Hi all.

Some words..

Pamplona was the city of action. It was a good event, and I wish I had more time to prepare for this one. Somehow the events with Flygroup feel real serious and they are making you push yourself to the maximum. Dani Torres was there. Man that kid is just getting better and better for every day. I’m looking forward to see his progress the years coming. Well, I taped my knee so hard that I barely could move it, and with the knee brace I worked my self through the practice and cleaned up my trick the best I could.
I was ready to ride, and I was there to win.

Eigo Sato had really been practicing hard and rode great. Underflipping the superkicker and throwing out some banzai style. Man, I like that boy and wish him all the best for the future. He’s got his own style that makes him into an important brick in the game. Copycats finish last!I won the qualification, and had the same points as Dani Torres in the final. But Flygroup also judge the respond from the audience, and Torres had some more points on that part and won the contest.Torres is a great rider, and I did a mistake on the superkicker. No rooms for errors on this level anyway. I’m just happy to finish top three.

Three a clock the same night I left Pamplona and drove five hours to a new contest. I arrived and started immediately practice. I was back to normal when the contest was on and won the madness in front of “mister cordova flip” Nicolas Ortuño which had a crazy progression the last months, third went to Mat Shubring from Australia.

After this weekend it was all about practicing for X-fighters in Madrid. This was my contest, and nobody was going to take it away from me. Except Travis and Nate of course. Those fuckers are playing on their own level and were untouchable. The preparation before Madrid was good and I even learned some new stuff which I was ready to show. I went to Madrid with confident and couldn’t wait to get out on the track to play.
At my first practice I was just cruising around - feeling the course. I threw out a no hander flip and then suddenly, like a boom, unexpected, I dislocated my knee on a perfect landing. What the hell is happening? The doctor drained my knee from liquid and gave me some cortisone. I was back on the track for the afternoon practice.

My knee was sore, but I could ride. In the end of the practice I started to feel better. But then. Baaaaaaaam! Landing perfect from a holyman, my knee popped out again. I limped the way to my stable. Lay down on the hard wooden bench. Then I realized. I’m out! I’m fucking out! I can’t ride X-fighters. If I do, I will destroy my knee totally. It was like a black cloud coming over me. All the bad things from this season flashed back into my head, like a flashlight would hit a power source. I lost the dew tour, X-games and now X-fighters because of one crash. I started to think about all the work I had put in the last twenty years. Trying to do everything right for a day like this. This was my day. I walked to my car with my girlfriend to get some silence from everything. Then, like the water brakes the damn. I start crying like a kid. I haven’t been crying so bad since I was ten years old. Man, call me a chicken If you like. I call my self a chicken. Crying for something like that.

It was a good contest, and it was really inspiring to watch Travis and Nate ride. Trust me, I was studying the riding to every movement with photo, video and the sharp eye. And that’s probably what I would need to do the next month. Study fmx. Practice at the gym. Get better on all the things except riding.
I will now get some more tests, and I may have to take a new and a final surgery. It will take me some time to recover, but it’s what I’ve decided because I’m planning to stay in this sport for maaaany years. I feel that I’ve just started, and I almost don’t have any beard for crying out loud!!!! I’m going to run my body to the bottom when I’m done with FMX, but it’s not time to start now.

After the surgery I will go to France to join my friend Manu Troux (broken femur) in a rehabilitation center. It’s 200 euros per night, but I’m dedicating a part of the sponsor money from Suzuki Europe, One Industries and Oakley to make it happen. I’m coming back stronger than ever buddy!

Since I couldn’t ride I took some photos in Madrid. If you want to see them. Click into www.andrevilla.com and the folder on bike September.

Have a good one.

Villa