Back in the early to mid-80s, BMX freestyle was still somewhat of a new thing. Companies were in a race to invent and create components that could turn the average BMX bike into a full-blown freestyle bike. In a short period of time in addition to standing platforms built into frames, forks, and handlebars, a number of components that were more on the side of gimmicks and gadgets were released into the BMX scene for consumption. Almost every company came out with an odd invention or two or at least a variation of something already being done. Flip-up fork standers, frame stands, screw-on pegs, flip-up pegs, frame extenders, bar extenders, Buff guards which protected your foot from the backside of the fork, seats where you clicked a button, and the nose of the seat extended, brake guards, locking brake levers, and the Potts mod, which allowed you to run the front brake cable through the center of the stem bolt, and into your fork. Within a few years, the sport of BMX freestyle went through several extreme changes, including the difficulty of tricks, the quality, and design of the bikes, and the disappearance of almost all of the unimportant and mostly unnecessary gimmicky components. Enter veteran flatland rider Chad Johnston. Chad's always pushed the bounds of reality and progression with his riding. It's hard to believe that someone who rode during the 80s would currently be brakeless and pegless as a flatland rider. That's exactly what Chad has done for the past going on 14 years. Removing your brakes and pegs certainly doesn't make things easier, but Chad enjoys the challenge with his less is more approach and has put out several video parts to further prove his skill level and creativity. We caught up with Chad and talked about how he got into BMX, the first time he saw flatland up close and personal, being featured in the BMX Plus 101 Freestyle Tricks Part 2 video, how the inTRIKat name came about, making some of the most iconic flatland videos of all time, taking off his pegs in 2007, he and his wife Amy starring in a music video, his signature S&M frame, bars, and stem... his relationship with Chris Moeller, approaching age 50, and what he's doing now... So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know the man behind the inTRIKat plan... Chad Johnston!

Space Brothers Podcast

Episode 43 - Chad Johnston

Back in the mid-80s, there was one trick that was considered crazier than all the rest, and that trick was the 900... Mike Dominguez, Brian Blyther, Dave Voelker, and many other talented riders came close but to no avail... and then... in 1989 at a 2 Hip King Of Vert Contest in Canada... a young Mat Hoffman pulled off the unthinkable, which sent shockwaves through the BMX industry. Again it was proof that a once thought to be impossible trick could be accomplished. Up next and closely behind to complete the 2 1/2 rotation aerial were Dennis McCoy and Jay Miron... As flips and flairs became the new trend in the early 90s, spinning 900s became mostly an afterthought for years to come, simply because of the risk of serious injury. BMX freestyle had become almost as big in the UK in the 80s, as it was in the United States... oddly enough, the ramp scene exploded with some amazing talent, and very quickly some of the best vert riders were no longer just from the US. Along came the eventual master of the 900 from Liverpool UK, Simon Tabron. Simon pulled his first-ever 900 at the World Championships back in 1991 in Aalborg Denmark. Unlike the majority of vert riders, Simon was drawn to the trick and seemingly gave it a try, at or near the end of almost every one of his contest runs at X Games, Dew Tours, and other major contests around the globe. Simon was somehow able to make this monumental and dangerous trick which claimed so many injuries, consistent... but not without eventual consequence. In fact, Simon quite possibly has dealt with more pain and injuries from the 900 gone wrong, than any other rider. Even though Simon wasn't the first rider to pull it off, his name is certainly synonymous with the 900. We caught up with Simon and asked him about the early UK BMX scene, his relationship with fellow vert rider Scott Carrol, his first time competing against Jamie Bestwick, the impact Mat Hoffman had on his life, what classic vert trick he still wants to learn, pulling 900s consistently, riding with some of skateboard vert's biggest legends, being one of the top BMX vert competitors for over 20 years, his reason for taking off his pegs and brakes, serious injuries with the 900, and does he see himself competing in BMX vert in the future. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know UK BMX vert legend... master of the 900... Simon Tabron.

