Bicycle Stunt is on a major upswing.

"Moves that were once impossible are now being pulled every day."

[ Street ] [ Vert ] [ Flatland ]

Sport Organizer
Hoffman Promotions

Industry people are saying that "BMX is back." BMX is the term used when one is talking about 20-inch bikes as an entire sport (BMX, vert, street, dirt jumping, flatland, and park riding). Although Bicycle Stunt, or freestyle, represents only about 5 percent of the total BMX scene, it too is growing in popularity.

In the 1995 Extreme Games, there were less than 10 different bike companies represented. In 1999 it was close to 20.

More companies in the sport means more opportunity for riders to gain sponsorship, and make bike riding their career. Riders are now actually able to make a living practicing in their sport. With increased riding and training time, riders are improving at an astounding rate. The gap is getting narrower between the top riders and the up-and-comers. The 1999 Summer X Games saw several riders challenging the elite for the top spots.

The equipment has not changed drastically in the last year, but riders' abilities certainly have. Rider T.J. Lavin says, "Moves that were once impossible are now being pulled every day."

Some riders are still wearing skate helmets, but more are expected to be wearing full-face, moto-cross helmets as more difficult moves are being attempted. There is also a trend toward narrower handlebars, although Dennis McCoy and Matt Hoffman are still using wide bars, and no brakes. The riders' ability has been more of a factor in the increasing popularity of the sport than has the equipment they are using.

The culture surrounding the Bicycle Stunt scene is not quite as radical as it once was. More and more riders are coming onto the scene from all over the country and the world. The music, hairstyles and clothing reflect this diversity. With the wide range of athletes, it is hard to pinpoint any characteristic to reflect the styles of the sport.

It is no longer true that you can spot an extreme athlete by their hairstyle or the music they listen to. The sport of Bicycle Stunt has grown tremendously, with its coverage in the X Games.

No mention of the sport would be complete without mention of Matt Hoffman. He is the charismatic leader of the freestyle renaissance and the current popularity of freestyle can be traced directly to Hoffman's boldness and innovation whether it be setting up shows, organising events or leading the way on the vert ramp. After years of ruling the vert world and countless bodily injuries recent years have seen the Condor grounded -- not that a broken foot hindered his winning gold at the 1996 X Games! Philosophical bout his injuries he was qouted as saying "I'm sort of over the whole competition thing". That said and so to prove the saying "you can keep a good man down" Hoffman was back in competition taking 7th place in the vert competition in San Francisco to whoops of delight from both competitors and crowds

According to Steve Swope (of Hoffman Bikes), "Most riders are pretty happy with the products now available, and the direction the sport is headed."

Street The 1999 Summer X Games street course designers promised to make the event more homogenous to the skills of the competitors. To do so, they incorporated elements typically found in street style competitions with those found in park riding scenarios.

The two different forms available to the riders allowed them to showcase their abilities in each style, gave the public a better understanding of what is involved in street riding, and increased the level of competition between riders.

Vert The 1999 Summer X Games was the first time that "doubles vert" was staged as a competitive event. Riders ride doubles regularly in demos and shows, but there has never before been a doubles vert competition.

For riders to be able to ride double on a vert ramp, they must ride in opposite directions. They will both hit the same wall at the same time, one crossing over the top of the other or airing side-by-side. Team members must naturally ride in opposite directions, or one of the members must be able to ride switch with proficiency. This necessarily limits the team combination possibilities.

Flatland Flatland continues to stand out as the most difficult of the specialties. These riders are some of the most dedicated athletes in the X Games. They spend more than double the time perfecting their moves than do riders in the other disciplines. Flatland judging has recently placed more emphasis on originality, rather than new moves. Judges are looking for original links from move to move, and the level of creativeness a rider possesses. There is some talk of changing the competition format of flatland in the future.

Everyone involved is looking forward to seeing where this dramatic sport progresses.

Sites http://www2.hoffmanbikes.com/hbmain.html

For in-depth news and reviews on the 1999 Summer X Games go to http://espn.go.com/extreme/xgames/index.html

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