After seeing all of this, sharing a session with ‘Rok’ a particularly special product of the environment, was eye opening to say the least. The dude absolutely shreds, X-up manuals on the reg, nosies, bars on anything and everything and basically every grind in the book, seeing him do combos I have never seen on the spine was also a real treat. He is a self-proclaimed ‘tramp’ and shreds harder than at least 40% of the sponsored riders you see today, a real Steven Hamilton kind of guy, creative and mysteriously talented. Also, the fact that he travelled around Europe for 6 months on 60 Euros with nothing but a backpack, handy cam and his bike makes him pretty much the raddest tramp of all time.
After our session, he showed me an edit he’s kept on private on Vimeo (for reasons I don’t understand) in the “Apartment” these dudes have made for themselves consisting of a lounge area, bedroom vibe and a surprisingly neat and well-done bathroom. The edit is the footage from his euro trip and is called; you guessed it, ‘Tramp Trip’.
One of the craziest things about this place is its history; the building is something that was once a bicycle factory for the countries biggest bicycle brand ‘ROG’ that was abandoned shortly after the company went bankrupt. I couldn’t think of a more fitting group of squatters to man the old ROG fort. If that isn’t what BMX is about then I am not really sure what is!
To the homies in Ljubljana, mad respect! To whoever reads this, go visit!
I wrote this story and shot these photos with the intention of encouraging the youth out there to stop going to the same places over and over again and go out and explore the random places your bike or board can take you, starting with a trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia. If your nose is tilted skywards 90% of the time, this place probably isn’t for you but if you ride/skate, love a good adventure and a slightly strange experience hit up Rok and the boys for a sesh and a place to crash. Also, if this article could generate some support for the Ljubljana scene and perhaps a hook up for the shredder Rok, I’d be more than happy. If you know of any other hidden gems like this please let me know, I would love to come hang!
– Tyrone Kelly
