How did you get into BMX ? Some riders stories are unique, or it was it a relative, a TV show or simply a friend that lit the spark for you, what set you on the path to a love of riding that made you want to stick with it?

I'm from Hanover, Germany and every summer, there's some sort of festival around a lake in the city centre. One year, when I was like 5-6 years old, there happened to be a red bull show on a vert ramp. Watching the riders and skaters there really woke my interest and made me wanna do stuff like this, so that I started going out to a small dirt jump spot with my mountain bike. Then over the years I got a little carried away, but at like 12-13 'ish, I finally bought my first BMX, a white GT Compe. Ever since, I started to develop some kind of obsession with jumping, going fast and just the feeling of being out with friends and going places. BMX is fun!

How has riding evolved for you, from when you started, what were you into, styles of riding etc, and how has it changed to get you where you are today ? And do you think your style will change again over time, or are you happy with where you’re at with your riding?

I got into BMX because I wanted to jump and to go fast, so that dirt riding seemed like the thing to do for me, also because I already had some confidence due to riding my mountain bike as a kid.

Like 10 minutes away from my parents' house, there´s a piece of woodland with a pretty big hill for tobogganing in winter, which has enough space around it to accommodate some jumps. I started digging a few sketchy and very mellow 'trails' with my friends. As we got better the jumps grew and right before they ended up getting ploughed, we built a 5m double, which felt like jumping to the moon and back, great times!

Jumping and just going fast still didn't get old at all. I can literally spent hours and hours just riding a bowl without doing a single trick. Moving the bike around in the air, going faster and faster and just that feeling of landing perfectly underneath the coping… It's just great hey! That being said, I reckon I´m actually most happy with where I am today. It's what I always figured or desired I would end up riding like, so that I wouldn't ever consider changing anything about it.

Who have been some of your biggest influences in BMX, or otherwise?

My Dad always was and still is a very sporty person. Him riding a mountain bike really got me hooked with the whole cycling thing in the first place.

BMX-wise, I always watched a ton of trails videos. The old Vinyl BMX stuff is just gold, also I used to count the days until a new Dave King UK Trails video would appear on Vimeo. If I would have to name a single rider, I´d probably have to go with Mike Aitken though. Everyone being what people would consider 'stylish' and able to just enjoy jumping stuff on their bike has probably influenced me at least a bit I reckon.

Growing up riding, did you face any peer pressure to do other things, maybe different sports, activities, or like many, when you get your drivers license and/or a girlfriend? Many have a tendency to let what they once did, like riding fade away. Did you experience any of this, and what kept you stoked to ride throughout everything else?

Before BMX, I used to skate, which ended up with me going through board after board. Always being around a small skatepark or then later dirt jumps though, really just got me in touch with people who were stoked on this type of scene and sports. So nah, no peer pressure, other sports or activities haha. Riding also kept me away from girls for a pretty long time though…

For a long time, people in school really thought I was weird, especially around like 2009 or something when BMX used to be pretty 'Emo'. Me being covered in road burn most of the time, really helped to only be around other BMX people, so that there wasn't even a chance of getting carried away from riding.

Getting a drivers license to me, was just awesome. Driving got me so stoked to be able to finally go to other parks and spots in general. Like every weekend, we just stuffed bikes and people in my parents´ car and went to a different skatepark. It felt like being on PROPS and still does, so I guess it even got me more into riding! Also just getting better in general always kept me happy with BMX. Today, riding just helps to clear my head after work or uni. It keeps me sane, so I don't see myself fading.

Are you into anything outside of BMX that helps you find balance in riding so you don’t get burned out on it, maybe art, motorcycles, photography etc ?

Well, definitely my Girlfriend and our dog Paul, they keep my head straight! Going on trips and traveling together is very relaxing to me. Generally, just being outside is enjoyable. I think, this is also why I got a little into track bike riding (on the street), exploring my environment on a fast as bike is great fun!

With riding always being some kind of cure for any work or whatsoever related stress, I never really felt like getting sick of it. I hope it´s gonna stay one of the things I enjoy doing most! For now, I´m still looking forward to every session.

It’s pretty common these days, for riders to lay everything on the line and put their best stuff out on social media, rather than maybe hold on to it for bigger projects. How do you feel about this and what’s your philosophy on filming ?

