Episode 9 Turbo Boost

The country's jam-packed full of kids with amazing,

-mind-blowing talents...

-Take one!

..and they're about to be pushed to their limits by me

-and my top team of experts and stars.

-Woo!

I'm Turbo, street dance king...

..and this is Turbo Boost...

-Awesome!

-Yay!

..where talented kids are set a tough final challenge

and just four weeks to train for it.

I'm really excited.

It's bigger than anything they've ever done

and there's no guarantee of success.

Buckle up - it's going to be bumpy ride!

Today, with the help of my superstar celebrity experts,

I'm going to boost a young boy's BMX racing dreams.

In just four weeks, can he go from riding in his back garden

to competing in a major BMX event?

Go, go, go, go, go, go, go. Come on, Thomas.

It's going to be tough and he'll be pushed to his limits.

Will he make the finish line

or will it be time out for his BMX career?

-Is that scary?

-Yeah.

Today, Turbo Boost is in London,

and I'm getting ready to surprise

12-year-old BMX racing fanatic, Thomas.

I'm going to help maximise his bike-riding talent.

Right now, Thomas is at home with his mum.

He has no idea that he's about to get Turbo Boosted.

Thomas, I'm Turbo, and you are going to be Turbo Boosted.

Oh, my!

Oh, my!

In four weeks,

you are going to be competing in the South Region BMX Championships.

-How wild does that sound?

-Ah, it feels like ultra-wow, amazing wow.

-Ready for it?

-Yeah.

-Give me some.

My name's Thomas and I'm 12 years old. This is my mum Joanne.

This is my dad Guy and this is my brother Max and he's a little clown.

I love BMX. It's like my ultimate sport.

It's exciting, it's a bit dangerous and he can go fast.

You're going to have to watch out for the people behind you and make sure

you turn the corner right and make sure you go up this bump just right.

Thomas is deaf and he wears hearing aids,

but the great thing about BMX is,

once he puts his helmet on, he's just like everyone else.

No-one else can tell you what to do because you're on a BMX. This is you.

I think he thrives on the thing that he has something which is his

and he can tell other people about.

I've done a lot of sport before but I haven't really stuck to them,

but this one, I've stuck to it

and I just feel like this is my sport, this is what I enjoy.

In BMX-ing you need a lot of strength to pull the bike up,

so you need to really build up your strength in your arms.

He falls off quite a lot, but he gets back on.

I've had a few bumps and bruises

but overall it's one of my favourite sports.

Thomas aspires to be Liam Phillips.

World champion - who better?

I want to be a BMX racer.

To win a championship race would be my ultimate goal.

I've found a heavyweight in the BMX field

and they're going to be your mentor.

-Want to see who they are?

-Yeah.

-Let's do this.

Liam Phillips is the world BMX champion

and knows everything there is to know

when it comes to winning races.

If anyone can boost Thomas's BMX skills to the max he can.

Congratulations on being Turbo Boosted.

I'm thrilled to be your mentor and I can't wait to meet you.

Right, a few words of advice before you do your first Masterclass -

you've got to practise your BMX skills,

you need to train hard and you've only got a short space of time

to brush up on both your speed and your technique before we meet.

Good luck and get working.

Oh, I'm really looking forward to...

-Excited?

-..seeing what he's going to teach me. Yeah, I'm really excited.

Thomas, your first Masterclass is in a few days' time,

so I suggest you take on Liam's advice and train really hard

and I will see you very, very soon.

-Thomas has been Turbo Boosted.

-Oh, my!

-Give me some!

In just four weeks' time he'll take to the track

and compete in his first major race at a huge BMX event.

He will have three Masterclasses

and one Mini Challenge to get him ready final race.

But will it be enough?

Let the Turbo Boost begin!

I'm meeting Thomas in Manchester at the National Cycling Centre.

-Wow!

-Thomas is amazed by the size of this Olympic track.

What do you think of this place?

-Everything's like it's been maxed out in size.

-Yeah?

And he's also impressed by the BMX rider on it...

Wow, how is that possible?

..who turns out to be his mentor, World Champion Liam Phillips.

-Nice to meet you.

-What did you think of that?

-That was really good.

-Awesome, right?

-Yeah.

Well, I'm sure you're going to get on with your Masterclass now,

so, Thomas, I'm going to leave you with Liam.

