Rest In Peace, Dave Mirra

Here at Transmoto, we’re lovers of all action sports. We appreciate everything from the disciplines to the athletes, and today, it saddens us to report on the tragic death of a BMX icon, Dave Mirra.

Dave, who passed away at just 41 years old this morning, was a true inspiration to BMX and freestyle motocross riders all over the world. He is most well known for being the first BMX rider to stomp a Double Backflip in a professional competition (four years after Jay Miron landed an undocumented one in Europe), his BMX brand MirraCo, and his PlayStation games that warmed hearts for many years.

If you don’t know a lot about Dave, here’s his Bio from his website. Rest In Peace, “Miracle Boy”.

It is rare that an athlete truly transcends their sport, but BMX legend Dave Mirra has done just that – achieving iconic status not only in the world of BMX but in all of action sports and beyond. Winning more X Games Gold medals than any other competitor in the history of the X Games, his rise to the top has not been an easy one.

Riding the streets on his BMX bike with his older brother, Mirra was jumping curbs and flying over dirt jumps by the age of five. In 1992, after graduating from high school he turned Pro and quickly overthrew Mat Hoffman as the undisputed vert champion. In 1993, a drunk driver struck Mirra and nearly ended his career, but since then Mirra has not only recovered and returned to his bike, he has become the most decorated X Games BMX rider of all time with more than 20 medals to his name.

In 2000, he became the first park rider to land a Double Backflip in competition, and has topped almost every major podium at least once. Initially competing in both the vert and park disciplines of the Dew Tour, Mirra finished fifth in the vert year-end standings on the 2005 Dew Tour, but was unable to finish out the ‘06 season after he lacerated his liver at the second stop of the Tour and he has not competed in vert since. His consistency in 2009 resulted in his best park finish on the Dew Tour circuit, taking second place Overall after opening the Tour with a first-place finish at the Nike 6.0 BMX Open.

Holding nearly every accolade possible for a BMX or action sports athlete, Mirra has won everything from “Freestyler Of The Year” by BMX Magazine to the ESPN Action Sports and Music Award for BMX Rider of the Year in 2000. After a brief stint hosting the popular MTV series “Real World/Road Rules Challenge,” Mirra and his wife settled down in Greenville, NC, quickly making it the hub of the BMX world.