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A video part around a virus.
Photos by Fred Murray and Dave Sowerby.
Best laid plans and all that! At the start of last year in what now seems like a lifetime ago, Alex Donnachie began filming with Dave Sowerby for a promo for his special edition ALVX-1000 AF frame that was dropping in April 2020. But the world it seemed had other plans! What began as a frame promo turned into a year of filming in-between lockdowns culminating in a video that would turn out to be one of the most technically progressive parts Alex has committed to the small screen to date. For this new installment in our 'quarantales' article series, Dave and Alex sat down to chat about how last year played out and how Alex's newest BSD video, "LET GO", came to be...
Dave: Your new 'Let Go' BSD edit just dropped. Congrats on that. Although that video started out as something altogether different.
Alex: Thanks. Yeah, well the original plan was to make a frame promo for the limited edition VX colourway, it was going to be two trips, one to Tenerife in January and one to Cyprus in March last year.
Dave: But then the world went into lockdown! Haha...
Alex: Yeah we managed to get the first trip to Tenerife done OK, but then as soon as the lockdown hit we were not allowed to travel so couldn’t make it to Cyprus for the second trip to finish the video.
<3 Santa Cruz
Tenerife crew.
Dave: So with no travelling abroad and it being the tail end of winter at home in Scotland there was no way to finish the video in time for it to be the promo for your special edition frame.
Alex: Yeah, filming just like everything else had to be put on hold for a while as the global pandemic went on so I just had to wait for restrictions to ease off and figure out what to do from there...
VX meets...
...ALVX
Dave: So eventually lockdown at home eased a bit last summer, the weather improved and you decided to spend time filming locally and add that to what we'd already filmed in Tenerife to finish some sort of video. Although the weather's not always great, Glasgow's not a bad place to be stuck when it comes to riding spots.
Alex: Thankfully Glasgow has plenty of fun spots to ride which I haven’t had the chance to hit in quite a few years due to normally being away in the summer. So yeah, once lockdown eased a bit last year even though we couldn't travel it was refreshing to have the chance to properly focus on riding Glasgow again after so many years.
Dave: Did the city being less busy help with riding and filming at all?
Alex: The city centre streets were empty all through the summer, that was one advantage to the lockdown restrictions. It was a nice change, it meant we could ride some spots which were normally way too busy. There is a cool rail at the reception to an EasyHotel which would normally always be open and would be an instant bust. I also managed to get to ride the skinny quarter in the middle of town for just long enough to get a line filmed before the security came out.
Dave: What was one of the hardest clips to get?
Alex: I think the ledge line at Riverside museum took the longest. I would try it for like an hour then my shoulder would hurt too much so would have to wait a week to recover to try it again! Haha. But with the museum being closed all summer it was rideable any day of the week so way easier to go back for more tries.
Checking clips
No glitches?...
Dave: Tell us about your Glasgow trick list.
Alex: I have a list of spots on my phone with all the things I wish I could do at them haha. If it was printed out it would be about 8 pages I think!
Dave: Were there any that got away?
Alex: Yes a few that I would’ve liked to get, mainly a pegs ice on a rail that the weather ruined any chance of getting it done as it was always too wet on the days there were no cars parked in the way.
Dave: Do you think the 'Let Go' video would have turned out differently if lockdown hadnt happened? If so in what way?
Alex: It would have been a lot sunnier in all the clips and the video would’ve been out a year earlier haha.
Dave: As you've not had the chance to travel to ride through 2020, what did you get up to on the bike over the last year instead?
Alex: When the weather has let us we have been riding street locally but mostly riding the indoor skatepark, The Loading Bay, as it is wet a lot of days in this country.
Dave: You are lucky to get to travel for comps and video trips a lot, what have you missed about travelling abroad the most?
Alex: I miss all the joking and messing around on trips the most and seeing everyone you normally meet on trips, seems like it’s been so long...
Cruising Glasgow
Standard definition.
Dave: Once the world gets moving again are there any places you are keen to get back to or visit for the first time?
Alex: First off it’s straight to anywhere that is warm! After a long Scottish winter I've forgot what it's like to ride in a warm place. After that, to anywhere new, love exploring new cities...
Dave: Any last words I guess?
Alex: Never let go!. Haha.