Episode 42 - Simon Tabron

When I think of mid 80s BMX and heavy metal, one rider comes to mind and that's Dizz Hicks! His style was symbolic of the era... He rode it all, flatland, quarter pipe, and short ramp aka a wedge ramp. Dizz is one of the most well known and electrifying riders to ever touch a BMX bike. While Dizz created the first ever upside down flatland tricks which were way ahead of their time and could bust a respectable 7-8 feet on the quarter pipe consistently, he became most known for riding the short ramp. During the summers of 1985 through 1987, Dizz traveled with his sponsor CW Bikes and hit up bike shops across the country rocking his heavy metal style, extreme raditude, high speed flatland tricks, and super tweaked kick turn variations. In fact, the CW shows were probably the only BMX shows where the audience piled up behind the short ramp, so they could get a closer look. During his time on summer tour, he'd spend no less than 10 minutes per show riding a ramp, that most others struggled to ride at all. BMX fans loved to watch Dizz and they couldn't get enough! He extended tricks and stretched his body beyond belief and gave photographers plenty of time to snap some of the coolest pictures in BMX history. We caught up with Dizz via Skype and asked him about his early BMX career, the first time he saw freestyle, building his first wedge ramp, riding for the Gork Trick Team, his heavy metal persona, creating upside down flatland tricks, riding and partying on the CW summer tours, vanishing from the sport, dealing with addiction, getting back on his BMX bike in 2009 for an art show, getting inducted into the BMX Hall Of Fame, and what he's doing now. The fact is, there's never been another rider like Dizz in BMX.... and there probably never will be! So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know the man, the myth, the BMX legend, King of the short ramp... Dizz Hicks!

Episode 41 - Dizz Hicks

Rob Nolli has been one of the biggest names in BMX freestyle for well over 25 years. He's one of the best all-around BMX freestyle riders to ever do it winning flatland, dirt, and park contests as well as finishing in the top ten at several major vert contests. There was a time when Rob was a threat to win any contest he entered regardless of who the other riders were. Rob was a top competitor in comps like the X Games, ESPN X Trials and B3 events, the NBC Sports Gravity Games, and Dew Tour for years, while simultaneously being one of the busiest show riders in the sport. Working for GT Bicycles Rob performed thousands of demos including NBA and NFL halftime shows, fairs, and bike shops in all 50 states AND around the globe. I was lucky enough to announce a ton of shows with Rob throughout the years and he always put forth a solid effort every time he was on his bike, leaving the crowd wanting more. Now in his mid-40s... Rob owns his own BMX show company called the BMX TRICKSTARS and makes a living putting on demos at schools and special events. When it comes to BMX, Rob is one of the busiest people I know but we were lucky enough to catch up with him at the Master Blaster Planet studios and ask him about growing up in Vermont, the first trick he got known for, working at Disney World, riding for GT Bicycles, overcoming his biggest obstacle to put on a show, winning the bronze medal at the 96 X Games, starting his own show team, current tricks he did 20 years ago, and his recent health scare that kept him off his bike for the last 6 months. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know a FL BMX legend we've come to know, as "Super Rob"... Rob Nolli.

Episode 40 - Rob Nolli

Catfish... aka Zack Yankush... One of the most controversial people in the history of BMX. He's a jack of all trades and a master of many. He's announced major contests like the X Games and Dew Tour, done demos for Nitro Circus, had a tv show called Strangers In Danger, and co-hosted The Come Up podcast... he's been an announcer at nearly every single major BMX event in recent years, and he continues to announce contests around the globe. Zach started riding in 1985 and has a deep history in BMX freestyle. He's super passionate about BMX, and always has something on his mind to talk about when it comes to the behind the scenes aspect of the sport. Over the past several years he's become known more for his opinions off his bike, than on it. Zack isn't afraid to call out anyone or anything if he doesn't agree with something. We caught up with Zack and asked him if he looked at himself as a controversial symbol in BMX, his roots in the Ohio scene, how he got started announcing BMX events, the craziest thing he's ever seen while announcing a major contest, the time he pulled a triple decade in a show, working for DK Bikes, announcing the Bikes Over Baghdad tour, and being a co-host on the tv show, Strangers In Danger. We also covered a few controversial topics which have been on Zach's radar recently and gave him a chance to explain his side. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know one of the biggest voices in BMX... It's Catfish... Zack Yankush

