T E C H

X Games RAW
 

Video Highlights
 

In-Motion Video
 

360° Tour
 

Take-A-Run
BMX Qualifying
EXPN.com

Dirt
-Top 3 riders from the 1999 NBL Dirt Circuit year-end standings who are not qualified
-Top 5 riders from the 1999 X Games who were not previously qualified
-Top 5 riders from the 2000 CFB Year-end point standings who were previously unqualified
-Top 2 riders from the 2000 CFB round 3 who were previously unqualified
-One rider from a TBD European event
-Special invite reserved for kick A#!s riding

Vert, Street, and Flat
-Top 5 riders from the 1999 Bicycle Stunt Series year-end Standings
-Top 3 riders from the 1999 X Games who were previously unqualified
-2000 BSS Round III/ X Trials top 2 riders who were previously unqualified
-2000 BSS Round IV Finals/ X Trials top 2 riders who were previously unqualified
-The top 4 riders from the 2000 Bicycle Stunt Series year-end Standings who were previously unqualified
-1 rider from a TBD European event
-1 rider from from the 2000 World Championships who were previously unqualified
-1 special invite reserved for kick A#!s riding


Hoffman Promotions Biography

Anywhere you go within the Bicycle Freestyle scene, the name Mat Hoffman is bound to come up sooner or later. He is, without question, one of the greatest vert-ramp rider in the history of the sport. This fact is completely uncontested among his peers, and his unparalleled accomplishments as a rider have only been equaled by his own successes in the world of business.

Mat, nicknamed "Condor", was born and raised in the Oklahoma City area during the early seventies. Even as a young boy, he always had a taste for the daring and a knack for the unconventional. He always felt challenged by the things others told him he couldn't do. The early development of this attitude, coupled with the strong support of his family and friends, are reasons largely responsible for his many successes in life.

As a rider, Mat entered the Bicycle Freestyle circuit as an amateur at the young age of thirteen. It didn't take long, however, for him to gain complete control of the amateur class. After dominating the amateur class for only three short years, Mat chose to make the leap to the pro ranks. At age 16, he was the youngest pro the sport had ever seen. An article in Ride magazine wrote, "What's left to say about a guy who ignored all established limits and redefined vert riding - at age fifteen?"

By 1991, Mat Hoffman had already conquered the amateurs, owned the pro division, and had brought the sport to new heights never thought reachable before. Something still lacked though, and frustrated at having someone else in the driver's seat of his career, Mat left his primary sponsor and began his own promotion company, Hoffman Promotions. He purchased a Peterbuilt semi and designed and built a portable vert ramp to be pulled behind it. He then put together a team of the best riders Bicycle Freestyle had to offer, most of whom still ride for Hoffman Bikes, and began setting up his own show tours as the Sprocket Jockey Bicycle Stunt Team. The Sprocket Jockeys are still touring the countryside to this day, and are considered to be the best Bicycle Freestyle road show in the business, adding more show dates to their busy schedule every year.

The success of the Sprocket Jockey's would not prove to be enough for the enthusiastic young entrepreneur. Just one short year after starting Hoffman Promotions, Mat decided to design and build his own bike. He was going through bikes by the dozens. His skill level had surpassed the technology and design of that time. He needed a bike that could stand up to the rigorous pounding delivered by the world's best Bicycle Freestyle riders on a daily basis. This would become his second business, Hoffman Bikes. Mat designed the bike to his own personal specifications and had it built by a firm on the west coast. This union did not last long, however, as the frame builder could not meet the demands of an eager public who anxiously awaited the arrival of the new Hoffman Bikes Condor model. Enter Mat's third business venture, Hoffman Manufacturing.

In order to capitalize on all of it's enormous exposure, Hoffman Bikes recruited the highest quality manufacturers in Taiwan to produce it's bikes and accessories, giving them the long awaited supply needed to meet the ever-growing demand for their products. The increased supply forced a move to a facility over twice the original size to accommodate the increased sales and distribution. Hoffman Bikes are sold in every major market in the world. The newest model to be added to the roster of Hoffman Bikes' award-winning bicycles is one Mat is probably most proud of. If you asked Mat to make a list of who the most influential people in his life have been, one name that stands at the top, in regards to his influence on Mat's riding and determination, is nothing short of pure Evel. Evel Knievel that is, the greatest stuntman to ever dawn a two-wheeled vehicle. Now, in honor of Evel's lifetime of achievements, Hoffman Bikes has been granted the privilege to manufacture a signature series bicycle worthy of flying the Evel Knievel banner. Designed primarily as a jumper, this bike is run in limited production numbers each year, and each year's run will commemorate a different milestone in Evel's career. Events such as his infamous fountain jump, and his courageous attempt at the Snake River Canyon are only some of the death defying feats to be celebrated by Hoffman Bikes' newest model.

