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| .:: Startalk | Mountainbike/BMX
Pro Rider |
Another chapter of family tradition is following.
Roger Rinderknecht is also a part of a family tradition.
His dad was a former Motocross Racer and his brother Rico
is one of the best Freestyle Motocross Riders in Switzerland.
Roger is the only Pro rider in Switzerland and he is doing
well. He is riding for the German Keineke Racing Team the
4X and Downhill World Cup Races. He also rides the 20 inch
Bicycle Supercross in the USA which is a X games discipline.
We talked with him about his life being a Mountainbike pro
and some other specific things …
Roger Rinderknecht in St. Gallen/Goldach |
Hi Roger, first of all tell the people out there
your place of birth and your current residence.
I was born in Winterthur/ Switzerland, and lived here pretty
much ever since. Winterthur is the 6th biggest town in the
country, and a really nice place to be. Good nightlife,
lots of nature/woods around, situated in the middle of Europe
which is really important if you have to travel every week
to some other place, and the best BMX track of Switzerland.
Only problem: typical central European weather! I´m
living in California during the winter for 3 months, and
about an other 3 months I´m busy travelling to the
races and stuff.
First time you ever rode a BMX bike and when did
you start racing?
I was 4 years old when I first sat on a BMX. A full- suspension
Yamaha! I did my first small race one year later. Although
I was everything else but good, I kept on riding ever since.
The big turnaround came 10 years later. I decided to ride
and train a lot more to chase my dream of becoming a professional
rider. It paid off!
Training for the 20 inch Bicycle Supercross in the
USA |
Who did inspire you to do BMX?
My dad used to ride Motocross back in the days and came
up with the idea of riding bicycle-motocross. When I saw
my big brother doing it, I wanted to do it as well, as he
was my big idol!
How important is BMX for you in your life?
BMX takes a mayor part of my daily time, so obviously
it´s really important. But I still try not to overrate
it though, because it´s still just a sport and certainly
not the most important thing in life.
Tell us something about the actual BMX scene
in Switzerland ... how many pro-riders and how many hobby-riders
are there?
Because Switzerland is a really small country, the amount
of riders is limited. Everyone knows each other. The overall
level is pretty low. We've got some of the best tracks
in the world though and the alpes are great for mountainbiking.
That helps to bring out some talents every now and then.
The sport is still growing in Switzerland, and with the
increasing support of the federation, it's getting better
every year.
Right now I´m the only professional BMX rider in
Switzerland. We´ve got around 400 riders in the
different clubs all over the country.
Roger with style | tabletop over the double jump |
Has Switzerland a kind BMX Federation or something like
that?
We are in the Swiss Cycling Federation like all the other
cycling sports. With BMX being an Olympic discipline, we´re
finally getting the acceptance we deserve.
What would you change to give the BMX sport in Switzerland
a better perspective?
The weather!! But I guess that´s not possible. Something
we could do is provide special schools and stuff for BMX
riders as well, not only for skiers, icehockey- and soccer-
players. We are going in the right direction since the last
two years.
Is there a combination
between the lifestyle of other extremsports (Skateboard,
FMX) and BMX?
BMX racing is quite a bit different. We all love dangerous,
exciting and crazy stuff, but at the same time we have to
stay really focused on our training. Racing is not a joke,
we have to be really fit to be competitive, so I think we
are more serious (not boring!) than the others.
Roger is a really smooth and technical rider |
Your brother Rico is one of the best FMX riders in Switzerland.
Did you ever thought about to try riding Freestyle Motocross?
I’d love to try it more often, it’s just way
to dangerous! If it doesn’t work out with my bmx career,
I might try it.
Is it important for you to ride with your buddies
and is there a good cohesion between the Swiss riders?
Riding with friends always pushes you forward. Especially
in Winterthur, we have a really nice, laid back scene that
gives you the motivation to go out there every day and give
your best.
What would do you when BMX not exists?
I’d party way to much!
If you want to be on top, you need a lot of strength
and discipline |
Which value have Contests/Races for you?
Since I’m a little kid, racing is what I like best.
I love sitting on the gate, hearing people cheer, feeling
the pressure and seeing my opponents next to me.
What are your goals for the future?
My main coal are the Olympics 08 in Beijing. That would
be a dream come true.
Did you ever had a bad crash and did you break something?
I actually never had a really bad accident, but for sure
did hurt my self millions of times already. A couple of
broken bones is just part of the deal.
Have you ever thought about the life after BMX?
To tell you the truth, no!
Favorite location to ride?
I like to ride as many different spots as possible.
What is more important for you - the sport
or the industry?
I have to say the sport, but without the industry, it wouldn’t
work.
Tell me something about your USA-Trips
and what kind of Contests you are taking part there?
Every year I’m leaving for California for the winter.
I stay there for about 3 months and train with the best.
I also hit some American national championships.
Last words … please give the kids some basic
tips, how they could start with BMX easily, if they want
to?
All you need is a bike and a helmet. Go out, start playing
around and everything else will just come by itself. Stay
clean! |
Name:
Prename:
Date of birth:
Place of birth:
City:
Bikes:
Team:
Hobbys:
Favorite food:
Favorite drink:
BMX since:
Favorite Tricks:
Sponsors:
Website: |
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Rinderknecht
Roger
04.05.1981
Winterthur/Switzerland
Winterthur
NICOLAI “ro20”, NICOLAI “bmxtb”,
NICOLAI “ufo”
KRC- Nicolai
Riding trails/street, building tracks
Sushi
orange juice
1986
to do: backflip, to see: 360 variations
KRC, Nicolai, 661, Oakley, Maxxis
keineke-racing.de |
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