combos, switches and tricks. If there was any negativity, I`m sure, the positive reaction will be higher.

WOF: Whats your favourite flatland video?
JP: The Dreams DVD by Terry Adams is really motivating. But I would give somebody 100 bucks for the first Berlin City Games DVD. Great riders, dope location and so well done cutted.

Flatland is pretty high up there in the scale of importance to us all, but it's not everything to most people. You gotta shake it up, add some diversity.

WOF: What kind of things were you into before you took up flatland? (Activities/interests) What other hobbies do you have now?
JP:Before Flatland I just enjoyed having some bike trips with friends, but never had any real hobby. Now besides Flatland I also love playing the bass or making music on whatever i can find.

WOF: if youre not riding, where can you be found and doing what?
If I`m not riding, I spend time with friends, making some music or just chill and sleep.

WOF: Any closing thoughts?
JP: Thanks a lot to all those who supported me with good words, hints to do a trick better and just being there for me (I`m sure those will know who they are, Love you guys!). Never give up if it becomes hard, just try it again and set your own goals. Oh and support more female BMX riders!

And there we have it. Julia Preuss, flatlander, bass player, friend and hero. Peace be with you all.

Link to Julia's Promo Vid.

http://www.vimeo.com/12157642