All of these experiences could easily fill a lifetime for most people. For Mat Hoffman, however, it was all accomplished by the age of twenty. A few years ago, he was simply the best athlete in his sport. Today, he remains the pinnacle of Bicycle Freestyle, and his name now rings synonymously with successful business practice. Mat credits his good fortune to surrounding himself with people who all share in the same ideals. All of the employees working under his umbrella of corporations are presently riders themselves. Having this type of crew and their countless years of experience on hand has proven to be just one more beneficial link in the ever-strengthening chain that is the Hoffman Bikes family.

Mat has done more for the sport of Bicycle Freestyle as an individual than most of its larger companies will ever do. Hoffman Promotions is responsible for some of the largest and most prestigious competitions and shows in the world. Mat has exceeded his own limitation on more than one occasion in order to help promote the sport as well as spark new interest. He began a contest series (Bicycle Stunt Contest) to give riders everywhere a place to compete and showcase their talents to the world. 2000 will be the ninth consecutive year of competition production for Mat. Each individual contest hosts as many as 360 competitors from twenty different countries around the globe. The Bicycle Stunt Series is considered to be "the" sanctioning body for Bicycle Freestyle. The enormous success of the B.S. Contest Series inevitably attracted the attention of sports media giant ESPN who joined forces with Hoffman Promotions in 1995 to produce and televise the series each year. The broadcast events go out to over thirty-five million viewers around the world in more than 177 different

countries. Hoffman Promotions is also the organizing body for ESPN's highly coveted X Games. Mat and his team were also selected to take part in the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA in a production called "Sport as Art". As Mat continually takes the venue of bike competition to new levels he saw fit to design another contest series deemed the Crazy Freakin' Biker series (CFB). The new CFB series was created because of the ever-increasing number of riders within the sport. The CFB contests will provide Amateurs and Pros a venue in which they can compete, and advance to the B.S series, which is the qualifying series for the X Games. Not only will Hoffman Promotions promote, organize, and host these two series, but they also organize the "Vans Triple Crown of BMX", a three event BMX race series spread out over the US; the bicycle stunt portion of the Soul Bowl in Hermosa Beach; the "Alp Challenge" which took place in Innsbruck, Austria; and last but not least "Freestyle.ch.00" which will be hosted in Zurich, Switzerland. All events in which Hoffman Promotions are involved are highly recognized and regarded prominent contests in Bicycle Stunt.

The Hoffman Bikes line has also been immortalized in the form of Flix Trix finger bikes. These miniature, finger-operated replicas of the full-size Freestyle bikes are the top sellers in their field by leaps and bounds. This year Mat will also be releasing an action figure in collaboration with finger bikes producer, Flix Trix. In addition, Mat has partnered with Activision to produce Mat Hoffman Pro BMX video game. Activision is the same company that produces Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Mat's game will feature some of the sport's top riders; it becomes available around Thanksgiving.

Mat has produced and directed several television series for ESPN including Kids in the Way, HBtv, and most recently the televised CFB contest. The shows air on ESPN nationally, as well as on Eurosport television worldwide. The shows focus on alternative sports as a way of life, and also touch on the undeniable effects of the music and personalities that laid the foundation and continue to shape alternative sports and athletes today.

Despite numerous injuries and all the new business projects that Mat is currently involved in he still came back into the contest circuit and is constantly pushing the sport to new levels. Within the first few months of his return he worked his way back up to the top and recently earned both the Bicycle Stunt Series and the CFB series year-end titles in vert. This come back he said was one of the hardest of his career. The SBA's Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 1995 definitely has his hands full. These hands continue to prove themselves capable time after time, though, and always seem to lead him in the direction of success. Only Mat himself knows what's in store for the company.

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San Francisco, CA / August 2000
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