Being in marketing for my whole professional career and especially working with my current employer, an agency specializing a lot on CRM, I saw the development of social media and also the growing relevance of content over the last few years. Personally, I even started to develop some kind of strategic approach to posting stuff, but at the same time, I really don´t like to produce content…

Still, I feel like a lot of times a 60 second Instagram clip, has a great potential to spread your name, also looking at the chance of getting it posted on various networks. Also, the effort of filming it, is super small looking at the effect it might have in the end.

Myself, I prefer watching complete 3-5 minute parts. There are some which I watch over and over to get me motivated on going out to ride. I could never see that happen with someone's Instagram account haha!

Do you enjoy the process of filming for a video project, or is it stressful for you ?

No, definitely not, filming is one of the most horrible things to me! I think this is because I just like to ride and feel the flow of a skatepark or a set of trails. I seriously don´t wanna do the same thing over and over again until the angle, the light or what not are finally perfect. The whole process just sucks the fun out of riding to me. On the other hand, I really enjoy shooting photos every once in a while, which is mostly due to them having a more lasting character to me. A great picture will always be a memory of a great day or session, which is something a clip simply can't do in my opinion.

What aspect of riding do you enjoy most: The creativity, the freedom, the individuality, filming for something, the friends it brings, or maybe the feeling that flying on your bike gives you?

Obviously, I really just enjoy the feeling of riding my bike. Pushing corners, finding lines, jumping stuff, going sideways, all that is just the best fun to me!

Over the years though, I started to be aware of the sort of globalized BMX community. BMX just makes it so easy to make friends all over the world. I've experienced other riders just letting me crash at their place and eat their food just because we´re the same kind, which is awesome! People just helping each other out is great in general. So, if you ever see me at the skatepark, just say hello and if you should ever need spare parts or tools don´t mind asking, I'll try to figure something out if I can!

Is there any one aspect of riding or the bike riding scene that drives you crazy, that you least enjoy, that you’d like to see change?

Well, let everyone just do what they like best in the end hey!

But if it was up to me, I´d definitely establish a trend for loud cassette hubs and no pegs, since this would be something against today´s coaster, peg, loose spoke, slow riding movement, which I'm definitely not a fan of…

I don´t really enjoy the amount of bad vibes I get to see. There´s people hating on spots, on other riders (which they mostly don´t even know) and on the way others ride… Just pull yourselves together, we are all in the same boat!

Top 5 favorite Park / Bowl riders?

Matt Roe, Corey Walsh, Dylan Lewis, Chase Hawk and Dan Foley

Top 5 favorite Dirt riders ?

Mikey Aitken, Chase Hawk (yes, again haha), Jonny Mackellar, Jared Carter and Chris Harti

Top 5 favorite Street riders

That´s definitely a tough one…

Chase Dehart, Rich Forne, Matt Miller, Andrew Jackson, Mike Hoder

Top 5 spots to ride

I don´t really have a top five, since I´m not too picky about spots. On top of that, to me, it´s mostly about who you´re with. So, in general I enjoy places where I can go fast and jump and where there´s definitely not a lot of people around haha.

Hypothetically, If you could put together the dream team to go on the road with, guys you think you could get along with, film for a project, have the best time, who would that crew be?

I would definitely wanna go on a trails / bowl riding trip paired with being out in some great nature.

So, I´m taking pro riders, right? In this case I'd take Matt Roe, because I used to be a pretty big fan boy (maybe THE biggest). Corey Walsh, because he just seems to have so much fun in general. Dan Foley, because he's so stylish and could actually make me enjoy filming stuff and finally Clint Reynolds, because he could just MacGyver us out of any situation haha.

Frame: Fly Bikes Sierra 21”

Fork: Fly Bikes Volcano Fork

Bar: Fly Bikes Sierra Bars 9”

Grips: Fly Bikes Devon Smilie

Stem: Fly Bikes Volcano TT Stem

Headset: Fly Bikes Rotar

Cranks: Fly Bikes Dolmen Cranks

BB: Fly Bikes Rotar

Pedals: Fly Bikes Ruben Graphite

Sprocket: Fly Bikes Tractor 28 T

Chain: Fly Bikes Tractor 28 T

Seat/Post: Fly Bikes Sierra Tripod Seat, Fly Bikes Tripod Seat Post

Front Wheel: Fly Bikes Lunar Rim, Fly Bikes Classic Front Hub

Rear Wheel: Fly Bikes Lunar Rim, Primo Mix Female Hub

Tires: Fly Bikes Ruben Rampera 2.35 Front and Rear