When we caught up with dirt finalists Luke Bowerman and Larry Edgar, you would have just assumed these two had known each other for ages. Right from the start, these 2 were ragging on each other and cracking jokes. Before the interview, Larry Edgar went into a Ricky Bobby impersonation, yelling out "I'm not sure what to do with my hands!" The 2 riders were laid back, and impressively showing no signs of nerves despite being less than 5 hours away from one of the biggest contests of their lives.
In reality, Larry, a Californian, and Luke, an Australian, hadn't met until yesterday. However they've bonded so quickly that it would only be fitting for them to have their own show: "The Luke and Larry Show."
Luke Bowerman will be competing in 2 separate events today (park and dirt), while Larry Edgar is the verteran of group, appearing in his 3rd Gatorade Free Flow Tour Finals. Check out below what the guys had to say about this afternoon's finals and their experience so far at the Gatorade Free Flow Tour.
Gatorade Free Flow Tour: What have you been doing to prepare for finals since earning your spots in finals?
Larry Edgar: I played a lot of video games. The Dave Mirra one mostly. That's how I got my 360's.
Luke Bowerman: I got up, had a shower, brushed my teeth, had a sausage sandwich...
LE: Really I haven't done anything. I've just been riding. I did ride Luke Parslow's house though.
GFFT: So you haven't really learned any new tricks lately?
LB: I learned some new things on the park course yesterday,
LE: I learned how to jump over my bars on a 30-foot gap... That wasn't fun.
GFFT: Is there a certain section of the dirt course you're enjoying the most?
LE: I like the rollers.
LB: I like the step-off because it's kind of race-style.
GFFT: This course is a lot more technical than what's usually at the Dew Tour. How is that going to suit your style of riding?
LB: The jumps are more like race and trail jumps put together...
LE: And we both used to race, so it works good.
Luke Bowerman at the Skatepark of Tampa
GFFT: Do either of you guys have a favorite rider?
LB: I think everyone's favorite rider is Kyle [Baldock.]
LE: Yeah, in park, definitely.
LB: I like Mark Webb and Jeremiah Smith too.
LE: Dennis Enarson for sure.
LB: AJ Anaya is another one. I really like his style.
GFFT: Is there anyone whose riding style you try to emulate?
LB: I like to have my own style.
LE: Yeah, I just kind of do stuff, and it turns out however it does....
LB: And it usually turns out good.
LE: Except my barspins. I gotta work on those things.
LB: I really like AJ's style. He was having some of the best runs through the course yesterday.
GFFT: Do you have any pre-contest rituals or superstitions?
LB: I just wanna ride.
LE: Pretty much, yeah.
GFFT: You guys are obviously both really laid-back right now. Is this normal for the day of a competition?
LB: I don't sit there and think "I'm not gonna do good today." Whatever happens, happens. There's no good in being uptight.
LE: I definitely don't think about my runs. There's a trick I wanna do on my first run and whatever happens after that is what happens.
LB: There's not really any nerves. It's more excitement.
GFFT: Have you picked up anything new from any of the pros here?
LB: I'm pretty much name-dropping AJ, but he and Alessandro Barbero helped me out when I was at Woodward. And Logan [Martin] helped me out with a few tricks yesterday.
Larry Edgar (middle) following his BMX dirt victory at Da Compound
GFFT: What comes next for you guys, win or lose this weekend?
LB: If I win, I'll sta until Vegas. If I lose, I go back to Australia. Which is gonna suck.
LE: If I lose, I'm just gonna go ride street with my friends. And definitely gonna go film.
GFFT: How much Gatorade have you guys had this week?
LE: About 18 little bottles. I've counted most.
LB: Yeah, I'm probably the same.
GFFT: What are your goals for this weekend?
LB: I'm hoping to have consistent runs...
LE: That sounds disgusting.
LB: Everyone's expecting to win, but no one can actually predict who will win. If I win, I'm gonna be the happiest kid ever. If I lose, I won't be bummed or salty...
LE: I'll hug you.
LB: Larry will hug me.
LE: It would be nice to win, but also to have as much fun as possible. And I think I've already exceeded that!
GFFT: Luke, you'll be riding in both park and dirt finals tonight. Will competing in 2 events take a toll on you at all?
LB: I don't think so. I ride all day, every day!
GFFT: How has the whole experience been leading up to this week?
LB: Crazy...
LE: Stressful.
LB: There were more nerves leading up to competitions, but when you're there, you're like "Oh, that is really gonna happen." I've had a good time. I did what I needed to do. I tried to learn new tricks. I got injured at one point, but I don't think that'll affect me toda.
LE: It's super-fun always, but always super-stressful... Getting on a plane, making sure you have everything ready, keeping your luggage under 50 pounds...
GFFT: Larry, this will be your 3rd trip to the Gatorade Free Flow Tour Finals. Do you think being a returning finalist will give you an edge at all?
LE: I'm like the kid that got held back!
LB: The little ducking...
LE: You're an ugly duckling!
We wish Luke and Larry 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.