-Liam, show him the ropes, all right?

-Will do.

Before Liam gets working on Thomas's riding technique,

he needs to assess his skills.

It's a bumpy start and he soon spots a problem.

Oh, he slipped his pedal.

To become a champion BMX racer Thomas will need stamina,

speed and sharp technique to ride the bends known as berms

and the dirt jumps of a world-class circuit like this.

It's nice to see some things that are being done really well

and other things that, with a little bit of work,

we can make some good improvements.

Thomas is good, but not good enough to race at a major BMX event.

Liam instantly sees how he can improve.

Your foot actually came off pedal going over the jump into turn one,

so that's obviously a minor mistake

that certainly wouldn't help your time.

Thomas needs the correct position to stay strong on the pedals.

Slipping would lose him time in a race, unbalance him,

and even cause a crash.

You ready?

To make sure he understands pedal skills,

Liam shows him how it's done.

And pedal.

Thomas needs to pedal into the bend,

raise the inside pedal on the turn and then ride straight out.

There we go, perfect.

If you try and do that on every single corner, I'm sure we can find

maybe one or two seconds, which, in terms of a BMX race, is massive.

I'd like to see your body weight just a little bit further forward

so you can generate speed on the down ramps of the jumps.

Next, Liam shows Thomas how to use his body to gain speed.

Leaning forward on the down slope accelerates the bike.

Bodyweight nice and forward.

There we go, perfect.

For me, I think, the more time we spend on the start hill

and get you more confident

-with that, you'll make some good gains there.

-Yeah.

So let's get out there and work on the things.

To increase his speed,

Liam wants Thomas to stop using his brakes on the start hill,

but he's used them again.

It's a frustrating moment.

If Thomas is going to succeed...

-Was that scary?

-Yeah.

..he needs to forget his fears and listen to the champ.

If you just roll out the gate and then use you brake

a little bit later, a little bit later

and then hopefully you'll be using your brake

just before you get to the first jump.

That way you'll be going as fast as you can at this point

-and you're going to make up as much time as you can.

-Yeah.

He gives it another try.

Oh, yeah!

Success.

That was great. You're certainly pulling your brake later on.

It's the end of the Masterclass.

Time to find out what Liam thinks so far.

Should be really pleased with that.

The whole lap from start to finish was so much better.

Thomas's racing technique has improved,

but he's still got a long way to go,

before he competes in a huge BMX race in just four weeks.

With the biggest race of his life looming,

back at home, Thomas puts Liam's advice into practice.

He's training harder than ever.

I'm really exhausted.

My legs keep moving in circle motions like I was peddling on a bike, still.

And my legs are really aching cos I've been working hard.

I think it really helped me a lot so I think it was worth it.

World class sportsmen and women use science

and the latest technology to measure and to improve their performance.

Today it's Thomas's turn.

So, Thomas, we're here for your second Masterclass

and today's going to be all about

what it takes to be an elite athlete,

so everything to allow you to reach your full potential.

A team of top sports scientists are going to test Thomas.

And then they're going to create a plan

designed to get his body to peak fitness.

All right, Thomas, really well done, mate.

First, Sam Empey will test how much energy Thomas's legs produce

when he accelerates.

Build up the speed first with your legs

and then I want you really to drive as hard as you can for 30 seconds.

-Think you can handle that?

-Yep.

-All right, no problem.

Once he knows how powerful his legs are,

Thomas can work to improve the force he delivers to the pedals,

which will give him a quicker start

and shave seconds off his final time.

Come on, last five seconds.

Four, three, two, one...

-Well done, great stuff. Great job.

-The results are in.

Thomas has just generated 445 watts peak power,

-which would run a computer for ten hours.

-That's pretty good.

You achieved that peak power in 1.7 seconds.

That's really, really good

cos it means you can generate force really quickly.

In terms of BMX, that's really good,

cos the first two and a half seconds of the race are the most important.

With a good result in the power test

Thomas now gets a hi-tech health check.

OK, right, Thomas,

what I'd like you to do is to gently climb on

and your head's going to be at this end

and I want you to lie on your back for us.

Relax your shoulders...

Dr Lee Graves is using a specialist X-ray machine

to see whether Thomas's body has got what it takes

to compete at a high level,

by measuring his bone density and body fat.

