19 Apr Road Trip: Will Fisher in Texas
Will Fisher with a tuck no-hander during an Austin winter.
Let me start by saying that Canadian winters can be cold and long. If you are a fellow canuck like myself, you already know this. If not, well…rain, sleet, snow, freezing temperatures all they way in to April…. you get the idea! Needless to say we all look for a getaway. If you are reading this I’m 99.9 % sure you are already familiar with Austin, Texas. If for some reason you are not, read on and I will be happy to show you the light.
Drew Bezanson – backflip.
I just returned from my maiden two-week voyage and I am pretty bummed to be back. I had heard millions of great things about the place prior to my trip so I was more than excited to check it out and I can certainly say that it lived up to the hype. I flew down with Drew Bezanson for the purpose of riding, filming, shooting photos and hoping to add some color too my skin. I completed all of the above however a painful red tone was not the color I had in mind. Drew had all the logistics worked out ahead of time so Stew Johnson was there to pick us up at the airport and also provided us with a place to stay (Thanks again Stew!). In addition, Drew had convinced Anthony Napolitan and B-Hunt to fly in the next day as well so we had a pretty good crew going.
Large crews from all over congregate at the trails.
The best thing about Austin is that it has everything. Tons of local riders, pros that live there, pros that are visiting, trails, cement parks, street, girls, nightlife, T-1 ramp, great food, swimming, girls with no tops, awesome live music, shopping etc.. When we were there it seemed like the entire pro BMX population accompanied us as well. The trail sessions were pretty incredible and happened every single day, the T-1 ramp sessions were in a close second but less frequent. It’s not often that you get to ride world class ramps and trails with legends like Ruben and Joe Rich.. BMX boner moments aside, every day was a blast and it’s no coincidence that there has been a recent influx of awesome web edits coming out of Austin.
Stroll around Barton Springs.
Our daily routine was basically: Wake up at 11:30, go for brunch at one of the many amazing diners, go ride T-1/street, swim at Barton Springs (amazing hangout/public swimming spot with good female scenery), grab a bite to eat, head to Eastside for the evening trail session, hit up Whole Foods for dinner, then either chill with people or go out on the town. No matter what combination you are going for there is always someone else down to participate since there are so many riders around. The scene is super laid back, everyone goes with the flow and because most people are there on vacation or scrape by earning money from riding/odd jobs, work never seems to get in the way of fun. I can’t imagine there are many other places quite like Austin.
Clint Reynolds 360 Table
The trails were definitely the highlight of my trip. I grew up riding trails so it was pretty awesome to get the chance to ride Eastside. They are incredible and I have to give all the locals the utmost respect and say they have done an amazing job building them. They are overwhelming at first and it’s pretty breathtaking to watch people flow through them, something you have to see to understand. Thanks to those guys for letting us ride everyday!
Eastside trails.
Drew measuring up the trails.
Another exciting thing we got to do was head north to the Dallas Supercross race that was in town the one weekend. A group of about 10 of us went up there in two vehicles. A few connections came through and we all had VIP passes and box seating for the race. We also got to walk the track as well, which was quite cool. A football stadium has never impressed me before but this new Dallas Cowboys stadium is something else. To quote Aaron Ross, “The T.V. screen cost 41 million dollars alone!” I heard that phrase come out of his mouth several times and he wasn’t the only one taken aback by it. Very happy to say I have seen this stadium and the race was super exciting as well.
Will at the Dallas Supercross.
I could continue to go on like this all day but to make a long story short, Austin is a place that you really need to experience first hand, it’s quite welcoming so if you show up there and you aren’t a dick head, there is a high probability you will be able to secure a place to crash and be welcome to ride all the wonderful spots. Do yourself a favor and make the trip to Austin. I promise you wont regret it!
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone I met on this trip and everyone that helped make it as amazing as it was. You guys are awesome and I look forward to seeing you soon!
Will whip.
I am now going to share a few inside tips with you to make your trip better…
- Shakespeare’s is a very popular BMX bar and also quite large.
- If you meet a girl there and she knows what BMX is or name drops a UK rider you might want to continue your search…
- If you can’t find a place to stay you may be able to meet a girl and stay with her as long as you want – This works. Not naming any names…
- Barton Springs is a very good place to spend your day swimming and “bird watching”
- “Bird watching” is a British term for ogling women.
- Go in the winter months because it gets very hot in the summer.
- You will likely be turning all your jeans into cut-offs.
- 50cc scooters are the choice of transportation so bring one if you have one.
- If you want to ride the trails you should probably pick up a watering can, broom or shovel first
- Whole foods downtown is a good place to run into riders, look at women and eat healthy. Trifecta!
- Empire is an awesome shop and you’d be very silly to not stop by and check it out/buy something. They are super helpful.
Restaurants – I like food so I am going to share this with you…
- Mr. Naturals – Energy fruit Salad – Best breakfast ever!
- Veggie Heaven – Vegan friendly – I’m a meat eater 100% and even I like it!
- Starseeds Diner – Very good food and quite cheap.