Chad Kagy Mega Ramp

Today Chad Kagy is trying to focus on tomorrow’s BMX Vert contest, but he’s got something VERY large looming in the back of his mind.

X Games 12 marks the first time BMX riders will compete on the Megaramp, and so far Kagy is the only rider to have taken the plunge. He rode the Megaramp in Mexico a few months ago and is looking forward to getting on it again, but says he wants to make sure that he and other riders respect the seriousness of the endeavor.
 
“There’s not many people who can say they’ve gone 45 miles per hour on a bike, much less with the intention of going straight into a giant quarter pipe,” says Kagy.
 
A conversation on the deck of the Vert ramp with Kagy and Koji Kraft during this morning’s practice session inevitably turned to the Megaramp. Kraft is an alternate for the Big Air contest and is eager to get a piece of the action, but Kagy wants to make sure he has his head in the game first.
 
“You can’t just go up there and huck shit, or you’re going to get killed,” Kagy warned Kraft. “It’s not that kind of ramp. I’m telling you: go up on that 90 foot roll-in and look down at the 70 foot gap. Then really think about it. It will give you a whole new perspective on what you do and don’t want to be doing with yourself up there.”
 
While there are a number of top BMX riders with the jumping experience to handle the big gaps, Kagy says that the quarter-pipe will be a major factor.
 
“I think Kevin Robinson understands it, but the other guys just don’t understand how insane it really is,” says Kagy. “That quarter pipe is the scariest part of it. A lot of the other guys ­might have the jumping experience, but they don’t have the vert experience or the quarter-pipe experience. Unless you’re a consistent vert rider, you’re not going to have any idea what to do with that kind of speed, and even then it’s a whole new game. That thing is insane.”
 
Kagy thinks the Megaramp is a great opportunity to advance the sport of BMX and says he hopes to build on his experience in Mexico. He also wants to keep himself in check.
 
“Everything I did in Mexico I plan on doing this weekend – Superman seat grab, suicide no-hander, back flip, back flip tail whip,” says Kagy. “I haven’t done the 70-foot gap yet, and I’d like to do a back flip tail whip over it, but I went up there last night and it’s like, ‘oh my gosh, that’s intimidating.’ I’ve got a couple other plans for some new tricks, and if I get comfortable riding in practice I might do them, but I don’t want to call myself out on them because if I don’t feel comfortable I’m not going to risk my life for it. I don’t want to be held to anything when the stakes are so high.”
 
“It’s seriously fun, but it is serious,” says Kagy. “I’m telling everybody: take it slow. I’m not talking about speed, because that you can’t do anything about. I’m talking about your head game. “Take everything slow, do your tricks slow, think things through. On a ramp like this, you can’t afford to be a loose cannon. That’s a hell of a lot of speed and a hell of a lot of momentum, and there’s no way to just bail out. It will be interesting, that’s for damn sure.”
 

– Colin Bane