Good morning!
It's been a few weeks since you last heard from me & today is already Twotone's 8th bday & the opening night for The Bicycle Film Festival!
Monday, I returned from a little over a week in the USA visiting my kids. We spent a day shredding street skate spots in Brooklyn & Manhattan, took a bus to Boston & saw both Snail Mail (my daughter Mira got to meet Lindsey, the band's singer!) & Turnstile (and my kids got to see me crowdsurf, haha!) – what a show! & spent several days with my family in New Jersey. I flew back Sunday, on my birthday. 😅 I came back to wonderful surprises from the Twotone team, Kristy, and her kids. Very grateful for all the love.
This week has been a crunch for me with catch-up from a week off but for the team as well, with a number of newsreleases in several languages going live in our newsroom.
Not to mention all the prep for our #twotoneturnseight birthday party tonight & The Bicycle Film Festival kicking off this evening as well!
The schedule for our part tonight:
- 18:00 - until late - tattoos by @paulsmoothsailingtattoo & @frankvandersman (flash options seen above!)
- 20:00 - until midnight: @funkgilde tasty vegetarian snacks!
- 21:00 - until late: DJ KING KOEN of @soulcyclebmx spinning vinyl from a double-long BMX bike
- 22:00 - the official start of @bicyclefilmfestival afterparty!
- 23:00 - local Amsterdam punk purveyors, the @asbestboys, perform live!
- 24:00 - Screening of 2006 BFF film; The Breath, in which I make multiple cameos!
If you're in or near Amsterdam, I hope to see you at the BFF throughout the weekend & at our office tonight!
Come out & celebrate Twotone turning 8!
as always, thank you for reading & sharing this newsletter,
Jon
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📷 by @paulsmoothsailingtattoo & @frankvandersman
Bicycle Film Festival Amsterdam, Dec 2-4
BFF Amsterdam Opening Night Tonight, Dec 2nd!
BFF Amsterdam is proud to present a Live Score performed by @twin.simo and @amedeopace (@blonderedheadofficial) to an adaptation to the 1974 cycling film, STARS AND WATER CARRIERS by Jørgen Leth. Accompanied by Grammy award-winner @michaelleonhart on trumpet and chamber ensemble of string players.
This classic film is about the 1973 Giro D’Italia. Ole Ritter, Eddy Merckx, and Felice Gimondi battle for the pink jersey. Blonde Redhead is one of the most influential rock bands from New York in the last three decades. Jørgen Leth is a Danish poet and film director who is considered a leading figure in experimental documentary filmmaking. Amsterdam’s IDFA has honored Leth with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
There will be a welcome reception and drinks at 6:00PM.
Performance beings 8:00PM.
This is a particularly unique live performance set to a seminal classic cycling film & is not to be missed!
Limited tickets are available here.
‘Niet de fiets, maar een universeel, menselijk verhaal maakt een goede fietsfilm’
Grateful for this great coverage of this weekend's BFF here in Amsterdam. These beautiful films are not just for hardcore cyclists!
Bicycle Film Festival – voor de derde keer – terug in Amsterdam
Thank you to Sara Luijters of Het Parool for this great interview with both Brendt Barbur of the BFF as well as Laurens ten Dam; who's film will screen Sunday evening.
Ideas
Lakeland 200: how to make off-road endurance riding more accessible
“Before we did this project, the only content that would come up if you Googled Lakeland 200 was like some really gnarly videos of male athletes going out and having a horrible, horrible time in the rain and then vowing never to return. It doesn’t have to be like that.”
Steezy Collective is trying to change off-road cycling and we're here for it!
Active Partners Leads $23 Million Funding Round In Cycling Drivetrain Innovator Classified Cycling
Congratulations to Classified for securing a $23 million funding round with London-based investment firm Active Partners!
Who are gravel bike riders?
Make all the gravel jokes you want; gravel bike sales are soaring! But where did these customers come from, and what are they buying?
A Dutch study finds out.
Friends
Fundraiser by Ryan Mekenian: FREAK BIKES
This summer, I met Ryan whiles he was pursuing his a longtime life goal: produce and direct his first feature film & had the honor to host Jimmy and his son at my home. More about the project:
When I heard that my friend Jimmy Lizama, founder of the L.A. Bicycle Kitchen and the main subject of my short film, “Spokespeople,” was taking his 12-year-old son across five countries by bike to see different bicycle-friendly places, I thought it was a fantastic story to tell — I immediately asked if I could follow them with a camera.
They said, “Yes.” So we went to Germany, Holland, Norway, Denmark, and Brussels — and had amazing conversations about solutions to climate change, making cities more green and livable, and living in the constant pursuit of one’s deepest passions.
Contribute to Operation Bailout
My friend Cem is raising 3000 euros to cover the fines of the five climate activists who organized several protests during the 2022 Tour de France
Werewolf and Run Wild! Feb 18, 2023
Cem is also organizing a self-supported, offroad adventure in the Veluwe here in the Netherlands: Follow on insta here and register here.
AMORE SENZA MOTORE Rio Basel
Our friends at Rio Basel just dropped some new shirts. Any anti-car theme with a Bibendum cameo is cool with me!
Radness
Russ Pope Studio Visit: On Skateboarding, Arting, and Bikes
Hailey Moore of The Radavist traveled to New Hampshire for a conversation with artist Russ Pope to talk art, bikes, and skateboarding. You knew I'd think this was rad!