Thirty-thousand fans are screaming and shouting for you; your heart beats really fast and you get a little bit nervous; you wave your hands to cheer the fans and once you start your ride, everything goes quiet and you don’t see anything except you and your bike.
That’s how Nick De Wit, a professional Freestyle Moto-x (FMX) rider, describes his feelings every time he has to ride his motorcycle and execute his stunts during the past 13 years.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, De Wit got his nickname “Sick Nick for the extraordinary tricks and stunts he has become known for.
“I started with Moto-x racing since I was 17 years old; I got into a lot of races. From there I went into freestyle as I have always liked jumping and I carried on . to this day, De Wit told Daily News Egypt.
“It is up to you to decide what tricks you want to do and how you are going to do them. You always want to do the big ones so that you can compete . So it has a lot of freedom of going out and expressing yourself and of course you get the chance to tour the world, he added.
After dominating the South African scene from 2002 to 2005, De Wit took his career to the next level. In 2005 he won the double competition at the Hardcore Freestyle Championship and in 2006, he was 5th in the IFMXF world rankings.
On Friday De Wit – along with three other professional FMX riders Jimmy Verburgh, Morgan Carlson and Chris Birch – is performing for the first time in Egypt in front of the Pyramids as part of Red Bull x-fighters world tour.
“It is awesome; I only used to see the Pyramids on Discovery channel. I never thought I would ride my bike next to the Pyramids, De Wit said.
Last year, he was ranked 10th amongst the best bikers in the world during a Red Bull X-fighters competition in Spain.
“Besides the hard training and the numerous crosschecks, to be a good FMX rider you can’t be scared, you ve got to be a little crazy and be willing to take chances and go big, De Wit said.
“The bigger and crazier the trick, the better. So we use foam [filled] pit while practicing dangerous and crazy tricks like the back-flip while other tricks can be learned while jumping step by step, he added.
Before an event FMX riders have to undergo special preparations.
“We take the bike, modify it and change a few things. And before the race we make a good plan by making sure we got everything in our head: what you are going to do, the different tricks you are going to perform and where you are going to go, and getting 100 percent confident, De Wit said.
However; despite the careful planning and grueling training, De Wit was injured more than once.
“It is a risky, pretty dangerous sport. If you make mistakes you may hurt yourself really bad. I myself had my leg and arm broken, he said.
After participating in competitions throughout Europe and South America, De Wit marks Mexico and Madrid as the best arenas he ever played in as the fans there are very enthusiastic for the game.
“I took part in many competitions like x-games, world championship, but Red Bull X-fighters is the competition. It is the one everybody is trying to get into so it is difficult to participate in it, he said.
“It started as one little event in Madrid then in Barcelona and from there it built up into six events in different continents and in really crazy locations. It is amazing how it grew so big to be on of the biggest events in the world, he added
Red Bull X-Fighters are freestyle motocross competitions contested in bullfighting arenas. Alongside the X Games, they are the most prestigious and most challenging freestyle motocross (FMX) competitions.
The competition s particular flair is derived from the relatively restricted space in the bullfighting arenas and therefore the close proximity of the crowd to the sporting spectacle.
“Hopefully it will come [again] to Egypt next year, he said.
“We want to show people what to expect when the main competition comes here because they have never seen it before and demonstrate what they can see and more, he added.
“I tell Egyptian people, learn to ride the bike, wear the protective gear, the helmet and play safe, De Wit said.
