on’t let his style and fluid ability fool you; Nate Adams is a tough competitor. He rides hard with passion and competes to win. At 15 Nate’s primary goal was to beat Travis Pastrana. In 2004 Nate raised the bar in freestyle motocross, working harder than anyone else in the sport and taking the gold from Travis. At 21 he has risen to the top of the freestyle motocross world. Nate doesn’t win competitions by riding safe and conservative. He wins by doing the most difficult and dangerous tricks in FMX. Nate has mastered the 360 flat spin and is the only rider to do it off ramps set at a distance of 75 feet. The skill to make difficult tricks look easy has proved to backfire in competition, so Nate just keeps riding and being himself.
     After his big win at the X Games in 2004, Nate was flown to Italy for a half time freestyle demo during a Supercross race. He was getting paid a small fortune to do the 360 flat spin. Wanting to put on a good show, he came back after the 360 for more. While going from one trick to another upside down, Nate came off the bike and bounced violently off the ground. He instantly went unconscious and was rushed to the hospital with a broken left femur bone, torn knee and damaged shoulder. His recovery was slowed with complications. Four surgeries later, he had to have a new rod put in his femur.
     Nine months after an injury that could have ended his career, Nate was back with a vengeance. With only weeks to prepare, Nate set his sights on the Red Bull X-Fighters competition in Madrid, Spain. To everyone’s disbelief, Nate took the win. But he wasn’t done yet. X-Games Eleven was just around the corner and Nate wasn’t letting it pass him by. After spending most of the 2005 season on the couch, Nate went on to medal in both FMX events at the 2005 X Games. Nate currently is riding better than ever and has just moved into Brian Deegan’s old house better known as the “Mulisha compound” complete with ramps, a dirt jump and for the first time ever, his own foam pit.
     Nate Adams was seriously injured during the time of the production of a DVD about him. The production continued and evolved into a final product titled: “Full Circle.” Producer Rich Van Every interviewed Nate during his recuperation and put together this Q&A for Parts Magazine.

Once back on a bike, Nate had very little time to train for the Red Bull X-Fighters competition in Madrid, Spain. His form was perfect, though, and he took a stunning victory in his first event back in action after nine months off.

Soon after his victory at the 2004 X Games, Nate had a huge crash doing a demo stunt at a Supercross in Italy. After four surgeries, and lots of rehab, he was back in action nine months later.

RVE: So, judging seems to be based less on difficulty and more on innovation?

NA: “It’s not really rewarding the person doing the most difficult thing, it’s rewarding the person who went home and learned a new combo that week. It doesn’t mean it’s harder than what everyone else is doing. There is a reason why you can’t learn a 360 in a couple of days. They (judges) are just really overlooking how difficult the flip really is and the consequences.”

RVE: How can competitions stay fresh and keep the fans excited?

NA: “Travis went for a double flip and over rotated a little bit. That’s on everyone’s mind now, the double flip. It might plateau for a little bit. That’s natural for everything in life. But look at Kenny Bartram, who just came out with the sidesaddle flip. There was just so much hype, the backflip was the first inverted trick and everyone thought it was impossible. People have seen the flip a hundred times. I think the ‘wow’ factor has been taken out of it a little bit.”

RVE: So with the X Games and the wall ride, are you in favor of more urban style courses?

NA: “Yeah, I like the wall ride. The only thing is, no one has a wall ride, and so if they’re going to put one in, they should give us warning. No one is really utilizing it to its full potential. The wall ride might be the extent of it. Some people are talking about handrails, but I don’t see that any time soon.”

RVE: What motivates you the most right now?

NA: “Winning. Just being back on top like in 2004. There is no better feeling than knowing I have everyone beat. That’s my motivation, I just want to get back up and win.”

RVE: Is that more because you want to do your best, or to be the best?

NA: “I’m not trying to think of myself as a person better than anyone else. I know that when those guys are practicing they’re practicing to beat me. That just gives me a little bit of an edge. I put in my practice time, I’m confident that there is nothing more I could have done.”

RVE: Any advice for the kids who want to be in your boots?

NA: “The advice I would give to kids is to have fun. I know it sounds cliché, but what I mean by fun is to be creative on the bike. Try doing something different every time you’re riding. Don’t get stuck in the rut of habit. This will keep things fresh and, most importantly, fun.”

RVE: What would you say is your worst concussion?

NA: “Probably when I broke my femur. I got a concussion then. I usually come to a little faster than I did then. My mind was hazy and my mind was in a haze for a couple of months. Even if I hadn’t broken my leg, I probably wouldn’t have ridden for a couple months. My head was in such bad shape. It really scared me that I had to get a cat scan on my brain. They thought I could have had a tumor. For a while brain surgery was in question.”

Nate being carried around the stadium after being announced as the winner of the Red Bull X-Fighters competition in Madrid.

Rich Van Every (left), producer of the “Full Circle” DVD with Nate.

“Full Circle,” the documentary on Nate Adams tells his story from his early motorcycling days to X Games champion. It continues though the days of the “big one,” the rehab and back to the top step of the podium in Madrid.

RVE: “And that was your fifth concussion in 2004 as well?”

NA: “Yeah. Obviously that was probably the reason why it was my worst. I probably didn’t give my brain enough time to recover from the other four.”

RVE: Did the “Second impact syndrome” concern you?
[Editor’s Note: “Second impact syndrome” refers to the cumulative effect of concussions on the brain. In simple terms, think of it as a math equation in the sense that 1+1=3]

NA: “Yeah it concerns me. I think that everything happens for a reason, even when you’re going through your problems, I think it could have been a blessing in disguise. I didn’t ride for 8 1/2 months and all the surgeries that held me off my bike…I believe they were the right thing. Obviously I get mad that I had the wrong size rod put in my leg and I could have been riding four months sooner. But it was good to let my brain heal. I feel my mind is crystal clear and I feel more confident.”

RVE: What else gets you going?

NA: “Music. It gets me through the day. Whether on my road bike, washing my dirt bike, doing errands, whatever.”

RVE: Play the guitar some still?

NA: “Off and on, but pretty much when I’m hurt. I’m so busy all the time now.”

RVE: Other goals?

NA: “Stay healthy, and ride all the time; not be in pain. I’d really like to win the Red Bull X-Fighters in Mexico City…I haven’t won there yet. Obviously I’d like to win the Dew Tour. And next year, win ‘em all. My goal is really to stay healthy and keep it on two wheels.”

RVE: Talk about the biography style film on you.

NA: “It’s a documentary titled Full Circle and it just won Film of the Year at X-Dance! It’s about a year and half worth of filming; it shows me preparing for X games ‘04 all the way through me winning and then shortly after that breaking my leg. And recovering. It pretty much follows me in my life. It’s quite a story and you did a great job on it Rich, so thank you again. I would also like to thank the big man upstairs, my family, all my sponsors and the Familie for all the opportunity to do what is truly my calling.”

Please visit: www.nateadams.com or for more info on the video www.studio411.com and www.richvanevery.com.