Episode 39 - Catfish

When I think of the X Games and BMX legends, it doesn't take long to get to the name Chad Kagy. Chad was a force in BMX Park, Dirt, Vert, and Big Air and always a threat to win any contest he entered. He was also a rider you looked forward to watching because you never knew if he'd pull something out of his bag of tricks that nobody had ever seen before. Chad grew up in Northern California which had always been a hotbed for BMX talent. Seemingly every generation of Freestyle has seen a high level of riding come out of that part of the United States. From back in the early 80s with one of BMX freestyle's first crazy guys Hugo Gonzalez, to the Curb Dogs with Dave Vanderspek and Maurice Meyer, followed by Mike Kranaich, and flatland legend Pete Brandt. The 90s were no different... In addition to Kagy were Norcal shredders like Ryan Nyquist, Cameron Birdwell, and Joey Garcia who burst onto the scene pushing each other's skills while taking major contests by storm, at a time when the X Games and BMX on tv were exploding! As Chad got older his focus shifted predominately to BMX Vert and Big Air, pushing both events to new levels of craziness, while stocking up on even more X Games medals including a gold in BMX Vert, and 3 gold medals in BMX Big Air. Chad went on to become one of the biggest names in X Games history winning a total of 15 X Games medals. Eventually, a number of serious injuries would take their toll on Chad's body long term... with marriage and eventually having a kid, he decided it was time to call an end to his competition career. We hit up Chad via Skype and got the lowdown on how he started riding BMX, the NorCal scene and some of its history, winning the Bronze medal at X Games for BMX Park back in 99, how he made the decision to ride vert, moving to Woodward to train with the best riders in the world, blasting the 27 foot tall Big Air quarterpipe, his relationship with Kevin Robinson, being a part of Nitro Circus, doing the Bikes Over Baghdad Tour, and the injuries that brought an end to his X Games career. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know a true X Games BMX legend... Chad Kagy.

Episode 38 - Chad Kagy

BMX Flatland contests go back to the early days of BMX. While contests aren't for everyone, they bring a community of like-minded people together for a common interest. VooDoo Jam is the premiere American BMX flatland contest held in New Orleans Louisiana. It brings not only riders from around the United States.... but some of the best riders from all over the world. The main man behind the plan is life long flatlander, Scott O'Brien. Like many old school riders Scott competed in the AFA, also known as the American Freestyle Association. Their national contest circuit was known as the "Masters" which were famous in the mid to late 80s. The Masters comps were a chance to see your favorite factory sponsored riders, compete against them, and maybe even beat them while making a name for yourself... if you were good enough. It's also where you heard new music, saw the latest tricks invented, and could see the most current trends. This was arguably the most exciting time in flatland with over 200 riders competing in some expert classes. Back then there was no internet, very few videos available, and the magazines would take 2-3 months just to post photos and placings.... so attending the live competition was paramount for any fan that loved BMX flatland or was serious about competing. Over the years the sport of BMX flatland has evolved and along with it, contests have also progressed into something similar yet very different. Scott O'Brien brings an intensity and enthusiasm much like back in the day along with a more current contest experience.... with one major difference... by riders... for riders! Scott has traveled around the globe emceeing some of the biggest flatland contests and brought that knowledge to his own event. Securing the proper venue, acquiring the right judges, promoting the event, getting top name riders from all over the world to attend, putting together prize money, and getting people to show up and support it, among other things... go into making VooDoo Jam a success. While Scott is known as the emcee of VooDoo Jam, the reality is he does so much more to make the event happen. 3 time Nora Cup winner, owner of DECO BMX, and judge at this years VooDoo Jam Chad Degroot joined us on the show to get the lowdown from Scott O'Brien himself as we asked what made him want to put on the first ever VooDoo Jam back in 2004, what his inspiration for VooDoo Jam this year was, importance of Terry Adams and his impact on the event, what makes this event a success to him, how the judges get picked, who's the best competition flatland rider of all time, advice for anyone wanting to put on an event, where does VooDoo Jam go from here, and.... will there be another VooDoo Jam in the future? Or have we already seen the last one? So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know the man that puts on VooDoo Jam, Scott O'Brien.

