Five Minutes With Pat Bowden

Australian freestyle motocross ripper, Pat Bowden, has been lighting things up on the European FMX scene. It has already been a huge year for him, polishing his arsenal of Flip tricks and making his debut at the Night of the Jumps (NOTJ) competition. The Freestyle Kings team rider is constantly progressing with his tricks and with his FMX career, which can only mean that there is more big things to come for him. I caught up with Pat for a chat after the first round of NOTJ.

Ben: Tell us about how you got the invite to NOTJ. Was it a hard competition to get into?
Pat: It’s something I set as a personal goal a few years ago and I have been working towards it for a pretty long time. It definitely is really hard to break into the international competition scene. I guess I got the invite due to a combination of hard work, the right support and a little bit of luck.

How does it feel to be a part of such a huge European FMX event?
It feels good. It’s always nice when you set your sights high and finally can tick it off the list, no matter what it is. You get the feeling of satisfaction knowing your hard work and dedication is paying off.

You seem to be breaking into the international FMX scene, so what other competitions and demos have you been a part of?
Back home in Australia I am part of the Freestyle Kings FMX team, and when I’m not doing shows and comps around Europe, FK keeps me busy with demos in Australia and internationally.

I see you’ve been training hard. Have you been working on anything new or polishing your existing tricks?
In the last six months I set myself a goal to learn Hart Attacks, Double Grabs and Ruler Flips, and I can do all of them now. So now, I am focusing on what I need to do to progress to a new level of riding.

How did the first round of NOTJ go for you?
I was happy with how I went. I really didn’t set any expectations or put any pressure on myself, I just used it as a learning experience and to get in the swing of competition riding. So to make it directly in the final on my first time and to place fifth was a bonus.

Who would you say were your top opponents?
Pretty much the four guys ahead of me. I learned a lot from my first round and I know what I can work on now to start progressing towards the podium.

What are your plans with training for the next round?
My goal for now is just to do the tricks I can, the best I can and just generally be smooth and safe. Being un-injured is my main priority at the moment. I know I have what it takes to be the best but I’m not going to rush things. My approach is to wait for the perfect timing and push when I feel confident and ready. So far, this approach has been working for me.

Have you got any other big plans for 2016?
I have got some plans set in stone, so stay tuned and find out!