The sharp hiss of rubber scraping across concrete… It’s more than a sound; it’s a signal
Story By: Stone Quinn
Photos By: Justin Shaw & Juliana Bonmark
Kai Altendorf, a Sophomore at Colorado Mesa University is a BMX rider who is pictured practicing his skills at Emerson park in Grand Junction, Colorado. (Juliana Bomark, April 10,2025)
To most, riding a bike begins as a simple childhood joy. The thrill of balance, speed, and newfound skill is invigorating. That first solo ride becomes a core memory, a symbol of independence, and a sense of freedom. When most people grow up, biking remains a casual hobby or a reminder of that childhood feeling. But for some, it’s just the beginning.
What starts as peddling around the block can evolve into an obsession and a form of expression. That’s the path from everyday biking to BMX freestyle.
Freestyle BMX is the art of pushing the limits on a bike. Rooted in traditional BMX racing, freestyle breaks free from the classical aspect of racing. Instead, an emphasis is put on style and the ability to create your own path. It consists of tricks, maneuvers, and crazy stunts that carry their own risks, rewards, and rhythm. This is a sport where the bike is more than a machine; it becomes an extension of the rider.
“I’ve been doing it so long that it’s, like, honestly my biggest personality trait — I ride a bike,” said Kai Altendorf, a student at Colorado Mesa University. “That’s who I am. It’s been like that forever. I can’t even remember a time I didn’t ride. Literally, back in first grade.”
Originally from Washington, Altendorf has been riding for as long as he can remember. He started with traditional BMX riding, but in recent years, while attending CMU, he’s fallen in love with the art of BMX Freestyle. As each day passed and his passion for the sport grew, he started to understand what separates a rider from someone who just rides.
“I can’t even — it’s like, you know, when you’re just, hungry,” Altendorf said. “You’re hungry, so you go eat. That’s what it’s like to bike. But then if you really push yourself, you’re like, in one day I got this much better. Imagine if you ride that hard every day for a month, then a year, then two years. You’re a whole different rider. If you just get a little better every single day.”
A sign detailing basic safety guidelines stands in the foreground, with the Dos Rios Bike Playground visible in the background, ensuring riders are informed before using the park’s features.(Justin Shaw, April 10, 2025)
That hunger for growth, for progression, for something more, that is what becomes the heartbeat of freestyle. It gets to a point where fun isn’t the only goal, it is a way of feeding the body. With each session, the desire to improve grows and is ignited more with each failure. Riders fall, get hurt, and get back up. Not because someone tells them to but because being “average” just doesn’t sit right.
“When I started riding, I always wanted to be better than one guy, and then the next guy,” said Yurii Sobovyi, another CMU rider. “It’s a nice feeling — like you’re just better than someone. It’s kind of a selfish way to think about it. But if you didn’t have that kind of selfish feeling, you’d have zero problems being the most average person ever.”
That desire to be better than the next person isn’t an ego thing. It’s about refusing to settle. And while some might believe elite riders are just born with natural ability, BMX Freestylers know that’s not the case.
“They’re not just built with some sort of natural talent on a bike that I wasn’t born with,” Altendorf said. “That’s not how that stuff works. No one comes out of the womb on a bike. Dudes just work really hard to figure these tricks out. And you have to do that — you have to put in the time.”
That grind is constant and not always glamorous, but it’s real. Anyone has the talent and ability to be great in BMX freestyle, but there are only a few who have the mindset to get there. And for those few who push hard enough, there is an opportunity to turn it into a career.
Groups of skaters sit in the background watching the skills of the BMX bikers at the park.(Juliana Bomark, April 10,2025)
“Dude, the dream would be, like, an energy drink sponsor,” Sobovyi said. “You’re making a full living off of it. That’s the dream-dream. But to get there? You don’t just have to be in the 1% of riders who go pro. You have to be the 1% of those 1% to be one of the guys who are living comfortably doing it.”
It’s a long shot, but BMX freestyle isn’t about guarantees. It’s about chasing something because it matters to you. Because every time those tires hit the pavement, every fall, and every breakthrough becomes part of who you are.
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