This is your skeleton, so from this scan we can look at how much muscle

and fat you've got and how much bone you've got in your whole body.

Dr Graves discusses his results.

So we can see from your scan that your fat level is 19%

so we can see from this that that puts you

in what we call the normal range for body fat.

OK? So that's good.

What we've also got from this scan

that we did is an indication of your bone health,

so your bone health is average for your age, which is good.

-But it can always get better, can't it?

-Yeah.

To improve your bone health, you can do exercises,

for example that are weight-bearing, so lots of skipping,

things like press-ups, so you can have this to take home

and when you're an elite athlete at the Olympics

we can compare how your progress has changed.

Using all the data collected, sports coach Carl Langan-Evans

has got some important homework for Thomas.

What we're going to do is show you some exercises and we've got

a really simple plan that you can take home and use and try

and improve your performance for your next competition.

Three, two, one, go.

These exercises will boost Thomas's agility,

muscles and power.

-And stop.

-So next one we're going to do is called criss-crosses.

Excellent, good. This is the real power exercise now.

This is the one that's going to give us the real power on the bike.

Bend down and tuck our knees up, OK?

-Good, one...

-Thomas is working hard.

He's determined to improve his physical performance.

When you're on the bike, I think

that'll be one that will certainly give you some good gains.

If you stick to this plan over the next few weeks

and train really hard and take care of your nutrition,

you should do well in your Final Challenge, so there you go.

Good luck!

With the training plan in place, he gets exercising.

I've been doing my exercises every day.

I learned that I can do certain exercises

that will help me get better.

It's not just on the bike, it's off the bike.

Over the last two weeks, Thomas's BMX skills have been Turbo Boosted.

Good job.

He's had a taste of the speed and techniques

that are needed to become a top BMX-er.

This is the real power exercise.

But he's still got a lot of work to do

if he's going to pull his big BMX challenge out of the bag.

Today I'm in London at this massive BMX track

and Thomas is about to meet another elite athlete,

but this time, though, he's going to be in direct competition with him.

I've designed a Mini Challenge that is going to test Thomas

to his limits, but don't worry - it'll be a fair competition.

And it's here at this 350-metre professional-standard BMX track

in London where Thomas will race his final challenge in just two weeks.

So today I really want to put him through his paces

and I've asked another champion to help me.

Thomas, my bro, you are here to meet Iwan Thomas.

He's a champion sprinter, but he also used to be a BMX racer as well.

How are you doing? All right?

I'm Iwan, nice to meet you. We're going to have a challenge today, OK?

It's called a Turbo Tri. Three events.

We're going to cycle, we're going to run, and we're going to skip.

-And the winner will be the first to finish. Up for it?

-Yeah.

-Let's go.

Iwan Thomas an Olympic 400-metre silver medallist

who has also won Commonwealth, World and European medals.

So he knows what it's like to face

competition at the highest level.

He's the perfect person to boost Thomas's competitive streak.

I'm older than you, I'm stronger than you and I'm also a runner

so we've got some running to do afterwards,

so I think I should give you 15-second head start.

I think that's fair. I don't like to lose but I know you're good, OK?

-So 15 seconds, fair?

-Yeah.

-But do remember, I'm chasing you down, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Fair race?

-15 seconds.

-You ready for it?

-Yeah.

-You ready for it?

-I think so.

-Brilliant.

I'm going to be using this to egg you guys on.

Let's do this!

I've not come here with sympathy cos he's a 12-year-old boy.

I want it to be a real man's race, so 15 seconds, game on.

I'm a bit nervous, cos maybe he could overtake me,

but I think I'll probably be able to keep the speed going.

This Turbo Triathlon will test Thomas's speed, strength

and agility as he rides, runs and skips his way to the finish line.

Good luck, yeah?

Don't forget - I'm coming for you.

Watch your back.

STARTING HOOTER

Thomas's start looks good.

Let's go, Thomas!

He's pedalling hard.

And 15 seconds later, Iwan starts the race.

Keep pushing, keep pushing.

Thomas's feet are tight on his pedals

and he's leaning forward over the jumps.

Get them pumps working nice!

Iwan's hot on his heels.

Go on, Tom!

Thomas is in the lead but Olympic sprinter Iwan is closing in on him.

He really needs to dig deep if he's going to win.

