Couple of tips that I have got to know while being in Medellin for a month. First everyone wants to get to train, so couple words about the tracks. Basically the tracks are little more off road style than normally in Europe or NZ.. even more than in USA. Off road I mean pumpy, but you get used to it fast. The local riders are really nice and love to have you at their track.

Bello, big track, first straight even too big. Has two gates on one starthill. Track is fun and they welcome everyone. Openinh hours during week days: 16-21 and weekends 14-18. Free to ride. Possible to rent also.+57 310 4759250

Envigado, just re-newed track by Tom Ritz. Not open yet, but will open in couple of days. I assume it's gonna be good. Opening hours hasn't been confirmed. Possible for rent +57 301 4071538 or bmxenvigado(at)gmail.com . Sorry I don't have photos yet.

Girardota, (pronounced >hirargota<) fun and good track, but little bit of a downhill experience. Has two starthills. Gate is slow. Open daily, free to ride. Possible to rent. +57 3217624162

Belen, is the name of the Worlds track. At the moment it's not ready. But next to the track is smallish training area. It has a fence, but the gate is not locked. I have been told it's open and free to use from 8-20. This will be closed after the race on 14-15th of May, and so will worlds track.

Other smaller tracks you can also find from the map: www.worldofbmx.com. They are open all the time.

There will be national cup on the World track (Belen) at 14.-15.5. Everyone can join. Only you need is proof of incurance, license and letter from cycling federation that you are allowed to race in Colombia on those days. And of course sign in for club Belen. +57 3006153463 (Martin Posada).
Normally the friday is for training . Each group gets 20min on track and that's it. Saturday and Sunday is race without warm-up at the track.

There is 4 BMX shops close to the track. All of them takes credit cards, and all except one speaks English. Opening hours are for normal weeks, for worlds they will be open all day long.

A: Extreme Race, Carrera 66B 31-24, open Mon-Fri 10-13 and 14-19, Sat 10-16, Sun: closed  ​

English speaking owners. Possibility wash the bikes. 

​B: Almacen BMX racing, Calle 30A 66B, Open: 11-18, 8-12, 8-12

They don't speak english, but this is closest to the worlds track.

​C: Cycle Talles, Calle 30A #69-161, 9-19, 9-15, Sun closed

Only 30 000 pesos (or 12USD) for full maintanse on the bike

D: CJ bikes, Cra. 70 Nº 30 A 110, Open: 9-19,

At least one person speaks English. 

First to get from airport to Medellin it takes about 1 hour. Taxi costs something between 50-65000 pesos. For airport transport it's normal to discus about the price before the trip. Normally the taxis has a meter that tells how much it is. The drivers seems to take some extra when they give the change back, but they are not allowed to do it. You are allowed to give tip, and it's recommended, but if you don't want they can't force you. Also in grocery stores when a person packs your groceries, you are not expected to give them a tip. But of course you are free to do so if want.

Traffic is crazy, you really need to watch out. Cars don't stop for pedestrians. Not even slow down if you stand in the middle of the road. Friendliness of the people is real. They are amazed to get to know new people and like to help. If you find toilet paper on public toilet it equals to winning lottery. Carry your own paper with you.

Tap water is perfectly fine to drink. Grocery stores doesn't even have that much bottle water to buy because tap water is truly good.
By the way, when you get the price make sure which currency they are using. Many times for foreign people prices are told in USD, for examble 17$, but also they might use 17 to mean 17000 pesos. And that is a whole different amount.

Center of Medellin is dangerous when sun goes down. Also the lonely street, like street by the rivers are not really place to be during the night. I actually feel the difference on the street what comes about after 21.00. And couple of times when I have been on the street, coming from training or something like that. Locals has told me that it's not good for me to be there alone. They do care, because they know that some people are playing a different game.
Usually the people who live on the street has a problems. With alcohol or drucks. But they are still people. It's ok to give them a food, water, or a smile. Not a stupid idea either to pack all the old un-wanted clothes with you and give them for the poor people. Those things are appreciated!

