Who says freestyle has hit its peak? Cam 'Sincs' Sinclair is talking no handed and nac double backflips — crazy stuff huh? And it's no trash talk either. Double flip combos are closer than you think - well that's the word coming from the man who has ridden away from nine double flips so far, most of them on portable ramps during the recent NZ Crusty Demons tour... gnarly!
The next step for Sincs is actually becoming the first FMX rider to pull off a double flip in a freestyle run. He would have pulled it in Mexico City if the conditions were right, which means you can expect to see something special when he fronts at the next Red Bull X-Fighters round he enters in Spain.
I caught up with the double flipping machine as he prepares to join his good mate Bilko back in the States to talk about what went down for him in Mexico City, what's been happening back home, and what we can expect from him in the near future.
camsinclair.com.au
Cam's focused on being the first competitor to pull the double backflip in a freestyle run. Will it happen? By the look in his eyes, we're guessing yes.
Sincs, it looks like the double flips are a walk-in-the-park for you now. Is this true, and tell us why you didn't get to pull one at Red Bull X-Fighters, Mexico City?
Yeah, I feel the double is becoming easier. I've been working on it more in the foam pit and am now getting no handed and decent nac double flips down. It's not as scary for me now, like at Mexico I wasn't really worried about it, I was more disappointed the set-up wasn't 100 percent right. The ramp was totally wrong. It was a super kicker design from five years ago, which is way different to what we use now. It wasn't poppy enough, and even if the ramp was perfect, the bikes ran poorly. I know everything has to be 100 percent right for me to attempt the double and I won't try it unless it is.
I'll miss the next Red Bull X-Fighters round as it clashes with the Oz Crusty Tour, but I know the Madrid round of X-Fighters in Spain should be good as it's the same promoters of the event I pulled my first double there a few months back. They'll use the same set-up I used there before.
When do you think you'll pull it out during a run?
I guess in the heats if it goes head-to-head I'll probably pull one out toward the end, but if I make the finals, who knows, I might pull out something special, maybe two, but in saying that I want to keep something up my sleeve for X Games so we'll have to wait and see.
camsinclair.com.au
Can you imagine a world where double backflips are the norm? Guess what, you're living in that world now.
You still did really well in Mexico City without the double, you must be happy with the way it turned out.
In Mexico City my quarter final run worked out 100 percent perfect, but in the semi I made a few minor mistakes like not landing side saddle, but overall I was pretty happy as I'd hoped to make the top five with a double flip, and I ended up fourth without it, which has opened the doors for me to compete in the following rounds that don't clash with the Oz Crusty Tour.
So you're back now briefly before heading over to the States to hang with your mate Bilko, what's been happening?
Well besides practicing doubles into the pit, I just returned from the South Australia FMX Championships where I finished second to Steve Mini. There were a bunch of good riders there including Western Australia's Josh Sheehan, Joel 'Balchy' Balchin and Chucki Norris. I looked good for the final after qualifying first, but come my run I made one tiny mistake, but congrats to Mini, he rode great.
camsinclair.com.au
Unlike double backflippers of the past, Cam is no one-trick pony.
Tell us about America, will you spend time with the Mulisha while you're there?
I head over Easter Monday to stay with Bilko for a couple of weeks. While there I'll do a comp in San Diego, attend the Lusk Poker Tournament, plus sort a bike out and get ready for X Games and Dew Tour later in the year.
I'll definitely catch up with Mulisha crew and do some riding at Deegan's. This is my second year with the Mulisha. Joining those guys is probably one of the best decisions I've made as they're real popular and have a lot of good connections, which has helped me gain good exposure. And besides that, they're just a good crew to hangout and be involved with.
Then back to Oz for Crusty Tour?
Yeah, I have been looking forward to the Oz Crusty tour for a while now. I'll be double flipping straight up at the first round in Melbourne, which is my hometown and the crowd is always great, so it'll be lots of fun. The Oz tour will be better than riding the NZ one as all the venues are in-door, so there won't be any problems with the weather.
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Contributors
Ryan Leyba
Leyba is a bitter, retired FMX rider who likes to sit in his cubicle and call the professionals of the sport wussies for not pulling 360s and double backflips. He claims he quit riding FMX before flips were even invented ... yeah, right.
Cliff Talley
Making FMX videos exciting is easy. Making them look good is not. Cliff Talley does both of these well and still manages to find enough time to piss off his neighbors with his Travis Barker-esque drum skills.
Chris Tedesco
You've seen his photos on the covers of Transworld, Racer X and more. You've also seen his tequila shooting skills at your local dive bar. Ladies, Chris is single and looking to mingle.
Grant "Goba" O'Brien
FMX in Australia wouldn't exist if it weren't for Goba. Well, maybe it would, but it wouldn't be nearly as cool. I don't know why, but we can't quit calling him gobalobadingdong — it just rolls off the tongue.
Tes Sewell
Tes is the dude who's always involved in everything that's going on in FMX. How he does it, we don't know, but that's the reason we hired him to share his plethora of FMX wisdom in the form of a monthly column.
