‘Practice makes perfect’

With the daredevils from FMX4Ever in attendance at the IBW 2019, we just had to sit down for a quick conversation with them. Here’s what Jochem Van Eede, Gilles Dejong, and Mike Van Dijck had to say

Bike India (BI): How was your experience of the India Bike Week? Do you like how it’s been organised, the festival, etc?

Gilles Dejong (GD): Yeah, I really liked it. Cool atmosphere, like all the people are very excited to see what’s going on, what’s happening. I think for a lot of people, it’s the first time they see FMX in real life. That’s pretty cool for us to show to you guys what we can do and to get a good reaction and good vibe from the people. That’s pretty cool.

You did get quite a good reaction yesterday. People didn’t know how to react to the stunts to begin with, but once they got going, they really got into it. So, did you get that kind of energy from the people here?

Mike Van Dijck (MvD): Yeah, yeah, for sure. When we are riding back in Belgium, they’ve [the people] seen so many of these things. For us, riding here and seeing the people here and smiling and cheering gives us the motivation to ride well and put on a show.

GD: Also, a lot of people come to us after show. Yesterday night, we were walking at the festival and a number of people came to us for a picture, to say hello, and shake hands.

Tell us a little about FMX4Ever and your history and how you got involved.

GD: Most of the guys started in motocross and I think all of us got a bit bored of the racing and had more fun doing the tricks and the jumps.

When did you guys join FMX4Ever? GD: About 14 years ago.

Jochem Van Eede (JvE): Four years now. MvD: I was racing for 10 years and have been doing the tricks and joined the team five years ago.

Why shift from motocross to FMX?

JvE: With motocross, it was all in Belgium. You see the same people because with races, there is no travel; you always see the same faces. With freestyle, there is travel; you get to see new cultures, people, places, etc.

We heard you guys visited Sri Lanka recently and had a crowd of over 100,000 there?

MvD: Yes, so many people! Sri Lanka is good. The people, the culture were good. We stayed there for 10 days and we also did some rafting.

You guys also broke a world record recently. Can you tell us more about that?

GD: World record? We’ve been a part of a lot of world records! The longest jump, the highest jump, the biggest jump...

JvE: We also rode the bike on the water, that was one of our records.

This was later used as a stunt in a mainstream film as well, right? We watched that video...

MvD: Yeah, “Triple X”, that was the movie they used it in.

Are you going to do any record-breaking tricks here?

GD:(Laughs) I don’t know. I mean, the bikes are good and ready.

When they set up the arena for you at the IBW, did you guys specify the exact size and measurement for the stage?

GD: Oh, we do it ourselves. We bring everything — the ramp, the landing; it’s all from Belgium. A lot of people see us when we are setting up and wonder. They see the take-off spot and the landing and they just can’t figure out how we’re going to get from the take-off to the landing. It’s pretty cool.

So, how big is the team that has come to India?

GD: It is just the three of us. We set it all up. JvE: People around help us carry and place it, but the final fixing and placement is done by us. If you change the position of the ramp even a little, it can change the whole stunt. That’s why we make our set-up.

GD: The landing is very good. We set it up using a hydraulic pump and, in case something happens to the bike — a bike failure, you never know — we use a cushion too.

So, now that you have experienced IBW, would you want to do this again? Come again next year?

MvD: Sure, we would like to come next year. I would love to bring my girlfriend and my son!

What advice do you have for someone or the kids out there who want to get into freestyling and stunting?

GD: Start with motocross, understand your bike. Once you get a bit confident on there, then, maybe, try a small jump.

MvD: You need to go small step by small step; not too big. Don’t go fast; just play with the bike. Feel the bike. Have fun with it.

JvE: You have to feel comfortable with the bike. Then if something goes wrong in the air, you can correct it. When you don’t have a feeling of the handling, you can’t do it.

GD: Practise, practise, practise. Before we do any trick, we practise it about 100, maybe 500 times.

What’s one trick you hate doing, the one you find a bit difficult?

GD: For me, the scariest is the back flip. JvE: For me, the one where you mess up is the scariest. The one where you mess up a trick. Seriously, the 360, to turn the bike to the side; it took me the longest to master.

MvD: I like all the tricks but I would say trying the back flip. I fell a couple of times in the foam pit. That scares me a bit as once you start the trick, you have to commit to it.

JvE: You try it, halfway you jump. No, no. You have to commit.

Have you guys ever attempted a front flip?

GD: One guy in our team does it. But just for the sake of safety, he uses an airbag because it is such a dangerous trick. You can land head first and have the bike land on you, so...

Is the 360 tougher than the back flip then?

GD: The back flip you can still control with the gas or the brake, but with the 360, it’s harder. The 360 is a dangerous trick. You never know what may happen and there isn’t anything you can do up there.

Since KTM have brought you here, tell us something about your involvement with the brand.

GD: As you know, we have a whole team and our entire team is supported by KTM. We are very lucky to have those guys with us. They provide us with very good bikes. [We are] so very, very happy that they support our team and that they help us to come to places like India.

‘Practise, practise, practise. Before we do any trick, we practise it about 100, maybe 500 times’