He Dhers to Dream

After an awe-inspiring breakout year in 2006 that included clinching the overall Action Sports Tour title in BMX Park, Daniel Dhers became the man to beat in 2007. Unfortunately for his competitors, that just never happened. Dhers nailed the gold medal in Park at the X Games and successfully (and authoritatively) defended his AST title. The Venezuelan with the ultra-precise riding style is emerging as one of the most successful BMX competitors ever, delivering wild trick combos with a consistency that's leaving everyone else in a battle for second place.

STARTING SMALL IN SOUTH AMERICA

Growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, Daniel rifled through various sports like karate and basketball until some of his neighborhood friends got bikes. "I didn't have any balance at all," he recalls. "At around 12 years old, I started learning how to ride a bicycle for the first time, just to hang out with them." He eventually met up with a group of BMX riders, who turned him on to the local skatepark. He took his first spin around the park on February 4th, 1998, a date he remembers with ease. "I got dizzy riding the ramps," he says, "but I really liked it, so I started going there every day." Unfortunately, the park closed a few years later, and Daniel was forced to hit the streets to work on his riding skills.

When Daniel was 16, his parents received a job offer in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and off they went. "At first it was hard; I didn't know anyone. There was a skatepark there, though, and it really helped me out because there were more riders and bigger ramps. People were already doing flips; it was a whole different level. I started going there every day, all day. I really focused on riding." Unfortunately, that park eventually closed as well and Daniel was back to street riding, or making the rare trip to a park an hour and a half away on the sketchiest train in the country.

STEPPING UP HIS GAME

The perpetual lack of riding facilities prompted Daniel to dream of the chance to ride Woodward Camp's ramp mecca in Pennsylvania. A chance meeting with Woodward resident pro Tom Stober at a demo in South America in 2003 resulted in an invitation to camp, and Daniel took full advantage in 2004. He was originally slated to stay for two weeks, but enjoyed it so much that he ended up staying for most of the summer.

He returned to camp in 2005, but arrived too late to enter the qualifying events for the contest season. Disappointment turned into drive, and Daniel rode at camp non-stop, further motivated by one of his early heroes, BMX Vert legend Jamie Bestwick. "He'll push me every time," says Daniel. "He'll see me try something in the foam, and he'll say, 'You have to land that right now.' I'll want to wait, but then I'll think, 'Okay, he's Jamie Bestwick, he might be right,' and I end up pulling it first go. Now, if he told me I could throw myself from a five-story building and land on my feet, I'd probably try it."

SETTING THE STANDARD

Pulling that move is probably not completely out of the question, given Daniel's machine-like precision on the park course. He plowed through the '06 season with countless 360 and tailwhip variations no one else was doing, and opened 2007 with a completely unique and wild-looking flatspin 720. He rode non-stop, attacking every practice session as if it were the final event. "I really felt like I had to prove myself," Daniel remembers. "I would do ten double tailwhips and if I slipped a pedal on the tenth I'd throw my bike like a madman, then do 15 more to make sure I pulled them all."

Although probably not the best recipe for stress management, Daniel's approach certainly paid off. With his rookie years behind him though, he's made some adjustments. "I've become wiser about riding in general," he says. "I used to do do-or-die tricks back-to-back all day, every day. Now I know I can do the tricks, so I don't make myself do them all the time." Don't assume that means he's resting on his success, however. Since his 360 variations are so wired, he stepped up to learning them all in 720s for the '08 season, and he's taken to spinning his flatspin 720s and a new 360 flip over the much more technical spine ramp. He won the '08 AST opener in June, so for the third year in a row, Daniel Dhers remains the rider that everyone else is gunning for.

KEEPING IT REAL

Dhers went from obscurity to superstardom in a flash, but his work ethic and dedication to family back home in Venezuela and Argentina have ensured that he keeps everything in perspective. "I'm accomplishing my dreams," he says. "Now when I go to contests, I know that if I pull my tricks and achieve my goals, I'll go home happy." Chances are he'll go home with the winning trophy in his hands, as well.