That's it!

Go!

It's straight off the bike and into the sprint,

Iwan's specialist discipline.

Way ahead of you.

Let's go, Thomas. Get that skipping. Skip!

Skip! Skip!

Skip! Skip!

Boom! We have us a winner!

He's done it!

-Our champion...

-Well done.

-..is Thomas.

Oh!

Today, Thomas beat Iwan and achieved

a personal best time of 59 seconds on this BMX track.

Iwan is a former BMX champ

and has some top tips to help Thomas keep winning.

What we should work on is your speed,

your explosive power, so when this gate goes you want to be thinking

for ten seconds, I need to pump my legs as quick as I can

cos as quick as your legs go, the wheels will go quick, OK?

You want to concentrate and on that gate dropping,

literally hammering it as fast as you can to that first jump.

-You ready to have a go?

-Yeah.

-Really think about explosive power.

It's like an athlete.

When they hear that starting gun go, they sprint really quick.

It's the same with a bike.

You need to get those little legs firing really quickly,

so really think about power, power, power just to that first bump.

Push, push, push, push, push! That's good!

That was good, Thomas.

Remember, it's all about the start.

If you can get away quick, you're going to put the rest of the them

under pressure cos they think, "Cor, he's quick."

All right?

And now he's set himself a personal goal.

His fastest time today was 59 seconds.

Thomas wants to smash that,

but he's only got two weeks to make that happen.

Today I was with Iwan Thomas on the track that I'll be racing on.

He taught me that when coming off the start hill

to peddle really, really hard

cos in about the first ten seconds

that's when you want to put the most energy into it.

I completed the track in 59 seconds.

And maybe, by the end of the Big Challenge and everything,

get at least 58 seconds.

Today I've told Thomas to leave his bike at home and meet me here

at a climbing centre in London, but he has no idea why.

Thomas, bro, this is your final Masterclass.

Rock climbing and BMX-ing might seem worlds apart,

but climbing demands the same core skills that Thomas needs

to succeed in his final bike challenge.

Right, this is going to help you out with strength, balance,

and your ability to plan ahead, and because there are no harnesses...

Yes, no harnesses.

..Josh is going to help you out.

-Hi, I'm Josh.

-Ready?

-Yeah.

What we're going to do

is start introducing a few elements that are very climbing-specific,

but you being a BMX-er and having strong legs

should translate quite well.

With that in mind, what you want to do is be more concerned

with this foothold than this handhold,

so rather than pulling really hard,

you want to lean over onto this foot and step up with your legs.

Now it's time for Thomas to get climbing.

So, soon as you're off the ground,

try and concentrate on that next foothold,

so you've got one right by your right knee, just here, mate.

In climbing, just like in BMX-ing,

strength and power comes from your legs.

-That's it.

-Thomas is having trouble getting his footing.

It takes a while to work out how you can use your legs,

but once you can, you kind of shoot ahead.

That's it, cool.

Now you've got that one, you can bring your right foot back up.

Go on, there you go.

Push it up, same one. Boom.

Thomas quickly conquers the first wall,

but it's only the beginning.

Now things start getting a little bit harder.

More to think about, but the same applies.

That's the fundamentals of good climbing technique,

using your legs as much as you can.

Josh ups the stakes.

So this is this black one here. Starts off a little bit overhanging.

You've got these nice big holes here,

then it ends up on a very, very shallow slat,

so it's all about friction and gently moving around on your legs.

This wall is going to be a tough climb.

Thomas will have to use all his body strength to manoeuvre around

a daunting overhang.

This is where the power... You've really got to pull.

Do it all in one big movement.

Yes, that's it! Now you've got a foothold down here.

He's struggling, but he refuses to give up.

Well done, you've done it.

Nice, well done, give me some.

The hardest part was probably here because you cannot see over.

Once I got up there, it's really easy to see my route

so I can just reach the final bit.

You did really well. It's not easy. Well done.

So far, Thomas has dug deep for strength, balance and determination.

But now, Josh has the ultimate challenge.

This is using everything we have learned so far.

Try and spot all the holes on the wall.

Think about the hard bits,

try and think which bits are going to be the most physical.

If you can anticipate that, you will be better off.

Despite the difficulty, Thomas attacks the wall.

Sweet.

-But halfway up, he slips.

