Ben Hennon interview

May 25, 2007

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 10761 times

Name: BEN HENNON
Age: 21
Hometown: COOK Co.DURHAM, ENGLAND

Where did you usually ride when you had just discovered BMX?
Ben: JUST ON THE STREETS AND WE HAD SOME DIRT JUMPS

Did you have other people to ride with?
Ben: YEH A LOT OF MY SCHOOL FRIENDS RODE BACK THEN

What motivated you to get better and learn new tricks?
Ben: JUST BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING LIKE DOING SOMETHING NEW AND BETTER, AND IT’S STILL THE SAME NOW. AND MY DAD

Being from that area and so young, was it hard to get around to where the contests were?

Ben: NOT AT ALL I AM VERY LUCKY, MY DAD IS A HUGE PART OF MY RIDING AND HE TOOK ME EVERYWHERE

What contests in the UK did/do you like most?
Ben: I REALLY LIKED THE URBAN GAMES. AND THE BACKYARD JAM.

You go nuts in practice pulling a lot of good stuff while others are still getting used to the ramps. Do you usually have problems adapting to new courses?
Ben: IT’S JUST HOW I RIDE EVERY DAY. I LOVE DOING HARD STUFF ALL THE TIME. I THINK IT MAKES YOU A BETTER RIDER. RIDING A NEW PLACE IS ALWAYS FUN, TRYING TO FIND LINES AND STUFF. EVEN IF IT ISNT THAT GOOD OF A PLACE.

What contest courses did you like?
Ben: BACKYARDJAM 2005 WAS A GOOD COURSE. GOOD BIG FAST LINES AND LITTLE TECH STUFF TOO. REBEL JAM WAS THE BEST EVER

Which one was terrible?
Ben: THE BIKE SHOW THIS YEAR WAS CRAP BUT THEY HAD THEIR REASON SO FAIR ONE

You’re going to the Dew Tour this year. Do you think you can adapt to those courses?
Ben: YEAH HOPEFULLY BECAUSE THEY ARE HUGE CROWED PLEASING COURSES SO I CAN GO FLAT OUT. HA

If the doctor says you can’t ride for 6 weeks, how soon can we see you on the bike?
Ben: FOUR AT THE MAX

Where do you ride these days?
Ben: A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES WHEN I AM AT HOME MAINLY OUTDOOR CEMENT PARKS

Riding park is what you’re known for. Do you ride vert, dirt, real street or anything else?
Ben: I AM TYING TO GET RID OF THAT PARK RIDER IMAGE. I LOVE RIDING DIRT AND STREET. I AM NOT STARTING ON VERT YET. LOL

Word association:

Dad: THE BEST
Sponsors: VERY HELPFUL AND AWESOME
Birds: LOVE THEM
Olympics: WOULD LOVE TO REPRESENT MY COUNTRY THERE
Football: SCHEISSE
Alcohol: FANCY A LARGE ONE, LIKE
Rebel Jam: JUST THE BEST
USA: EUROPE
BMX videos: ALL GOOD
Full throttle: IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY?

How much time do you spend on the road?
Ben: AS MUCH AS I CAN. A LOT. I LOVE TRAVELING

What items do you bring to kill time on the road?
Ben: MY BOOK, SOME GOOD MUSIC, BUT IF YOU’RE WITH RAD PEOPLE THAT’S ALL YOU NEED

Any fun trips ahead?
Ben: COLUMBIA LATER IN THE YEAR.

Pics: BdJ/PdJ