26 year-old freestyle motorcyclist Nate Adams is a man at the top of his game. Winner of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour for the past two years and a bona fide icon of the sport, he’s quite literally riding high…
Congratulations on another great season. How much of a challenge was it holding onto your Red Bull X-Fighters title?
“The whole weekend in Rome [where the 2010 final was held] was crazy from the start. I can’t really explain what the pressure does to you. It just makes you feel different. I knew the whole weekend that I could do it. I never finished out of the top 3. Basically in these moments it is all internal, whoever has the strongest mental state. I just went out there and rode and did my thing. So it worked out. I am pumped!”
Last year you had some bad luck at the SX. In 2010 you barely missed the night programme by one spot. Will you give it another go at A1 2011?
“Actually I qualified in Salt Lake City last year, but I didn’t race. I was having bike problems and it was snowing. But I bought a couple bikes, getting a late start in the beginning of December. I want to try some SX, probably not A1. I went to A1 the past couple of years and it is like everyone is there, everyone is healthy and everyone is fast. So I think I will go there, sit it out and watch everyone riding and hop in second round the very earliest in Phoenix.”
'I am a little bit more edgy. I have been around the world a few times. I’m more cultured'
A couple of years ago you seemed to be the opposite of the Freestyle image: Quiet, shy, no tattoos. You’ve got a few tattoos now though! How would you describe yourself?
“I would describe myself as clean but edgy. When I was younger I was more focused on doing my thing, that’s all I cared about and that is probably where I got my reputation. Now I am still the same person with the same beliefs, but I am a little bit more edgy. I have been around the world a few times. I’m more cultured.”
Was that wild guy always in you? Or did FMX make you become wilder?
“I always had that wild man inside of me. When I was young, me and my friends shoveled up a jump or whatever and I was the first one to hit it. When I got into freestyle I was tamed. Everybody called me that tame little kid. That is where the motivation came from. I was like ‘No, I am not that tame little kid. I am gnarly!’ I am going toe-to-toe with these guys, that is where the motivation came from.”
Let’s talk about injuries you’ve had in the sport…
“The dark side of our sport I would definitely say is the injuries. Full Circle [Nate’s documentary in which he suffers some major injuries] explains when I broke my shoulder, femur and tore some ligaments in my knee and how it can keep you off the bike. The fans don’t see that, they just hear the news. The video explains getting the wrong-sized rod, six months of therapy, three surgeries on my femur, one on my knee, one on my shoulder and, on top of that, I had twenty concussions. Looking back the fact that it took 9 months for my leg to heal was a blessing for my brain.”
Was there a point during that bad time where you asked yourself if riding FMX is worth it to risk your health?
“You know what? It was always just a question of when can I get back on the bike? Will I be the same? There was a deadline and that kept me motivated to go through all those surgeries, physical therapy and all that. Riding is just in me, I love it!”
You started being very successful in FMX when you were 16 or 17 years old. How many more years do you think you have left in your riding career?
“I have had a great career, I started when I was 15 and started having success a year or so after. I would say 5 years is a good estimate of how much longer I want to stay competitive. I will never stop riding because I love it, but as far as staying on the top level of competition five years is a good estimate.”
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