Ride Like A Pro: Holy Man with Mike Mason
PHOTOS BY SIMON MAKKER
Every rider has one trick they’re so good at it becomes their aerial signature. Nevada’s Mike Mason’s obvious favourite is his crazy-big Holy Man to Double Grab combo that he seems to hold for a good couple of minutes. Everyone who sees him bust it out shakes their heads and mutters “how does he do that?!?”
Well, luckily for you, we’ve cornered the funny-man of FMX and forced him to spill the beans after capturing this insane sequence at the Crusty Demons’ Gold Coast show.
Mr Mason, the floor is yours.
STEP 1
Before you even think about having a go at this trick, I recommend you have your Double Grabs so dialled you can almost do them in your sleep. The same goes with Rock Solids. If you have both these tricks down, you will find the Holy Man to Double Grab comes a lot easier.
STEP 2
Approach the ramp as you would any other way for 75ft and remain in a central position over the bike. As the bike hits the ramp, I push down with my feet and preload the suspension. This will give you more “pop” off the ramp and will enable you to hold the trick longer as the bike floats higher in the air.
STEP 3
As my bike rebounds from its preload, I use this to help flick my feet up from the pegs instead of fighting to get them up there. When I’m in the Superman position, I throw my hands off the bars and hang it out. Obviously you won’t make big releases like this from the get-go. I first started with little grabs, then began competing with myself to keep my hands off longer.
STEP 4
After letting go of the bars, keep lifting your legs and drop your chest towards the saddle. This will help get your legs up into the Hart Attack position when you reach down and find your grab-holes. This is a timing thing that can’t really be explained, but will come with practice.
STEP 5
By the time I’ve latched on to my grab-holes, I’m in my Double Grab Hart position and hopefully someone is getting a cool picture of it. Again, I usually try and hold this as long as possible. By this stage the bike is heading back towards the down-ramp and it’s time to get myself back into a position where I can land safely.
STEP 6
Pull back hard on the grab-holes to help centre the bike underneath you. At the same time drop your legs, then let go of your grabs with both hands and bring them back towards the bars. I usually leave myself very little time to get this trick completed; I’ve seen photos where the bike is only a few feet off the ground and my legs and arms are still completely off the bike. Basically, I want to waste no time in the air.
STEP 7
As the bike hits the down-ramp, my hands and feet are in position and I can absorb the impact and walk away. This is one of my favourite tricks, and I kinda class it as my signature move. In a scene where it’s all about Backflip combos, it’s cool to get credit for a right-way-up trick that people talk about and keep wanting to see.
Good luck with it! Just don’t get so good at it that you steal my thunder, hahaha.
HI, I’M: Mike Mason
I’M: 26 years old
I LIVE IN: Carson City, Nevada
I RIDE: Honda CR250
I LISTEN TO: ’80s metal and rock. The ’80s was where it was at.
WHEN I’M NOT RIDING: Chilling out, playing guitar, and following the NFL and NBA. I spend so much time riding that I really value my me-time.
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