​There is couple really typical foods that I see people eating. I love the dinners (almuerza) the local restaurants are offering. For 3500-9000 pesos you can eat the menu of the day. Which inludes most often a soup and a plate with rice and meat (carne). For a local experience try these:

Papa de carne: Weird ball of meat, potatoes... fried. Really good :) Pony Malta is one local drink, it's not a beer (=cerveza)

Patacon: Is a kind of a bread or pancake made of green bananas. Nice, specially to have some meat or omelet on it. 

Sopa de frijol. Is a soup of red beans. And I really like it :) Also those bananas are good! :)

Arepa: Corn bread. Comes with almost every plate you buy in restaurant.. Well, I don't like it, but maybe I have tasted some bad ones ;)

​Coffee with milk (cafe con leche) is milk with coffee. So it's really milky. To get black coffee you have to order ”tinto”.

Not many people speak English over here. To downloading a google translator on your phone (and download the Spanish language so you can use it when you are offline) is smart move. About the language. Pronounce is pretty easy. Just remember H is silent (Hola) and J is pronounced like H, and double LL is similar like J (Medellin), and V is always pronounced similar as B (Envigado is Enbigado). Here is couple words that might help you:

• BMX racing= Bicicross
• track= pista
• Hello= hola
• how are you?= como estas?
• Well (answer)= Bien
• Where?= Donde?
• How much? = Cuanto?
• When? = Cuondo?
• Shop= Tienda
• Grocery shop= Mercado

Medellin is pretty small, but to get to the tracks you need a car. Well, rent a car if you have some good nerves to stand the traffic. Or take a taxis. It's cheap.. Not all the taxis take bikes tho. There is also a good metro lines. Metro costs only 2150 pesos. The problem is that you can not take a bike with you (unless you take it in the parts and have it bag). Bikes are allowed in metro only Mon-Fri after 20.00. Saturday after 16.00 and Sundays all days. Metro line has basically two lines. A and B, which you can use with one normal ticket. There is also a new line L (Actually there is K,J,L for cable line, but L is the main tourist line) which is cable line. Cable takes you above the city. It's nice experience. Nothing you can't live without but worth of the 4000 pesos (1,2€).

There is lots and lots sports parks. One just next to the Worlds challenge track, where you can get to swim with couple of euros. Most of them are free, but, you need to sign in and make a recervation. (www.inder.gov.co). One good one is estadio, good place to go to swim! 

Close to the Mariana Pajon track (elite worlds track) is water park: Aeroparque Juan Pablo II

From the metro I also saw a theme park (Parque Explora), but I haven't visit there. 

My first race of the season is done. Just great. So many girls that we had even semis. On both days I were 2nd on semi. On the first day I was done by final, I think I finished on 5th. On the second day I played my cards little more wise and had more energy. By the 1st turn I were about the 3rd, when the first slip her tire and 6 of us went down with her. One was able to stay up and she won.

Those doesn't matter much. It was just great to get to ride. Getting know the locals and especially to learn. It's just incrediable how much you can learn in every race. It's obvious what I have to train before the worlds. The first 3 pedals. On everything else I was good. And my everday stress about that I'm too fat for BMX is stupid. The most biggest rider won all the races (expect the last) and she is also the champion for the colombia so I try to keep on eating healthy and concentrating on the fact about how I progress on track.

Colombian, probably the best team (W-elite, goal is to have W-plate in elite), invited me to join their camp during the races. They got many W-plated riders in their team and their performance was excellent! They got physiotherapist, good warm-ups together... After each round the physio check that the riders eat properly. It was really professional and at the same time it was run by the families whose kids where riding. One family got the tent there, other one brought the food, third made the social media work.. etc. Of course there was a coach. He came to say to everyone how can they make progress.. What happened. This is the normally really frustrating feeling after the race when you don't know. You don't know how could you be better, you don't know how did you do.