Episode 37 - Voodoo Jam Recap with Scott O'Brien

I always thought one of the coolest things about BMX freestyle is that you could be different, and still be accepted. You could be yourself and it didn't matter. The term freestyle literally means, do whatever you want, and that’s exactly what Matt Beringer has always done. In the mid-2000s at a time when the X Games was on the come up, growing bigger and bigger each year, and sponsors were more and more concerned with gold medals and tv coverage to create relevancy, amongst the factory superstars was a rider with a completely different mindset. Not only was Matt unique, he's one of the only guys who could have a flatland session, then blast the biggest dirt jumps, find one of the most unique lines in the skatepark, and hit the gnarliest handrail he could find, all in one day. In the recent S&M book release, there was a quote that was used back in the year 2000 when Matt was first asked by Chris Moeller to ride for S&M. QUOTE "S&M Bikes is proud to sponsor Matt Beringer. No rider past or present has done a better job of representing everything this company stands for. Here's to acting like a kook, horses that puke, and hot pants stuffed with sausage. Let's hear it for heavy metal, grinding on the pedal, and rocking a mullet. On a pit bike, in a full pipe, or in an idiotic ad that rhymes... it's all about riding bikes and good times". We caught up with Matt the other day and talked about his numerous appearances on Props and Road Fools during the mid 2000s, competing in X Games dirt, how he became known as the front flip guy, his section in the Little Devil video Criminal Mischief, the first time he saw Dizz Hicks, riding and growing up with Tim Fuzzy Hall, his backyard ramp setups, riding for S&M bikes for almost 20 years, coming up with crazy tricks, his background as a machinist, and Dave Mirra riding his signature S&M Beringer bars. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know one of the most fun riders to ever do it on two wheels... Matt Beringer!

Episode 36 - Matt Beringer

The X Games. By many thought of as the Super Bowl for action sports. While I haven't personally agreed with everything the X Games have done over the years, it's done a lot of good for action sports, and BMX in general. The 2020 Olympics are right around the corner, and BMX park is a medal competition for the first time in Olympic history. Not just for the guys though! The upcoming Olympics will also host the first women's BMX Park competition as well. Which leaves the women wondering, how is it possible that the Olympics are including women's BMX Park, before the X Games? A lot of people in the BMX industry are wondering why it hasn't happened yet, and one of the women seeking answers is Nina Buitrago. Nina has been riding BMX for almost 20 years. Since the beginning of her BMX career, Nina has worked tirelessly to get women recognized as legitimate and capable talent in demos and contests around the globe. You may have seen Nina's Instagram post a couple of weeks ago alerting the world that the women would not be doing another demo at this years X Games as they had done in years past, and they were officially boycotting the event. So Nina and the rest of the women felt now was the time they needed to take a stand for what they believe in. We spoke to Nina a few days after her post on Instagram announcing the boycott of this years X Games and discussed the importance of a women's BMX park medal event, what X Games officials told her in response as to why there would be no contest for the women, details of some of the past demos the BMX women put on at X Games, putting in hard work behind the scenes to make other women's events possible, being a part of Team USA, being the voice of a women's BMX movement, her favorite type of riding, suffering a compound fracture at a recent contest in Japan, and what it's like being a woman in a sport, made up of mostly men. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know one of the most influential women in BMX Freestyle... Nina Buitrago.

Episode 35 - Nina Buitrago

As the sport of BMX progressed throughout the mid-90s it became more and more common to see street riders end their video sections with massive gaps and roof drops. Many riders not only made a name for themselves with the final trick or stunt in their video part, they became legends. Fast forward to 2019 and some of the stuff you see street riders doing today is not only mind blowing but also death defying, at least at times. Sean Burns was inspired by riders that came before him who pedaled fast and went big. However what was once considered a rarity in terms of rolling the dice, is now a more common style of riding, at least for a select few. Sean is one of the gnarliest riders ever. I think it's safe to say Sean spends more time on rooftops than he does on the actual ground. His riding is super crazy, and things can go bad, very quickly. The term "high risk scenario" doesn't even begin to explain some of the amazing things Sean can do on his bike! While he's obviously a risk taker, there's also something unique about his approach. There's a lot more to Sean than just being a pedal as fast as you can and hang on kind of rider. There's a technical side to his riding as well. We hit up Sean via Skype, and asked him about his New England roots, how often he rides in pain, how his riding has evolved over the years, hunting for new street spots, riding with brakes, getting arrested, his section in the video Anthem II, his company Bone Deth, being a judge at the X Games, being in a band, and holding down a job all while being a pro BMX rider. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know one of the sickest street riders on the planet... Sean Burns!

