Grand Prairie? Where's that? Well, it happens to be a suburb of Dallas, Texas, and the site of this year's X Trials. I tracked down a Dallas resident to shed a little light on what it's like in the neighborhood.

Patrick Neal is a 27-year-old with a dual life. By day, he holds a "great office-type job" that takes up most of his time during the week. But outside of the office, he's a core BMX rider who gets his kicks riding flatland as much as possible.

"I personally ride every chance I get," responds Patrick. "So, instead of driving a car to work, I jump on my 20-inch and ride back and forth to work eight miles everyday, hitting every lip, gap or 'fun spot' I can think of."

I was curious to know how the community in general felt about these bike riders on the street. So I asked him to elaborate on how people in the area responded to his, and his fellow riders', presence.

"It's always the same scenarios," he began. "There are still too many people ignorant to what BMX stunt riding is truly all about. The general public still fails to understand in most cases. The X Games sure made the skate park scene noticed and accepted, which has been great. But the other disciplines are rarely exposed and understood. There is a mixture of public opinion about riding."

Patrick mentioned that there were "bad apples" in the sport of BMX, and felt it was unfortunate that "good" riders didn't get as much credit. Yet even if some public opinion is negative, he felt that there was certainly some support as well.

"Some of the riders do leave a trail of destruction on park benches, rails and ledges, but the flip side is these youth riders are not getting into as much serious trouble, such as committing felonies or even other minor misdemeanors. They are dedicated to riding and progressing, which leaves little time for serious mischief."

This brings up the question of whether he or anyone else ever get in trouble with the law. Patrick is a veteran of Dallas for 15 years, and shared some insights on keeping your nose clean.

"Most of us riders that have been around awhile have had some small run in with either police or security guards. In most cases it's security guards. The police work with the public a little more and it's their duty serve the community. The police sometimes do cut riders some slack because they understand a little. Security guards are usually clueless and are just seeking to protect their employers or whatever other motives they might have, so they generally try to run off riders. Those of us that have been around awhile know how to avoid such situations: ride at night; don't stick in one place too long -- two or five minutes max; wax all ledges; and know where the security vehicles are."

When Patrick said that the BMX scene was "alive and kicking," I was thinking that there were many places to ride and events to see. He was actually referring to the act of riders on there bikes and performing stunts.

"The events are nice, but that's NOT the true image of most riders. We ride to try and progress, to push ourselves mentally, physically and just feel that incredible sensation of pulling off that hard trick for the first time that we've been practicing for weeks or months. I don't think there are enough events nationwide to showcase all the talent though. It's just so hard and expensive to put on an event."

"There are hot spots all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area," he continued. "I ride flatland as well. We have some specific parking lots we like to ride in. Cars drive by when there is plenty of room and all but run us over on purpose at times it seems but that doesn't stop the riding."

Patrick also had a few last words about how people respond when they see bike riders performing their tricks, and how the typical stereotype is not a true one.

"The reaction of people seeing these guys (and women) in their mid-20s and 30s riding their little bikes is a little different. When they stick around long enough to see these riders pulling off these incredible, almost impossible tricks, their tune changes a little. The little kids are fun to impress as well but we mainly ride for self-satisfaction. The problem now is with these 'posers' buying these second-rate BMX bikes (none with 4130 Cromoly, mind you) at K-mart, and it's these kids that are the one's doing the loitering. A true rider is off here and there and everywhere and has no use to stay in one spot too long."

"Riders all around are educated. Some us are studying to be lawyers, others are in engineering or the medical field and yet due to public ignorance the perception is a bunch of slackers who won't get a real job. It's a little sad, but riders are optimistic that the perception will change someday and others just don't give a hoot ? we just get on our bikes and ride. Peace!"

Patrick's insight about the Dallas BMX scene is just a portion of what life is like in the Lone Star State. Check his site out at www.bmxbums.com

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