With BMX Park finals going down Saturday evening, this year's batch of finalists are now in the final stages of preparation. They've had weeks, and in some cases even months, to ready themselves for this stage, and now it's a matter of learning the course and figuring out their lines. The riders had the opportunity to practice on the course for a few hours on Friday, so a pair of championship hopefuls, Brandon Loupos and Ty Callais, stuck around for a bit afterwords to talk to us.
Brandon is an Australian who came to the States to train at Woodward and compete on the Gatorade Free Flow Tour. He earned the final invite to park finals after winning at Mission Valley a few weeks ago. Ty Callais, on the other hand, was the first rider to lock up a spot in finals after winning at Ramp Rats back in May. He's dealing with an injured wrist this weekend, but will still be giving it a go in finals. Find out below what the pair had to see about their experience so far and what their goals are for Saturday night.
Gatorade Free Flow Tour: Congratulations on making it this far! What have you been doing to prepare for Saturday's finals?
Brandon Loupos: Ever since Clairemont, I didn't train at all. I travelled and went to Utah for a bit [to compete at the 12th Street Dirt Jumps stop], but no real training. It was all mental preparation.
Ty Callais: Same thing. Metally prepared. I was just focusing on getting into dirt.
GFFT: So I take it you haven't been working on any new tricks lately then?
BL: I learned heaps of new tricks when I went to Woodward and Woodwart West. I haven't taken them off the resi yet though.
TC: I haven't learned anything new. I learned how to nose bonk. I don't ride box jumps much; I mostly ride street. I can do the basics though: 1 backflip... 1 frontflip...
Ty Callais at Ramp Rats
GFFT: Dennis Enarson helped the park course you're riding on. Now that you've had some time to practice on it, what do you think of the course?
TC: I think he did a good job. I didn't get to ride much because of my wrist, but it was fun.
BL: It's a little different, but it's a pleasure to ride.
TC: There's lots of good lines and plenty of potential for creativity.
GFFT: The box jump seemed to be getting a lot of use during practice. What sections of the course have you been using?
BL: I liked using the wallride, the euros, the hitching post spine, and a lot of the quarterpipes.
TC: I like the step-on/step-off stuff, and the big green ledge for sure.
Brandon Loupos at Mission Valley
GFFT: Who are your favorite riders?
TC: Nasty, for sure.
BL: I would say Dennis. He's what I want to be as a rider. He shreds everything. Everything he touches, he shuts down. I ride his signature frames and parts. He's got good taste in bike parts for sure.
GFFT: Do you guys have any pre-contest rituals or superstitions?
TC: I just play a lot of loud music in my ears. Aggressive metal.
BL: I normally talk to my team manager, my dad, close friends, or my girlfriend and have a talk about what I want to do and see if i should do it or not. I just don't wanna be nervous.
TC: I never say "one more try." Maybe something like "another try." Also this is the shirt [an Avenged Sevenfold shirt] I won in at Ramp Rats. I was thinking about wearing the same outfit when I compete this weekend.
Ty Callais at Ramp Rats
GFFT: Have you guys been drinking a lot of Gatorade this week? Any favorite flavors?
TC: My favorite is the the G2. If you drink those, you'll be alright. I'm a G2 fan for sure, especially the grape.
BL: They all taste amazing. The one I drink the most is the orange one because it's always around.
GFFT: How has the whole experience been this week and leading up to the finals?
TC: It didn't really set in til I got here that I was going to the Dew Tour for Gatorade Free Flow Tour finals. I got on the plane and realized "I'm really doing this." Being in this environment is crazy.
BL: The second I found out I came in first, I knew this means I'm going to Portland. And it was just an amazing feeling.
TC: It's a dream come true to be in this environment. To be walking around with all my favorite riders, eating the same food as them...
BL: Staying in the same hotel as Mad Dog is crazy. I definitely want to thank Gatorade for arranging this great system and what it can get you.
Brandon Loupos, tuck no-hander at Mission Valley
GFFT: What were your goals when you originally entered your respective qualifying stops?
BL: I didn't expect to win. I just wanted to have fun and see what happened. There were a lot of good riders at my stop, but a lot of them crashed. And that got me into finals.
TC: I was pretty confident going into my stop. There's a BMX scene there I know, but I know most of the riders at my level were too old to compete. Beteween the age limit and not having pros in the contest, I knew it would funnel out a lot of the top riders.
GFFT: Now that you're here, what are your goals for this weekend?
BL: Just to have fun. And triplewhip the bank-to-bank [box jump.]
TC: I don't even have a goal. Once I hurt my wrist, I decided I'm just gonna wing it.
Ty Callais, 360 barspin at Ramp Rats
GFFT: Whose style of riding do you try to emulate?
TC: I'd have to say Dennis is definitely an influence on my riding. i ride his frame too and everything.
BL: Dennis is my favorite rider, but I never get to ride street as much as he does. My park style is pretty similar to Kyle Baldock's. He's an amazing rider.
GFFT: Brandon, you know [fellow Australian] Kyle Baldock pretty well, right? What were you thinking when you heard he won at the first Dew Tour stop?
BL: When I found out he won, I was like "no way!" I was stoked because it's his first year on the Dew Tour, and he won! He definitely deserved it.
TC: I saw his run. Pretty insane. That double flip was so slow, like it was nothing!
Brandon Loupos, frontflip at Mission Valley
GFFT: Win or lose this weekend, what comes next for you?
TC: I have no idea.
BL: I go back to Australia on Monday. Just knowing that I made it to the finals is good enough for me.
TC: I'm gonna go home and let my wrist heal. Then I want to get back to filming as soon as possible.
We wish Brandon and Ty the best of luck in Saturday night's finals! For updates throughout the day, follow the Gatorade Free Flow Tour on facebook and twitter (@GFFT). Then check back to gatoradefreeflowtour.com after the contests to get all the results, photos, recaps, and highlights.
