Ron Wilkerson preparing for Germany. DEMO TIME at the 2009 IBMXFF World Championships!

Jul 07, 2009

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 6945 times

Getting nervous yet?
Ron Wilkerson: Nervous? Am I SUPPOSED TO BE nervous??? HA

Do you remember the first time you went to Europe to put on a demo?
Ron Wilkerson: Oh yes, the first time was just me and Brian, trippin’ our BALLS off... Flyin’ over there with NO IDEA what to expect. Then all the sketchy shows on cobblestones and sketchy ramps. Being brought to ride ramps in the middle of NOWHERE that were years and years old BACK THEN! Like this cement vert ramp nextto a river in Amsterdam, I think, or this 20’ transition, no flat, vert half in the trees in Sweden, or the demo at an airport where it was FREEZING outside, and all the people were inside watching us thru the window sipping coffee. Funny stuff.

Obviously you did not bring your own ramps, how many pices of crap did you have to ride in demos in countries that had not seen (much of) BMX freestyle in the early '80-s?
Ron Wilkerson: HA, we’d be brought to ride in shows with hundreds, or thousands, of people waiting for us to ride the most SKETCHY of ramps that we’d never ridden before! Like a VERT ramp that was so small, it would be 5’ wide and you could see over the top while riding towards, it ! Or ramps that moved so much that you had to have a big guy on each side holding it from falling over. Or ramps that the bottom actually had a lip, so that you had to bunnyhop over the lip at speed to be able to hit the ramp,

and then after doing an air, you could make a little jump leaving the ramp. INSANE times.

What were the best things about touring around, doing the actual demos or riding afterwards, or hanging out with the locals?
Ron Wilkerson: Oh dude, it was ALL GOOD, we had the BEST of times riding blowing people’s minds in the shows, meeting all the locals (girls), and having a blast with our bro’s: Gracie (Stephan Prantl), Bernie (Bernd Schneider), Lars from Mars, the PTR team, then the riding sessions AFTER the demos, then the partys at night, then the riding sessions AFTER the partys at night. Unforgettable.

What specifically do you remember from Cologne?
Ron Wilkerson: Nights driving drunk-BMX’rs to the nearby hooker-streets. Bernie’s orange soda-beer mix? Or REMAGEM, A little town that was like our home base one year- We were ‘locals’ at the nearby pub/disco, going off to do shows for TV shows every day and then back to go out there each night.

As you have continued riding all this time it won't be too hard for you to get back into it and do a demo. But there are tricks you haven't done for ages. What are some of the tricks that you're not sure about will work in Cologne this weekend?
Ron Wilkerson: WHAT, WE’RE DOING A DEMO THIS WEEKEND???! HAHAHA Hmmm, I gotta put in some time this week into riding some FLATLAND! And there’s a couple drop-in tricks that I gotta get the rust out of aswell- HA. I know GUMBY will have his runs all planned out and dialed in, but me? Woaw, I’m hoping I don’t messup too badly- HA. And MOSTLY lookin’ forward to our closing tricks!

Putting on a demo on your current bike would be on the safe side. You're bringing an old piece of HARO. Can you explain how hard it is to actually ride a bike like that in a straight line?
Ron Wilkerson: OH MY GOD, yesterday I rode the SPORT for the first time at the cement park. You ever ridden your bike in SAND? OH MY GOD, it was like I was riding in SAND! HOW THE HELL DID WE EVER RIDE THOSE THINGS?????!!!!!! I put a graphite on the front, so I’m HOPING that will feel a little better... That’ll be the hardest part of this demo, though, riding those bikes!!! SHAD-Y... I’m ALREADY lookin’ forward to the first time back riding my normal bike!

You've done shows with Brian Blyther and Dave Nourie for years. Did you have to look back at old tapes to see how you did demos back then?
Ron Wilkerson: HELL NO, I could do them in my SLEEP...

Kevin Martin on the mic. How good is that?
Ron Wilkerson: Kevin Martin is the MAN. He’ll get the crowd goin’ (at least the crowd that can understand ENGLISH!), we’re gonna have a good time...

And Bob Haro there to watch...
Ron Wilkerson: Maybe it’ll be the first time he’s seen our demo- HA. But regardless, THE Bob Haro, what can you say about THAT?

Looking forward to it?
Ron Wilkerson: OH MY GOD, YES. Seeing all our old friends, riding w/Brian and Dave. (The kick-turn ramp is kinda ‘new skool’, though...ha) Just gotta get used to this BIKE, that’s all... That’s my mission for this week. Then after I’m goin’ to Sweden and Russia for some more funnnn.