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When you’ve done 10,000 backflips, Nitro Circus athlete Blake ‘Bilko’ Williams said they start to be a lot less scary.
Mr Williams is one of 25 athletes who will soon be in Dubbo for the Nitro Circus Live Regional Rampage Tour. The group has been performing in New Zealand, is currently in Japan, and will spend 12 weeks travelling across Australia, kicking off with their Dubbo show on March 11.
The freestyle motocross athlete has been with Nitro with the very first show in 2010. Out of the 250 shows the group has since performed, Mr Williams said he had been in about 230 of them.
“It’s just a great bunch of friends. We get to travel the world and do what we do with a bunch of mates. It can be brutal and sometimes you see your mates get carted off in an ambulance, but I’m doing what I love and living the dream,” Mr Williams said.
He’s seen a few things change during the past seven years, Mr Williams said.
“For me personally I’ve sort of settled down a bit. I used to go for broke. I wouldn’t say my riding is any less spectacular but I’m not out there trying to do double backflips,” he said.
He may say that his settled down, but Mr Williams’ firsts include the cliffhanger flip and the Flying Dutchman. After conquering some seriously hard tricks, the athlete said the backflip combinations were some of the most difficult to learn.
“You can do them in the foam pit and come off, but if you crash that one into dirt you don’t really get up and dust yourself off. It’s not like you just say 'I’m going to do that trick and you get it’,” he said.
His favourite part of the show? The Nitro Bomb.
“You’re side by side with about nine bikes and it’s all synchronised perfectly. When you’re doing a backflip in the air it’s pretty good to look behind you and see the other guys and the crowd,” Mr Williams said.
The freestyle motocross rider said he had been enjoying some time off, but was pumped to start the Australian tour with some of the best crowds in the world.
“The Americans don’t get up out of their seats and cheer. Australian audiences are the best, New Zealand is second. South Africa is pretty crazy, they were cheering so loud,” he said.
Orlander Ruming
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
