Freestyle BMX: From childhood fun to unwinding when work is done

EUGENE, Ore. - Justin Bryant equates his bike to a drug: It’s addictive, it’s exhilarating - and frankly, he flies pretty high.

But jokes aside, BMX riding is a something that Bryant has called a passion since growing up without a ton of spare money in Sutherlin, Ore.

As a teenager in a small town, it was a way for him and his friends to entertain themselves for hours on end without spending a dime. Now, it’s more than just a hobby but a passion that he thrives on when his work day is done.

Bryant, 20, spends hours at a time in the solitude of the garage, working as a mechanic. Even when at home in his own garage, it’s easy to get lost in fixing a car for hours at a time, he said.

“I work on my car in the garage and I’ll work on it for 4 or 5 hours and I look up and all of a sudden the sun’s going down I’m like what happened to the day?” Bryant said.

But going outside and doing BMX tricks, whether in a skate park or on flights of stairs around town, gives Bryant an active outlet from long days spent inside the hood of a car.

BMX freestyle riding is a sport long found popular in urban areas amongst youth and teens. Popularized by its simplicity — all that’s needed is a bike, some stairs and a patch of concrete — the BMX freesstyle scene has expanded into pro circuits, highlighted by the now well-known X Games.

“It kind of grew on me,” Bryant said of the sport. “It just kind of became one of those things that, like I can’t really go without.”