Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1385624
M ike Metzger has competed in EnduroCross, Super- cross, AMA Pro Motocross, Supermoto, road racing and extreme enduro events world- wide. He's also won gold medals at the X Games. Oh, and he's got that little moniker of "Godfather of Freestyle." He's also backflipped his way over the fountain at Caesar's Pal- ace—the same fountain that Evel Kneivel jumped on New Year's Eve in 1967. So, it's not a stretch to say that Metzger has more than made his mark in the sport of motorcy- cling, but it's what he's most proud of that may surprise you. "The biggest thing that stands out from my whole career is, definitely, winning a Loretta Lynn's Championship as a kid in the 14-15-year- old class," the 34-year-old Metzger said on the eve of the 2010 Games. "My goal as a little kid was to be the best racer, and, with a dad who was so committed to getting me to the races every weekend and building a career to ride a bike and make money, to go out and win a Loretta Lynn's moto- cross championship as a mini- bike rider... I don't think anything holds a torch to that. It's super cool that I've won X Games gold medals, and my goal in 2002 was to leave the X Games and the Gravity Games with some medals, and it went better than I even expected. I got silver at Gravity, and gold for X Freestyle, and gold for X Best Trick. That was a great year and there are so many things that I've gotten to do in this sport that I never expected to do, but as a racer growing up, winning a National Championship as a kid is pretty cool. I know that's the biggest thing my dad is proud of, because he was never too pumped on the freestyle thing." The "freestyle thing" came about mainly from Metzger's love of BMX. "I always wanted to go and race BMX as a kid," Metzger recalls. "I was born into a family with my dad a gung-ho dirt-bike racer. Fortunately, I was spoiled by my dad to have dirt bikes, but as a little kid I really wanted to race BMX. My dad would say, 'Why would I take you to the BMX track to do one lap at a time when I can take you to the motocross track and you can go ride for half hour, an hour?' That's the way he looked at it. I looked at BMX... freestyle BMX was where it was at for me as a kid. I remember going to the super- market with my mom and it was never about picking up a mo- tocross magazine, it was about picking up a BMX magazine so I could see what big tricks guys were doing. But as an 80cc rider I started doing Nac Nacs and CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE P118 THE GODFATHER OF FREESTYLE Mike Metzger cling, but it's what he's most you. stands out from my whole career is, definitely, winning a as a kid in the 14-15-year- old class," the 34-year-old the 2010 Games. "My goal as a little kid was to be the best was so committed to getting Mike Metzger was a trailblazer when it comes to the sport of freestyle.