Alistair Whitton: Loving Life In The US
Feb 08 2007 / Los Angeles, CA
Alistair Whitton came late to the BMX game. Spending most of his teenage years mountain biking and rock climbing, he visited his first BMX contest when he was 16. “I saw a guy doing amazing tricks,” he says. “It looked wild so I decided to give it a go.”
The Chester, England, native quickly made up for lost time by winning the 2001 European X Games just three years later. Now considered one of the biggest names in BMX with wins at the EXPN Invitational and two silvers from the X Games, Alistair recently relocated from his temporary home in Woodward, Pa., to the BMX hotbed of Greenville, North Carolina.
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When he’s not traveling the world for contests or cruising in his tricked out Dodge Ram, Alistair is making his sponsors happy with appearances or heading to his favorite spot for riding. “Everything is in Cali,” he says. “Trails, street, parks…and all within one hour of each other, so it’s always fun out there.”
Between starring in an episode of Discovery Channel’s Stunt Junkies and having a highlight video in the rotation on Sportskool On Demand, Alistair has already made his mark on 2007. He also claimed an impressive fifth place at the Simpel Session Winter Bash in Tallinn, Estonia.
Lat34 chatted with Alistair as he left for Estonia to talk about America, home ownership, and the fourth toe on his left foot.
AW: My friend Nate Wessel was building the ramps for Allan Cookes’ stunt and he had the forms to fill out to get on the show. I’ve had this idea for a while and was waiting for a reason to do it and Stunt Junkies said they wanted to film it.
AW: Yeah, I didn’t even know if I could do it because I kept crashing and crashing. I put in a full effort but it was so unpredictable. If there was no one there I probably wouldn’t have done it. I don’t think anyone else will try it because it’s just a big project to do
Lat34: You've been in America for several years now. Are you here for good or do you think you'll move back to England someday?
AW: I don’t really know, I am having a lot of fun in America and the weather is nice to ride BMX. If I move back to England, my dollars wouldn’t go very far because of the exchange rate, so I’ll pay taxes and stay here for now.
AW: There are a lot of things that shock me over here…eating food at 11:00pm, driving big trucks, buying beer at the petrol station, how the waiters at restaurants are so nice to you ‘cause they want your tip. How big the buildings are…how wide the motorways are in Cali. The list is endless.
Lat34: When did you realize you could make a career out of BMX?
AW: I reckon it was when I was getting my work visa, that’s when I realized that this was more than just having a laugh with my mates riding around.
Lat34: What's your house like in Greenville? Can you ride in your yard?
AW: All I’ve wanted my whole life is to own a house and it’s the best thing ever. I don’t have any ramps yet but I’ve got a dirt bike track and a 400 foot long zip line. I have plans to build some ramps soon. My mum and dad have been visiting me and my dad is a handy man back in England so we have a few projects going on. We made a massive decking out back and a brick wall to hide the AC unit.
Lat34: With the increasing popularity of BMX videos, it seems that many riders also have to develop camera and editing skills as well. You spend a lot of time making videos yourself. Do you think all the taping and focus on getting a great shot ever gets in the way of just having a good time?
AW: Not really because when you’re filming a video, you get into a different mind set. We go out riding and the only thing that matters is getting the best shot and if it takes more than one try, so be it because it’s worth it in the end. When you finish a video part and look back on it, getting the best angles is what makes the video.
Lat34: What's the most important piece of equipment on your bike?
AW: I would say my cranks, because I wouldn’t be able to go as fast as I need to if I couldn’t pedal with something. BMX would be boring if I didn’t pedal as fast as I can and blast.
AW: Everything on my bike is important, the only thing I can think of that doesn’t really do anything is my clown valve, but even that it important to me because I’ve had it for over 15 years.
Lat34: Do you think the money available to riders has helped or hurt the sport?
AW: It has definitely helped our sport. We are opening kids eyes. Whatever they put their mind to, they can accomplish it and make a career out of doing what they love. I never thought BMX could pay my bills. BMX is massive and a lot of companies are putting money into the sport to help it grow and are providing an opportunity to other kids.
Lat34: How have you been doing with injuries? You broke your foot a couple of times?
AW: I’ve broken my foot, my elbow, my wrist, separated my shoulder…I’ve actually broken my fourth toe so many times that my insurance company won’t cover it. The rest of my body is insured, but not my fourth toe.
I had a bad landing once and couldn’t walk for about four days. Then I could walk again but only ride half the time. It’s a challenge to see if you can ride and not hurt yourself again. I used to ride with my foot hanging off the pedal to help the pain go away, but I can’t really ride in a different position.
Lat34: What’s it like seeing yourself on the cover of magazines?
AW: I’m quite pleased with myself after putting in the effort with the photographer and seeing that it’s good enough to be used in the magazine. It makes me happy and gets me stoked to do it more. Plus, my mom likes it.
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