BMX trick rider releases internet video

Cape Town-based BMX star Murray Loubser fell in love with trick-riding during a camping trip when he was 16.

A keen mountain biker at the time‚ Loubser watched in awe as a rider performed a back flip.

“I’d never seen anything like that before and I was like I have to do this. This is what I wanted to do.”

He got his first BMX and the rest was history for the now 24-year-old‚ a sponsored rider who films his stunts.

“I don’t know why I took to it naturally … I just wanted to do it. For fun‚ not as a professional‚” said Loubser‚ whose sponsor Red Bull has just released a 29-minute internet video of his approach to tricks on their website.

He also films his own tricks too‚ releasing those on his Instagram account‚ mr.moo__

Loubser‚ who was homeschooled from Grade 2 because he struggled with ADHD‚ grew up in the seaside village of Gansbaai‚ near Hermanus‚ from the age of eight‚ enjoying an outdoor lifestyle.

During his gap year after school he picked up a sponsorship from Red Bull and he’s been doing tricks ever since — breaking a few bones and tearing ligaments along the way.

A big element is conquering the fear when he returns to the scene where a previous attempt ended in a crash.

“The mental battles are strong especially if it’s a spot … and I crashed really badly. Then coming back to that spot I know what happened before‚ I still want to do the trick and you have to push through that and be like‚ ‘I’m not going to fall this time‚ I’m going to land it’.

“You learn to push the fear aside and believe in yourself. You’ve got to overcome it. If you’re scared when you’re doing it you always fall.”

Trick riding is set to become an Olympic sport at the Tokyo Games next year‚ under the name of BMX Freestyle.

Loubser describes that as BMX Park‚ as opposed to his profession of BMX Street‚ which is about looking to break new ground rather than perfecting pre-determined tricks.

“I just try and be creative. BMX has a lot of set tricks that everyone can do‚ but you can look at something differently and do something different.

“Often I rely on the spot to help me do something different‚” added the rider‚ who has competed with success occasionally.

“So I see something someone would never normally ride and I go you can actually ride this.”