In 2007, Kyle Loza sat on top of that famous X Games roll-in waiting to take his first run at freestyle motocross' most recognized event. Seconds after rolling down toward the super kicker, his life would be changed forever.
Loza went on to land the "volt" and win that Best Trick event, then the next two after that. After winning three years in a row, the pressure was on to win a fourth … Loza answered that call, preparing to bring the "bikeflip" in 2010. Unfortunately injuries would hold him back from competition for the next couple of years.
Finally in the fall of 2011, Loza was able to give the bikeflip an attempt at the Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas. He came close, but was unable to land the trick. Not to be denied, Loza got back in the foam pit and looked forward to this year's X Games, but once again he came up just shy of completing the bike's rotation and landing the trick. Injuries sustained in his first run made him pull out of his second run.
Like he has done in the past, Loza ignored critics, remained positive and got back to work. After staying out of the spotlight for the better part of the past four months, Loza made his return to competition at the Dew Tour's "FMX Triple Threat" event in October. After a solid showing, we tracked down Loza to talk about the event, the changes to his program and of course the bikeflip.
ESPN.com: Kyle, we haven't heard much of you since X Games, but recovering has obviously been good … because you came back with a pretty good showing at the Dew Tour's "FMX Triple Threat" event.
Loza: I started riding again about four weeks after X Games. It took me a few weeks to get used to the pain and to get my ankles back to riding condition, but now I'm riding a ton.
What did you think of the "Triple Threat" format?
It was super fun! I was able to take a different approach at it than X Games. I got to relax and just have fun doing "electric dooms" and "volts." I need to practice more whips though! [Laughs]
We didn't see it at the Dew Tour, but I had heard you were delaying surgery until you landed this bikeflip, how close are you to landing that thing to dirt?
I'm landing on my seat in the foam pit 85 percent of the time. I also got a resi-mat [on landings] so that has changed my creative process a ton. As far as surgery goes … I'm on the track. I am still hitting ramps and messing around in the foam pit six days a week.
After the disaster with my wrist a few years ago I've learned, that if there are no bones poking through my skin or internal bleeding, to just let my body decide if I need surgery or not and right now, I feel awesome.
I can't even imagine what getting that monkey off your back will feel like.
The last few years have been a lot like being in the ring with myself, I put really high expectations on myself to not just win best trick, but to do something bigger and better than I did the previous year.
After winning with electric dooms two years in a row I felt like I was moving backwards and I think the fans did too. That mindset is good but the trick [bikeflip] has taken more than a couple years to master and in this sport, in some instances, it matters more to podium than to progress myself for the sake of one trick. I will never stop working on the bikeflip, but I've realized I can't let it dominate my career. Once that sunk in … I started just getting crazy in practice and having a ton of fun again! I almost immediately created amazing new tricks that are more consistent at the moment than bikeflips.
I had so much fun riding Dew Tour, doing electric dooms and tricks I have locked down; I'm heading out to Barcelona in a few weeks for another contest and I couldn't be more excited. As hard as the last few years were, they were necessary and the future looks brighter than I could've ever imagined!
Where does this trick rate on your life's challenges list?
If I had to rate life challenges, they would be as follows:
1. Putting Jesus Christ first in everything I do.
2. Loving and taking care of my wife and two kids no matter what it takes. I enjoy this challenge though …
3. Using the platform in life that God has put me on to help people.
4. Staying on top of what life throws at you like injuries, finances, and on and on.
5. In this sport, the bikeflip has been the top challenge as far as trying to get a trick landed and the pressure it has created is intense!
I think if you'd ask any freestyle motocross rider that is trying to progress, tricks that nobody has ever done before are always ridiculously challenging and stressful. The bikeflip is at the top of my list when it comes to the technical details. I think the answer is this: The bikeflip has been a challenge that has consumed a good portion of my career that has put a lot of pressure on the other challenges in my life. Does that make sense …?
Let's say you land the bikeflip tomorrow … what then? Have you ever thought of volt or ED combos?
Recently I've done some "murderific" volt combos that I can't really talk about. But … I have been doing electric doom to double-grabs, tsunamis, and Indian airs for about five years … the bikeflip was my only goal the past few X Games, but I'm working hard to put all this insanity in runs soon.
You have had some changes to you program since X Games. Rumors are you have changed agents and you are giving your whole program a facelift from your sponsors to bikes.
Yeah, three months ago I signed with E3 management and it has been amazing! My first agent and friend, Dan McGranahan is an amazing guy, but we had to go in different directions.
Monster Energy, Alpinestars, Verizon, FMF and Dunlop are the most amazing companies I have ever worked with and come 2013 there is going to be some exciting new companies that I can't wait to work with!
My new agent, Josh Berman, and the man that helped birth modern FMX, Tyler King, are two of the hardest-working guys I have met and together our team is constantly working towards an amazing future.
I want to go back to the year before your first X Games gold. What was Kyle Loza like back then?
[Laughs] Well, the biggest change is that I am married to my beautiful wife, Casey and have the two most amazing kids ever on Earth, Sadie and Draven. But I have always been addicted to skateboarding, music and art. Back then, I basically filled every single day with those things and now I have an awesome little team that comes with me and we do those things together … I love it!
Did you ever think you would be a three-time X Games gold medalist?
Between the ages of 7 and 15, I was skateboarding a ton and had a handful of sponsors. With X Games being the Super Bowl of extreme sports, naturally I had my eyes set to be a professional skateboarder, but when I got my first dirt bike at age 15, motocross was all I could think about. I never thought I would get to X Games that fast 'cause I started riding so late and when it happened … I lost it! [Laughs] God really dropped this in my lap and when that happens how can you say no?
Over the past couple of years, you've made it known that you plan on dialing in your flip tricks to possibly jumping into the contest scene. Is that something you still want to do?
Until a couple months ago, I was never practicing volts and electric dooms at the same time. My goal now is to throw these two tricks and their respective combos together along with my upright tricks like no-handed Shaolins and backflip tricks into a run that I hope will be one of the most amazing-video game-like FMX runs ever done.
This has been my vision for a while and I'm not far from it. The pressure that comes with a run like this is insane, but every time I think about it I get so excited I feel like there is nothing that is going to keep me from it! I'm sweating … [laughs].
Last one; you have always been a jack of many trades. You have never been scared to tell the public you have a life you value outside of FMX whether it is music, tattoos, art, or skateboards. If you walked away from FMX today, would you be happy knowing what you have done for yourself, your family, and the sport?
Thanks! Yeah, I feel really blessed to have such an impact on the sport! I can't imagine walking away from FMX anytime in the next 10 years. Every day before I train … I still get excited thinking about what I'm going to be able to do on my motorcycle.
