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Let Matthias Dandois guide you on what you need to know about BMX flatland
With iconic flatland event Circle of Balance streaming on Red Bull TV in December, we put together a companion on what this BMX discipline is all about for new and old fans alike.
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01
BMX flatland: the short version
In short, flatland is a freestyle BMX style performed without ramps, rails or other obstacles, rather on flat ground or a floor. Think of it as a mix between dancing and artistic cycling. Breakdancing with bikes.
"It’s ballet on a bicycle," enthuses Frenchman Matthias Dandois, one of the flatland's biggest and most widely known stars. "It's dancing on a BMX bike. It's really cool! Flatland is about doing tricks on flat ground, we don't need a ramp or anything else."
1 min
Dandois and Gomez riding Hong Kong
Dandois and Gomez riding Hong Kong
02
The origin story
R. L. Osborn, Bob Haro and Bob Morales are recognised as the founding fathers of BMX Flatland, with the discipline emerging from the freestyle moves that saw BMX transcend from the race track to places like skateparks in the late 1970s. Morales founded the elite American Freestyle Association, which put on events for pro-am riders on the flat and on quarter pipes.
4 min
A visual history of Flatland BMX
From the 1980s on, Yohei Uchino and Chad DeGroot walk us through the artistic development of Flatland BMX.
Flatland went underground at the end of the '80s, coming back in the late '90s when cultural movements like the X Games re-popularised extreme sports. Today, flatland is now part of the governing body of cycling, the UCI, and as such there's now a yearly BMX Flatland World Cup series and a World Championship. There's also major flatland competitions held globally, with the X Games, O Marisquiño in Spain and FISE competitions held in France. Japan is very much the heartland of the sport these days and contests there are very well attended by riders and spectators.
Matthias Dandois performing at FlatArk in Japan
© Jason Halayko/Red Bull Content Pool
The event that is probably the "Superbowl of BMX flatland" is Red Bull Circle of Balance, which celebrates the best of flatland talent at an invite-only event. The competition has been held four times previously – 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2012. The big news is that Circle of Balance is back for 2022 and will be held in New Orleans in the United States on December 17.
The social content of the flatland athletes in the last decade or so has helped bring the sport to new audiences and make it popular. Dandois, alongside Viki Gomez and Terry Adams, have been key to that movement and have performed flatland routines in some of the most beautiful places in the world.
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Matthias Dandois in the fourth dimension
Enjoy seven-time BMX Flatland world champion Matthias Dandois's new part. You've never seen riding like it…
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What are we watching, exactly?
"UCI competitions take place over three days," explains Dandois. "It takes place on a 3mx3m platform, like a concert stage. You might have between 60 and 100 riders. You have one three-minute run and within that you can do whatever you want. There are no rules apart from that you need a BMX and do tricks on the flat ground. When you start the first trick it starts the clock and you have to be back on your pedals before the three minutes are done otherwise the last trick doesn't count.
3 min
Matthias Dandois's winning run – Hiroshima
Watch Matthias Dandois's winning flatland run at UCI BMX Freestyle World Cup 2018 in Hiroshima, Japan.
“The judges score you 0-100 and then 16 riders move to the quarter-finals. There are usually five judges and they each look at different criteria. Arguably, the most important criteria is originality. There are hundreds of tricks you can do, but you can't copy someone else's tricks and call yourself a pro-rider – you need to come up with ground-breaking stuff if you want to keep being competitive.
“We then whittle it down to eight riders and then a final with the top three to decide the winner."
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What to expect from Circle of Balance
For one, Circle of Balance is invite only. There will be 16 invited riders, with only the cream of the sport being invited to take part in New Orleans next month. The format sees the athletes pitched against each other in head-to-head battles with a judging panel deciding which athlete wins and goes through to the next round.
The judging panel, which consists of six former flatland riders, will score athletes based on originality, difficulty, consistency, execution and style. At the end of each head-to-head battle, the panel will identify the winner by holding up cards with the riders' assigned colour and score.
4 min
Circle of Balance 2012
Red Bull Circle of Balance took flatland BMX to the next level in Kyoto, watch the action here.
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I want to have a go. What do I need?
BMX flatland bikes usually have a shorter wheelbase than other BMX bikes to make it easier for the rider to manipulate the bike on one wheel. All flatland bikes have four pegs that are installed on the front and rear axles. Riders usually install a front brake, or front and rear brakes – although some opt for no brakes at all. In terms of other equipment, nothing else much is needed.
"You just a BMX bike with four pegs. That’s it. That’s the beauty of it. You can do flatland on any bike really," says Dandois. “You can do it anywhere – all you really need is a bike and a supermarket parking lot! You don’t even need a skatepark, because you don’t need ramps or anything."
The pegs are also useful for turning a BMX flatland bike into a seat
© Markus Berger/Red Bull Content Pool
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The tricktionary
"You need to be original at a professional level, but you can't do that until you've spent a few years learning the basics," says Dandois. "Once you’ve learned them, it’s like jazz. You have a melody and you can freestyle around this melody. What's great about flatland is you can't really get hurt, so it's really fun."
- Barspin – "Pretty much just spinning the bar with your hands."
- Manual - "This is a wheelie without peddling. A wheelie on the back pegs. You can learn this within the first 10 minutes."
- Hang 5 – "This is doing a front wheel manual on the front pegs. It’s about balancing over the front wheel."
- McCircle – "Once you have those down, this might be the first spinning trick you learn. You’re on the front peg, grabbing your bar and your bike is spinning in front of you. You might learn it after a year and a half.”
Flatland poetry in motion
© Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
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Names to watch out for
“He's a new up-and-coming rider from Japan. He emerged on the scene last year and he's absolutely killing it. He’s won every contest in 2022, including X Games."
Auda Cassagne
"A French athlete who's progressing the sport on the women's side of things. She used to ride five or six years ago, but then she had to finish medical school, so she put BMX aside and picked it up again last year. She’s absolutely killing it now she’s back. It’s pretty sick."
Alex Jumelin
"He’s a flatland inspiration for me, a bit like Viki Gomez and Terry Adams. He's 45 years old [Gomez is 41 and Adams is 39] and his motivation is insane. He's always in the finals of big contests. He took me under his wing when I was growing up, like 15 or 16. Now I’m 33 and I’m still competing with him, so I give him a lot of respect for that!"
Kio Hayakawa practices his moves on the streets of Tokyo
© Jason Halayko/Red Bull Content Pool
Alex Jumelin, back in 2012 at Circle of Balance in Kyoto, which he won
© Rutger Pauw/Red Bull Content Pool
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Where can I see more?
The perfect place to watch BMX flatland is coming up very soon. Red Bull Circle of Balance 2022 takes place in New Orleans on December 17. The whole event is being streamed live on Red Bull TV. Watch the action here.
Otherwise, Dandois has some suggestions: "MCS Extreme is a platform where you can stream most the flatland events. Or if you want to watch it on TV, Eurosport/GCN shows the World Championships. But the best place to watch is often the rider’s Instagram because everyone is always putting new tricks out there. I also have a YouTube channel all about learning basic tricks, which is a good place for beginners who want to learn."
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