12/08/07

Since I got back from Colombia I been taking a well needed break from riding not to be forgetting that the back yard is under water from a Storm that came by last week.... The Davis family invited me to there daughter play last night which it turn out to a spectacular play were they had 5 to 15 years old actors with tons of talent. Thanks for the invited Davis Fam!!!




12/06/07

Today I receive probably one of coolest thing that I have ever receive from a sponsor! Little things like that make me I feel real honorable!!! Thanks Abe and everyone @ Dans Comp

Click here to find out!

12/03/07

This weekend TJ had a surprise birthday party. And to make the surprise party even better, TJ would not accept any gifts from us but rather told people to donate their $$$ towards the Stephen Murray Foundation....talk about a close-knit family of riders. People, which really means riders and support staff from events (ETC for e.g.) flew out to be a part of this event. TJ was really stoked about the party and in my eyes, something even better was seeing him walking without the aide of crutches which he acquired as a result to his crash in Orlando. To be up after only a month and a half, or so, from all his surgeries I realized that TJ is a strong individual...and that is why TJ is TJ Lavin. A big thanks to Bobby for hosting us at his amazing house! (Oh and by the way Bobby, I will be back for a re-match in ping pong!)






12/01/07

I know it might sound like I am making this story up but once again, due to bad weather and runway taxiing, I missed my connection in Houston to Colombia. This left me in a hotel room, all by myself to celebrate Thanksgiving....thanks a million Continental! A day and a half later I arrived in Cali, Colombia and as the curse continues... minus the bike! Then, to make matters even worse, my showing up a day and a half late left me waiting to grab my bag for a couple of hours and in the end missing the first day of practice. Finally, after being taken care of by the airline and the good ol' airport I was picked up by the Ospinas. I cannot thank their whole family enough for showing me such a great time!



As soon as we left the airport, I found out how corrupt everything can be in order to even pass along on the highway by watching the Ospinosas tip off the police. When I finally showed up to the event I was pretty mind blown not only from the jumps being abnormally bigger but also to see the level of riding that the South American riders were at. Whether or not they were pulling the tricks, if they were rookies or pros..all of them were prepared to give it their "all" for this was their biggest event of the year. And talk about an event...huge crowds, all their big sponsor companies present and the biggest purse of the year for a South American contest. While padding up and getting ready to ride I did not realize how much pressure I had had on my shoulders as both the riders and the crowd were eager to see what the Mexican-American had to bring to the table.




Once qualifying started off and I was able to watch the 100+ riders go I began to worry as I watched one big banger after another being tried/pulled off. With my being the last rider, I had to make sure that all the practice and time put in the backyard dirt playground with Kyle paid off. Proudly to say that after watching some South Americans pull an array of their Mike Aitein tricks from front-flip tailwhips to 360 double tailwhips, I managed to squeeze out of qualifying in 2nd and end up 1st in the Finals! Talk about being on "cloud 9"... I am still in awe!





I never had really realized how much of an impact I have made to the people of South America. From simple things like being fluent in Spanish, helping announce, signing autographs for just about everyone in attendance, I established some great relationships. An example of this is my being greeted by another rider who had woken up at 7am so that he could ride his bike to where I was staying, and bury himself under my bags so that he made sure he got to say goodbye. The friendships and memories I have gained from trips like this is the true reason for why I love riding my bike.






During the remainder of my trip in Cali I was able to experience a whole different lifestyle than what I am accustomed. And you may ask, "What are you talking about Ricardo?!" Let me just fill you in a little: no mirrors in the bathroom; NO hot water to take a shower with; running stop signs in front of cops; tipping cops to get away with just about murder; and basically doing whatever it takes to get by in life. This trip was definitely an eye-opener and a well-worth experience.




P.S. I'm not really the type of guy who talks about money but I have always said that one day...somehow, someway...that I will become a millionaire. And in Colombia it has officially happened...I won a million Colombian pesos (let's just not think about how much it equals out to in U.S. dollars because that's when I come back to reality. LOL). Bottom line is this: I now can check that item off the "To-Do Before I Die List." Signing off and off to T.J.'s surprise party! Stay tuned!!!



More November 07 News Click Here