Our staff Photographer Joe Bailey came through with his 2012 round up. Joe’s year was capped off with the ‘Cover of the Year’ award at the Ride UK Reader Awards earlier this month. It featured Chris Jenner doing a table at the KFAD jam in Leeds. The King for a Day Jam is at the centre of a good year for Joe, here he explains why.

What one rider stood out in 2012?

Hmmm, that’s a real tough one. Partly because there are so many and also partly because I try not to pay too much attention to new things, although at times you have to.

I would have to say Rich Forne I guess, I didn’t know just how good he was on a bike until recently. I knew he was good because I remember his parts on the old(ish) One More Brew DVD, but that edit he put out blew my mind. It is BMX at its purist I guess, just going fast, jumping gaps all with style. That curved wallride to pocket wallride thing he done in Hull is NUTS!

But of course there are so many others like Fathead, Jambul, Tom Dugan, Joe Rich, Ruben, Dale Armstrong, Pete Sawyer, Jason Phelan the list is endless

What one event stood out for you in 2012?

I’m pretty sure the only ‘event’ I went to was the King For A Day jam in Leeds. In my opinion, it’s the best jam of the year. Full on DIY everyone is either pissed or sending themselves over fire or piles of bikes or pissed and doing both. There are no bad attitudes and it’s a belter every year. Not to mention it is in memory of Charles Prow! I’m not really big on the whole event thing anymore, I used to go to jams a lot but most of them seem shit now so I don’t bother. Although I would probably enjoy them if I went and I’m also completely wrong because I’ve not been to one in so long. I just can’t be bothered with all the showing off and/or egos… unless Fathead is there. Oh I went to the Ride reader awards party too, does that count? I was hammered at both so it’s all good.

What one moment stood out for you in 2012?

Another hard question to answer and I’m sure that I will change my mind as soon as I press send to this email.

Hmmmm, ah man it’s a tough one! Well because my brain can’t think back further than a month I guess it would have to be winning the cover of the year at the Ride Reader Awards… Not because I won it, but because what the cover stands for. It is a fairly unknown rider, at a fairly unknown jam, doing one of the oldest air tricks invented, over a bunch of shit ramps built by my mates for a friend who passed away. It just goes to show that people aren’t completely fueled by seeing the coolest people doing the latest tricks to be stoked on BMX. It isn’t all about that, in fact it is far from that because this whole ‘the next best thing’ or ‘one-up-a-trick’ mentality isn’t BMX, it isn’t what BMX is about. BMX is about getting away from all that and enjoying yourself with your friends. So yeah, my faith in BMX is almost restored, thank you!