BMX: When Kids Hit The Dirt And Took Flight

Like many kids in the late 1970s, Bob Haro loved hitting his local racetrack—pedaling, jumping and whizzing around curves. He and other teenagers rolled their bikes onto motocross tracks, leaving the concrete behind for the thrills of competing on dirt. There was no shortage of interest in this type of bicycle riding, and to many, this sport just looked fun.

Haro was certainly one of those, but he sensed that the interest might be much more than just a passing fad. By the early 1980s, these same kids had introduced another style of “riding” a bike—BMX freestyle. These pedal-powered artists literally turned traditional bikes upside down, using spins, tricks, acrobatics and massive ramp jumps to redefine what many believed was possible on two wheels… read more >