FMX Insider No.32: Pagès The Freak

Transmoto’s weekly web-exclusive column, the FMX Insider, penned by Ben Heidrich.

In the world of freestyle motocross, it seems every week a new varial or trick variation is being invented, therefore mainstream competitions feel more like video games than real life. French rider, Tom Pagès, has always been one to push the envelope, not only for his big whips and unreal upright tricks, but for his body variables and crazy vert ramp flairs. A new video has been uploaded of Pagès performing another world first – the Alley-Oop Flair, or the Pagès 540.

The video shows three different angles of the extraordinary looking flip, taking off on a vert quarter pipe and landing on a soft dirt lander. In a classic Pagès style, the 540 Alley-Oop is executed perfectly, looking big and clean. The trick is spun in a very similar fashion to the way Travis Pastrana performed 360 Backflips at X Games, the only difference being the horizontal spin rotation is only 180 degrees.

Pagès has been dominating the quarter pipe lately, with his self-created Flair variations including Tsunami Flairs and Indian Air Flairs. Pages was also the first person to pull the Bike Flip, which he performs during a 180 jump off the quarter pipe. Alley-Oop Flairs open another door with quarter pipe variations and teaches us a lot more about the dynamics of flipping a dirt bike on a quarter pipe. The Alley-Oop was originally invented on BMX where the rider rotates in the air one direction while traveling across the ramp in the other direction.

Tom Pagès put Backflips aside for a long time due to personal issues that he faced while learning the trick. He is well known for his amazing up right trick style and consistency. Over the past three years we have seen a lot more from Pages; turning the bike upside down with a more imaginative approach. We can only start to envision where Pagès’ variation style and creativity will drive the sport in the near future!