BMX rider’s bikes take flight
It’s tough to spot a BMX rider in Milledgeville or find someone who even knows what BMX riding is. Aside from the exhibitions brought by the Tour de Georgia in recent years, people round Milledgeville haven’t seen or heard much of anything about the sport.That is, until now. A group of students from around campus have come together and made an unofficial riding club that pedals around Milledgeville in search of that perfect “six-set” (set of stairs) or ledge on which to defy gravity. Patrick McAfee, Jonathan Bast, Jonathan Austin, Ryan Davis, Jaeyoung Wi and a few others could be called the official members of the unofficial BMX club
“A lot of people around town will yell and tell me to do tricks again,” said MacAfee about the reactions that people give him while riding. “We get noticed, but I don’t get as much from people around here as I do in Atlanta. Sometimes people will heckle you… some people are interested; some people make fun of you, but I don’t really let it bother me.”
Bast, spent part of his summer at Camp Woodward, a training facility for skateboarders, gymnasts, and, of course, BMX riders. The camp, in Woodward, Pa., is known worldwide and some of its instructors include Olympians and professional athletes – The X Games and other international events have been held there. “A lot of people think that we have need for an adrenaline fix, but were really out there just to have fun,” said Bast. “At this age [22 yrs.] it becomes almost a lifestyle. A lot of the guys like me, Jon, and Ryan hang out and ride bikes, and that’s what we spend our time doing.” said Austin What seems strangest to most people is seeing grown men ride bikes that look like they’ve been stolen from little kids. These bikes, however, are far from toys.
“My bike is worth around $2000, but I built it over a long period of time so it’s really not that bad,” said McAfee. BMX stands for bicycle motor cross and it essentially started from the same style of racing as Moto-Cross, except with bikes instead of motorcycles. Over time people started doing tricks over jumps; others began customizing their own bikes to do certain tricks. The two main types of riding are racing and freestyle. From these styles stem vert, racing, dirt jumping, street, and park competitions.
One thing that BMX riders and other extreme sports enthusiasts have in common is guts. Some of the tricks that regular riders perform are dangerous, but those participating often say, “It’s really not as bad as you think. I normally take a couple runs at [a jump or trick] before I do it and that shot of adrenaline right before tells me I’m ready,” said McAfee. “If the trick is something real hard I try not to think about it too much or at all, I’ll think about random stuff – ice and things like that.”
Until just a few months ago, the riders would practice their skills riding around on trails and at the skate park next to the Golden Pantry,
but the park was closed and the trails were bulldozed. Other than the campus and a couple of bank parking lots “there’s nothing really around here, it’s all in Atlanta,” said Bast. The guys do admit that it is frustrating not having a place to ride without getting harassmed, but it comes with the territory. “We basically ride around the streets of Atlanta or Milledgeville looking for a place to ride, and it’s not like people invite us to go ride on their ledges so we have to make do.” Bast said. Oftentimes, it just so happens that the perfect ledge, crevice or ramp happens to be on the other side of a locked fence and part of the excitement comes from hopping that fence and riding anyway. Some of the guys expressed their interest in the creation of a school-sponsored club. Until that become a reality, the riders will continue to roam around the city looking for other places to hone their craft.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Sep 15 2006. Filed under Features.
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