-Push it up.

You've still got it, you still got it.

With all his strength, Thomas regains his grip.

Both hands. Up.

His physical and mental strength has seen him through.

There was a point when you were hanging off two or three times.

What I liked was you didn't give up.

"I'm not going to let go, I'm going to keep on going."

Did you feel a sense of achievement when you finally made it to the top?

This is the strength Thomas needs to succeed in his first major BMX race.

Over the past four weeks, I have super-sized Thomas's BMX ambitions.

-You are going to be Turbo Boosted.

-Oh, my!

He has gone from riding in his back garden to race

ready for a major regional BMX event.

With training and advice from some of the best in the business.

Halfway there, come on.

Can he pull it all together to have the race of his life

and beat his personal best track time of 59 seconds?

Remember, it is all about the start.

It'll be quite hard.

Just got to build my skills that I have learnt from Liam,

that I've learned from the rock climbing and training as well.

To use that on the actual day.

I am quite nervous about doing this race because it is a big race

and I just hope it all goes well because I have put in a lot.

It's here, the day of Thomas's final BMX challenge in south London.

He is about to race in the biggest bike event of his life.

Last time he was here, he pulled off a personal best time of 59 seconds.

Today, with his whole family watching,

he is aiming to smash that time.

This is where the last four weeks of training

and hard work will be put to the test.

It is going to be tough.

How are you doing? Give me some.

So you're finally here, it is your big day. How you feeling?

I'm good, I am excited but I'm looking forward to racing now.

What's your training been like, what've you been practising?

It has been pretty intensive.

I was practising here yesterday and last Saturday.

So I have been getting some good practice, learning the track,

seeing the best way, planning ahead. So, yes, it's been good.

-Are you ready to Turbo Boost this whole track?

-Yes.

As one of the biggest racing days of the British BMX calendar begins,

hundreds of young riders get ready to race.

But before Thomas is called up for his big race,

I have got one last Turbo Boost for him.

Hi, Thomas, I just want to wish you the best of luck

ahead of your final challenge.

Unfortunately I am not going to be there, but I just want you to

put into practice everything that I taught you throughout.

I just want to wish you the best of luck.

How does that message make you feel?

That message was really good, a self-esteem boost.

It made me feel a lot better.

I was nervous but now they have all been flushed away.

Your Turbo Boost surprises are not over.

I have got one more thing to give to you, bro.

-How does that look?

-Really good.

Something you can definitely wear when you're riding?

-Yeah, I like it.

-I like it, I have got one for myself.

The championship has started.

In just a few minutes,

Thomas will take his place in the first major BMX race of his career.

Good luck.

And remember, don't look round till you're over the finish line.

OK, go for it.

Seconds ago, the elite riders were on this track.

Now it is time for Thomas. This is it. He takes his position.

-ANNOUNCER:

-We have got some of the top boys here.

Thomas really wants to do well.

He has got strong competition,

with seven other young BMX riders raring to go.

He looks nervous. So do Mum and Dad. His feet are firmly on the pedals.

The gate is about to drop.

-It's an explosive start.

-Go on, Thomas!

-Thomas is pedalling hard.

His balance is perfect over the jumps.

-Not a bad start, actually.

-Go on, Thomas!

He is through the first bend well and on to the middle straight.

Go on, Tom, push it, mate.

As he approaches halfway,

he lifts his inside pedal high on the bend, great technique.

-Go on, Thomas. See if you can catch him.

-He is flying around this track.

Using all his strength and power, he crosses the finishing line.

It is a brilliant ride. Thomas had the ride of his life.

He didn't win, but he did smash his own best time.

-So how do you feel the race went?

-Really, really good.

I think the start, it was like probably the best part of it.

-How do you think your brother did?

-Good.

-Are you proud of him?

-Better than I thought!

THEY LAUGH

You went round in 54 seconds. That is a five second difference.

That's massive. You are the official Turbo Boost winner.

THEY CHEER

I think the best achievement is probably beating my time,

getting 54 seconds.

Shaving five seconds, that is a massive difference in BMX.

I have been well and truly Turbo Boosted.

Today has been absolutely amazing and I have worked incredibly hard.

Thomas has had the challenge of his life.

He did great today and smashed his personal best. My work here is done.

Thomas has been Turbo Boosted to the max.

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