Red Bull athlete Terry Adams ripped apart San Diego State on his BMX bike last Wednesday during a 50-day college campus tour, and is flatland riding all across the country. This time when Red Bull came to campus, students got more than just a free energy drink: they got a free show.
Adams arrived at SDSU in part to promote the bike lanes on campus. He has hit more than 100 campuses and finds SDSU rare because it does not allow bike riding everywhere. As he was doing tricks in front of the trolley station, he was able to stay inside of the bike lane for the most part, but when he biked in front of Hepner Hall he was outside of the bike lanes and asked for permission to land his tricks there. No one seemed to mind the breaking of this rule, as students and staff became mesmerized as he twirled, flipped and jumped over his bike. The crowd grew quickly.
Although Adams is more about biking than skateboarding, when asked his opinion about the no skating rule on campus, he said, “Let them roll around on a board with four wheels on it.” He explains that it is difficult for him to be against any action sport because it has kept him healthy all these years and out of trouble.
Adams has been biking since he was 10 years old and made it to the professional ranks at the age of 17. In 2005 and 2008 he was awarded the title of Number One Flatland Rider, as voted by the pros.
Adams said he got into flatland riding because “it looked like the riders were floating around.” And that’s exactly what it does look like. As Adams was riding around, some of the tricks seemed impossible, as he jumped over his handle bar or rode his bike as if it were a unicycle. One of his very own moves is called the “Katrina.” When Southern California lost power, he had some extra time to devote to biking. Instead of moping around with no electricity, he invented the Katrina, which consists of the rider balancing on the front wheel, jumping halfway over the bike and landing on a backward vertical front wheel position. Adams performed each trick with extreme ease last week.
Before leaving San Diego, Adams performed his moves at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon rush week event. SAE member Adam Fessinger said by bringing Adams to their rush event, SAE is “stepping up their game.” By hosting a pro BMX rider and having it open to the public, they aimed for a large turnout.
As Adams continues his college campus tour, you can follow his excursions through his blog that he updates himself everyday at terryadamsbmx.com.
