It’s not rare for pioneers to be labeled as “crazy” or “lunatics”. After all, they’re treading ground where no one’s been before. From the outside looking in, this can appears reckless or misguided.
While this reaction may have its merit, it falls short of seeing the big picture—as an action that seems insane or impossible today, comes to be routine and mundane tomorrow. Just look at big wave surfing or base-jumping—people are regularly pushing the limits of what’s considered possible. All because one individual had the courage to take that leap of faith.
Enter Brock Johnson. Brock is a talented twenty-one year-old multidisciplinary athlete who grew up on Santa Cruz’s Eastside. At a young age he cut his teeth shredding 26th avenue and sharpening his skate tricks at the many parks in and around town. Along with snowboarding, Brock fell in love with riding bikes.
As his love for riding grew, he began bringing his board sport chops to the streets—climbing up the bike and balancing with one foot on the seat and the other on the handlebars. Known colloquially as “bike surfing”, this obscure, and dangerous pastime does have a growing contingent of similar minded speed freaks, but Brock has made a name for himself by bringing it to the next level.
Instead of just cruising down the street, Brock finds the steepest, sketchiest hills in the Bay Area and bike-surfs down them at breakneck speeds. One wrong move and it’s a four foot drop to the road and unforgiving cement landing. Brock bombs these hills like a bat out of Hell, with style to spare.
In this episode, we delve into his radical obsession, exploring topics such his past as a surfer/skater, how he developed his bike-surfing style, his love for fitness and wellbeing, dealing with injuries, and how coped with the spotlight after his stunts went viral online.
Brock’s wise behind his years— so listen closely. When you’re done, lick your lips, warsh yer hands, and wait patiently for the next serving of SPLIT PEAK SOUP!