Episode 34 - Sean Burns

We've had the chance to learn not only about some amazing riders over the past year and a half but amazing people as well. Beyond the realm of BMX, many of these riders have had interesting jobs or random hobbies that we've discovered during the interview process. But our next guest takes the cake in terms of an intriguing career. Art Thomason is a 5 time X Games competitor in BMX flatland, sponsored by Hoffman Bikes, and currently works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA. In fact, Art lives in Houston TX where he's worked for NASA for the past 15 years. He's helped train over 50 astronauts for various missions performed at the International Space Station. At age 44 Art is still currently competing in a variety of BMX flatland contests, spending plenty of time pushing the boundaries of his own riding, while maintaining his career at Johnson Space Center, also known as Mission Control. We hit up Art to get the lowdown on his favorite contest moment, riding for Hoffman Bikes for the past 17 years, the first time he met Mat Hoffman, how he applied to work at NASA, his official job title and what he does there, working at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab which is a massive swimming pool with a replica of the space station located inside it, what type of reactions he's received from co-workers that know he rides BMX, his connection to the International Space Station, his average day at work, his favorite NASA project he's worked on, and what skills he's learned on the job. Chip and I have always had a deep interest in space related topics and it's not every day you get to speak to someone that works at NASA. So we made sure to take full advantage of it. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know one of the most down to earth people with an out of this world job... Art Thomason!

Episode 33 - Art Thomason

Dirt jumping goes back to the early roots of bmx, and riders have been doing it on bmx tracks and local hand made jumps since the beginning of time. However it wasn't always respected as it's own thing and it certainly wasn't a stand alone discipline in BMX, much less something you could do to make a living. For anyone who started riding in the 80s or early 90s there's one name that really stands out when you hear the term BMX dirt jumping, and that's Tim Fuzzy Hall. Fuzzy was featured on more than 15 BMX magazine covers in his lifetime. If he wasn't on the cover you can bet he was inside nearly every issue, rather it was a photo at a jumping contest, being a part of the test force putting new bikes to task, or featured in the latest factory ad. Fuzzy was everywhere! Fuzzy changed how bmx dirt riders were not only looked at, but how they could be marketable to a major factory sponsor without being a racer. Fuzzy brought his incredible skill set to any jump he could find including local and national bmx races and eventually events like the King Of Dirt and UGP Flying Circus contests typically held during intermission at national races. He became well known not just for his ability to perform difficult tricks, but his style was unmatched at that time. He could make a one footer look amazing simply by how far he stretched out the trick. As dirt jumping contests became more common in the early to late 90s, Fuzzy eventually left bmx racing for good to focus on being a full time dirt jumper. In fact he went on to appear in 9 X Games dirt comps, numerous Gravity Games and Dew Tours, and solidified himself not only as one of the greatest dirt jumpers of all time, but one of the most well known. Yet the only thing better than Fuzzy's riding skill is his personality. The fact that he's such a legend yet still grounded and humble says a lot about the person he strives to be. We caught up with Fuzzy and asked him about being featured on the very first issue of Ride Magazine, how he got the nickname Fuzzy, receiving his first magazine cover and how it came about, becoming factory sponsored specifically for dirt jumping, his relationship with Spike Jonze, his love for building jumps, going after bigger tricks as he got older, designing and building dirt courses for major events like the Dew Tour and X Games, the time he checked himself into rehab for drinking, dealing with depression, getting inducted into the BMX Hall of Fame, and running his new company called Hall Utah. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know a true BMX dirt jumping legend, Tim Fuzzy Hall.

Episode 32 - Fuzzy Hall

If you've ridden BMX in the past 35 years, there's a good chance you've either ridden a Haro or know someone who has. The company was founded in 1978 by Bob Haro. Bob started out producing number plates for BMX bikes in his home. While the company was gaining popularity, Bob was also growing the brand new sport of BMX freestyle. The BMX boom was in full swing and the company built a reputation for developing innovative, top-of-the-line freestyle bikes and accessories. In addition to Bob himself, many of the sport's biggest names have ridden for the Haro brand including, Mike Dominguez, Joe Johnson, Rick Moliterno, Brian Blyther, Dennis McCoy, Mat Hoffman, Dave Mirra, Chad DeGroot, Ryan Nyquist, Dennis Enarson, Chad Kerley, and Matthias Dandois. Back in 2011, Haro had come to a crossroads as it was losing steam to remain relevant in the BMX industry. In addition, the company was searching for its next leader to help the brand return to prominence. Who better than the man known as "Scottish John" to take the reigns. After all, he was the most enthusiastic person anyone has ever met when it comes to Haro bikes. John took over the job back in 2012 and put Haro back in the fast lane almost immediately with a variety of throwback signature bikes, the Haro Lineage componentry line, and repop frames and complete bikes like the Master and Sport that brought many mid-80s Haro fans back to BMX. John grew up in Glasgow Scotland, and after an extremely traumatic childhood, he moved to Australia to pursue a BMX career and more recently moved to the United States to run the brand he loves most. A lot has happened along the way and John has lived an interesting and at times difficult life, to say the least. In fact, he has a full-length movie being released based on his life simply called, Ride. Most of the interviews John's done lately are more about his movie and life story than anything else. However this time around we wanted to focus on John's passion not only for BMX but for Haro as well. In addition we talked about how the movie E.T. made a huge impact on his BMX career, his first BMX bike, his own BMX company called Pilgrim, his massive Haro collection and which bike he loves the most, which components were the hardest to find to complete certain bikes, creating and releasing the Haro reissue bikes, what Dave Mirra meant to the brand, why he decided to sell most of his BMX collection, what's next for Haro, and what it takes to be the brand manager for one of the most iconic brands in BMX. So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know the main man behind the Haro brand... John Buultjens!