I would love to put up a team like this in Finland. I really do have so much bad feelings about Finnish BMX that I just would want to have this one own positive thing. If we go back to the last year World Champs episode, I would be happy to talk that thru with anyone who has something to say about it. I do think that I did eveything right, but we can talk about it also we can talk about what the other team members managed the happening. I don't need to go thru anything if no one has bad feelings about it, but I just don't want to hear the talks behind my back. Everyone knows how they get twisted. Or having situations like a person who doesn't say anything to me, but takes it to the national cycling union. My dream would be to have team like this which I followed during the past weekend in Finland. I even got the first sponsor for the group... Now the team is travelling to USA to race in Rock Hill. That's a big move, but nothing is impossible if the group works as hard as this one. So I'm calling up a riders, who want to join a hard working team and do their part of the journey too :) I think Rock Hill 2017 would be awesome goal! Contact me if interested to hear what is on my mind.

Yes, and btw. each club had their riders to travel to the races together in a bus. For the track near by my home, we had 3 buses full of riders!

Wow, World has went upside down in a one week! I haven't even cross the equator, but world -my world, has experienced quite a reversal. I have already sometimes felt constriction for social media. You got to be available all the times. I have changed, if I have a moment without anything to do, my hand slides in to my pocket. Picks up my phone and I have swipe my security code before I even realize that I have a phone in my hand. Sounds familiar? 

I don't want to live life like that. I have already made some moves to boost myself to make a change. All of those moves has improved my wellbeing. First thing I did was get out of facebook. I'm still there, but I'm not attached to it any longer. Shutting down apps from my phone, was surprisingly big thing. I still have the apps, but I have just logged out, so they don't call me with the bing-bong sounds they used to. Also when I'm with someone else, I try to avoid having the phone in my hand. Even if everyone else are scrolling, in some point they have to realize that we are actually in the same room and we could actually talk... even if I would be just sitting there and being kinda lonely without the phone.

​What this has to do with Colombia? Well I have been here one week now. All that time I have been kinda zombi because of the time difference.. In the morning when I get back from training, around 10am. I eat, take a shower... and I would be ready to go to sleep. And when I should go to sleep I'm up an ready to do some parkkour in my flat (in my flat because I have been told that it's wise to stay inside after 8pm). During my zombi life I still have been able to recognize this sad reality in Colombia. Here is people from end to the other end.. On every street is living at least some homeless. Riversides are some top spots to make a shelter. Normal person are living on tight budget, so they don't have a chance to support the people on the streets (minimum wage is around 250 USD, and you are happy if you have a job). Or of course everyone has the chance to help others if you are willing to lower your own standard of living. That's what it's all about.

I do want to point out that I haven't felt any danger here. Or course, by being stupid and showing your money, your phone, camera... you get yourself in trouble. But I don't carry too much money with me, only the amount I can handle to get stolen... I don't go to the lonely streets.. I pay attention to the people next to me. I have been eating in locals restaurants with 1,5 USD lunch and that is just delicious! 

Beside this facts, every each one of the apps in my phone feels like a nonsense. Everything what the social media is pushing on is just ridiculous. How can I scroll my phone and look those posts about transformation from fat to skinny (what is on every page..), or the new silicone buttocks that Miss X has got.. or even the newest bike part inventions.. or what ever the social media gives us. At the same time in this 4D world where we should sometimes raise the gaze, is laying down a person who hasn't got food for 2 days. Or took a shower for 2 weeks.. or 2 months! Even if the real world feels kinda ruff, I'm still gonna stick with it and be present.

What a strong feelings!

Even being a zombie, of course I have been able to train ;) This is the track of Bello, pay attention to the starting hill. I noticed already from far away how high it looked. I went up and realized that there is two gates on the same hill. It's a combination of a 8m and 5m start hills. How cool is that! :) And for a first you have a long as table, so you can fly as far as your wings takes you!!