It looks like almost all of the Verde crew comes from a BMX racing background!

“Yeah, the pic above is from my Hoffman race days. I was lucky enough to get one of the first Hoffman Flash bikes. I believe that the pic is from one of the UK National Series races when I was 14 years old. They would run a K.O.D. (King Of Dirt) jumping contest in the lunch hour at each National meeting. We would finish our third moto, then the numberplate would come off for the K.O.D. Ha! I remember my parents being pretty livid every time either one of us entered the K.O.D., as the focus was supposed to be on the race.” — Toby Forte

I was thinking back to the first time I went to Las Vegas. I’m pretty sure it was for the DK Dirt circuit finals around ‘99 or 2000. I was excited to see the big city lights and showgirls, I was not excited to see the bill for a plane ticket to get myself out there! The screenshot above shows you that I did not have a sponsor at the time, so travel, entry fees, and accommodations were up to me. On the first night I arrived I walked down to the jumps and saw steve setting up the site. He graciously offered to waive my entry fee if I helped set up banners. I needed all the help I could get, so I helped set up until the wee hours of the night. I ended up making my flight’s cost in winnings and came out with a free trip to Vegas. Anytime you can walk away from Vegas without spending money is a success in my book! (This will definitely be the last Vegas related post for a while I promise!)

I’m bringing Lou into this way back! Lou Capparelli is the reason I’m wearing that Pepsi one lycra jersey.. yikes. I’m glad freestyle moved out of the jersey phase. This photo was from the original Eastwood Ramp park in Wilmington, NC. The park was started by Dave Mirra. When the weather was bad we’d cruise down I-40 to the beach and ride with the locals. Ruben Alcantara even lived at the park for a while when he first moved to the US. You should have seen his kit: 4 pegs, gyro, front brakes, purple shorts!! He was just as impressive running that style as what he is today. All at eastwood.

Cory and I just got back from Eurobike in Freidrichshafen, Germany. I figured it would be fitting to do a way back with Muth this week. This is classic Muth style with a perfectly executed tuck no hander; bike vertical, hands up, fingers stretched. Kids take note, it doesn’t get much better than this. The photo was taken at the trails he built behind his grandparents house (photo is on the box though). Mineshaft represent!

Not many names out there will recognize Scotty Clevenger. He made a huge impact on the scene of the south east. He was one of the first Pro’s I ever saw ride. Every time he, Mike Ritchey, Jon Moak, and Cory Muth came to our jumps all the ratty kids (I was one of them) went nuts! Scotty was invited to compete in the first “X” games (then known as the extreme games). This photo was taken by my Dad at the Play Clothing ramps in Winston Salem, NC. Steve used to live there. Further stories welcomed in the post section..

Since I’m probably the biggest fan of these “way back when(sday)’s” and I’m staying at Ryan’s house in Portland, he’s decided to let me do today’s post. This photo was taken in Garner, NC at a spot called “Hoke’s” (Where the “pro’s” rode) by Ryan’s father and I believe it was the summer between 7th and 8th grade. I have every reason to be smiling for this photo, I was just getting over a bruised kidney which had me laid up for 2 weeks and this was the first time I got to ride. This session was really loose for me but Barrett was handling the “Pro” jumps with ease. Not only was I jealous of his bike but his bike control in general made me envious. You gotta love how certain trends come full circle; low top canvas Vans, big bars, and purple parts… all that and I’m back on a chrome bike. damn. Thanks for letting me do this post!

~Chris

Its crazy to think a photo from the 401 trails could qualify for a “way back..” post. It seems like yesterday Muth, Doyle, Will/David Stroud, Scotty, Mike, Jon, the Dexters, and countless others were all lined up to crank around the wooden berm(!) and take a run. Here is a tobogan over what might have been the box?

Lion’s park.. 2B homecooked shirt.. smooth style.. custom painted helmet with Calvin (w/o Hobbs).. You know that can only be one person, Cory Muth. Raleigh’s Lions Park was where I first witnessed Cory’s speed and flow. I had never seen anyone ride a bike like Cory! Cory was a world class racer with the scars to prove it. Don’t ever give him a kidney punch; he’s only got one left. Ask him about the Worlds in Holland if you want the details. Bonus info: his grandparents painted the starting hill on this photo.

This is another waaayyy back post. this was taken at “honda hill” in cary, NC. It was a place for bmxers and hellraisers to come rip it up. The land was supposed to be developed, so dozers came in and carved out a hillside in the woods. When the money ran out they abandoned ship and left a sweet place to ride. It had walls up to 30′ tall that we would ride up and/or down. This photo was taken on “the cliffhanger” where you would jump a steep 7′ lip and have to clear a gap of about 2′ to land on top. Basically a glorified fly-out step up. I spent all of my summers roasting in that deep, clay dustbowl. Its where I met most of my best friends–its funny to think about how many people from high school I never talk to, but I’m still tight with all my BMX bro’s from honda hill!

way back thursday doesn’t have the same ring as “whens(day)” trust me, I know this. But when you decide to use compressed air to dust off your computer keyboard, It might not function properly afterwards… oops! Moving on, this here is a photo of Kris’ first and last day of smoking. It was a fine Erie, PA night. I think we were getting ice cream and somebody found a cigarette. Why not smoke it?! Kris was involved in a heavy hitting BMX house for a couple summers. Doyle, Mike Szczezny, Aitken, and Bennett all lived the good life riding all day and laughing all night. Live it up boys!