Episode 31 - John Buultjens

The Whopper, also known as the bunnyhop tailwhip, is one of the coolest BMX tricks ever invented, and it's hard to believe it's been around for almost 30 years. The first time Bill Nitschke pulled it off in 1990 in a Burger King parking lot in Greenwood Indiana, he had no idea of the long term impact that trick would make on the sport of BMX. In fact, 5 years after Bill showed this amazing trick to the world, only a couple of people, all flatland riders, were able to pull it off. It wasn't until several years later that street riders started to throw down the Whopper and include it in their bag of tricks on a regular basis. Nowadays it's a common trick, and street riders far outnumber the amount of flatland riders able to pull it off. I've known Bill for over 30 years and in addition to being good friends, we've done a lot of riding, touring, and traveling together. While inventing the Whopper would be enough for most riders, there's a lot more to Bill, than just creating one of the most well-known tricks in BMX. We sat down with Bill at the Master Blaster Planet Studios and talked about his first idol, some of the guys he grew up riding with, becoming an all-around rider, his first BMX components company Pulse Products, riding for Haro, the time he helped start a bike company called Standard, creating Indy Industries, his stint on the GT summer tour, his 22 double decades video project, performing school shows for his company Wonder Wheels, traveling to BMX events around the country, and was he the first person to do a tailwhip on dirt over a set of doubles? So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know one of the most important riders in mid school BMX history, it's Bill Nitschke... JA!

Episode 30 - Bill Nitschke

Back in the spring of 1988 when I was 14 years old, I was lucky enough to attend Woodward Camp in Pennsylvania. One of the pro instructors there, was Joe Johnson. Even though I was a flatland rider, I was well aware of who Joe was. After all he was one of Haro's main vert riders, had won lots of contests, and was featured in the magazines on a routine basis. Joe was a superstar on his bike, yet he was soft spoken, down to earth, and very humble off of it. He could blast airs bigger than almost anyone in the sport, while doing difficult tricks with an effortless yet aggressive style. Joe received the most notoriety during his career when he unveiled a new trick called the tailwhip air. Joe started working on it in the early part of 1988. I never saw him try it while I was at Woodward, but later that same summer, Joe worked on it for several weeks, and later pulled the tailwhip at the AFA Masters contest in Wayne New Jersey. This was the first ever documented tailwhip air. Joe continued to pull the tailwhip in every contest he entered after that as photos and video of this incredible trick began to circulate around the world over the next few months. The following year in 1989 Joe got picked up by GT Bicycles and won the Woodward King Of Vert while showing the world an even more incredible trick, the double tailwhip air, and beating an unstoppable Mat Hoffman in his prime. Another year later Joe had all but disappeared from the contest scene. He decided to leave GT and return to school full-time to study mechanical engineering and faded from the BMX scene completely. In a matter of a few years, he went from his highest peak, to vanishing from the sport. Many of us always wondered, what the hell happened to Joe Johnson? Where did he go? We met up with Joe and got the low down on his humble beginnings, riding for Haro Bikes, pulling a tailwhip air for the first time in a contest, riding sessions with his buddy Dennis McCoy, riding for GT Bicycles, sustaining a knee injury, what caused him to leave the sport for good, what he's doing now, and..... was Joe actually the first rider to do the tailwhip air? So get comfortable, crank up your speakers, and get to know a true bmx vert legend... Joe Johnson!

Episode 29 - Joe Johnson

A podcast covering all things BMX related, photography, art, design, space, nutrition, & many other topics hosted by Kip Williamson & co-host Chip Riggs.

hubhopper

Space Brothers Podcast

hubhopper