...then stop at Connor's place in 'Vegas
After parking in front of the impressive two-story house and ringing the doorbell, we were greeted by the barks of what sounded like a vicious killer, attack dog. The reigning champ greeted us at the door and told us that his dog - Zoey, will warm up to us in a little bit. She did. He and his girlfriend Laura rescued her from the pound, and she’s become their protector.
Soon, Connor is giving us a tour of his abode. Starting off with the family room and moving into the open kitchen and living room. Noticeably, there is no BMX to be seen anywhere downstairs. Connor tells us that was part of the plan. He purposely wanted the escape from BMX down here.
About the only thing that is slightly BMX-related downstairs is hung on the wall. It’s a large photo of the city of Tokyo, Japan. This pic is similar to the one of Rio de Janeiro that had hung on Connor‘s wall for four years, leading up to the 2016 Olympic games. It’s a minor mode of motivation that seemed to have worked last time. Hopefully it’ll have the same magic two years from now.
Upstairs is where all of the BMX is, with a loft packed with BMX memorabilia. Jerseys are hung on every wall, encircling the ping-pong table that sits in the middle of the room. His Team USA jersey from London 2012, shows the rips and tears from his main event crash, in a framed and matted display that his parents made for him. Enclosed with it, is a letter from President Obama, congratulating him on making the U.S. Olympic team.
This story is from the November/December 2018 edition of PULL Magazine.
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This story is from the November/December 2018 edition of PULL Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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MID-AMERICA NATIONALS
2ND COMING USA BMX STOPS IN NEBRASKA ...AGAIN.
GOLD CUP NORTHEAST
With all of the uncertainty in event planning this year, it was not a huge surprise that the DK Bicycles North East Gold Cup Finals shifted locations somewhat last minute. We were very lucky to have it and at a great location, Akron BMX in Akron, Ohio. The Big Red Truck was last here for the 2018 North East Gold Cup Finals, and the track is located in a pretty incredible location.
1998 HARO Monocque
“Captain America” ShowBike Custom painted by Troy Lee.
GOLD CUPS: SO.CENTRAL YUKON, OK
Yukon BMX may be the second most well-known thing in town. Located just blocks away from the high school that Garth Brooks attended - and sitting right off of Garth Brooks Ave., we’ll give you only one guess at who the Most Popular is.
TEXAS' AMERICAN SOLDIER NETWORK
PULL: Tell everyone what the American Soldier Network is and does?
Gettin' ROWDY
Yes. Rowdy is his real name. As his dad tells us, they’d first considered Rogue, but while watching a PBR rodeo, they saw a cowboy named Rowdy go eight seconds - and instantly thought that was a cool name.
LONE STAR BMX LIVES.
The legacy of the Legendary Lonestar BMX continues with a new location, new track and a AA-pro Track operator.
BURLINGTONBMX
Nestled in Burlington, North Carolina – about an hour west of Raleigh, and maybe a little longer for riders battling traffic on Friday nights – Burlington BMX has been all about family, friends and good competition since 1985.
SOONER NATIONALS
The BMX world loves them some Tulsa - and it usually coincides with a turkey dinner. But this time ‘round, stop #3 on the USA BMX circuit was for the Sooner Nationals, held inside the Ford Truck Arena (right across the parking lot from the Grands Expo). And much like the Grands, the main event action kept getting more excit ing right up until the final main.
Canada takes on the World
Competing at the World-level and attending a UCI Worlds on foreign soil is an experience of a lifetime for any BMXer. After their return from Worlds, we picked the brains of three Canadians who’d raced in Zolder, Belgium - to give everyone some insight on what to expect next year when the UCI World Championships return to the USA - in Houston, Texas’ Rockstar Energy Bike Park.