When I first discovered bike trials I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Being able to master and control your bike in any given situation is something most people can only dream of. Hell, I used to and still do have dreams where I’m riding a wheelie, all the while with perfect balance. So mid-way through my biking “career” I bought myself this Tank Mod bike.
And then, to help myself learn, I purchased the first trials video I could get my hands on called Dirty Tricks and Cunning Stunts.
This is when I first heard of Hans “No Way” Rey and started learning how to do simple things like lifting the back wheel, doing bunny hops and doing a track stand. Besides being a 3 time MTB trials world champion and a one time NORBA trials world champion, he’s in the MTB hall of fame and has been one of the most influential people in spreading mountain biking to the world. The picture below shows his extraordinary skill.
Mind you, this was on the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland where many people have fallen to their death from the strong winds. Just looking at that drop gives me the willies.
So I got a call from my friend Ryan a couple weeks back and he was really excited. He goes on to tell me that Hans Rey just walked into his workplace! I couldn’t believe and the first thing I asked, of course, was “did you get a picture?”. Needless to say I was extremely jealous since Hans Rey was the first mountain biking celebrity I idolized. This was down in Newport Beach in Orange County, CA. Pretty damn cool. I may photoshop my head in there and keep it in my wallet. 🙂 Big thanks to Ryan for the picture.
