[February 2000]

<!-- Gabe is one of the new breed of riders that is proving that New England flatland won't die after the old guys get too old. And despite riding only a very short length of time, he's already impressing the hell out of guys who have been riding longer than Gabe's been alive. (Scary thought.) He's a very quiet kid who lets his riding speak for him...and that's getting louder every contest I see him... -->

Age, home, years riding:

I'm 15 years old, live in the Northeast part of Vermont, and have been riding for 18 months.

How's the weather up there? Does it ever get warm?

The weather up here is really bad. Basically winter starts at the end of October and lasts up until the middle of April. In the winter there is only 4-6 hours of daylight, so that is pretty depressing. Today it was -58 degrees outside. It gets so cold it is dangerous to go outside! In the summer Vermont is a wonderful place. It never gets really hot like other parts of New England, and it is always sunny!

How did you get started riding? Why did you choose flatland and not street or dirt?

I was introduced to "freestyle bike riding" in the fall of '98. I had gone to a GT Bike show in Burlington, Vermont — Vermont's only city (well, town really). I was amazed by the acrobatics that they were doing, so after the show I went to a bike shop and bought a Props video — it was issue 25, which had a Martti Kuoppa interview in it. I was amazed at the things that he was doing on his bike. That is when I got my first freestyle bike. Two days after I got my bike I met Marcel Tremblay on the internet. We phoned each other back in forth talking about riding — well, at least he was talking about riding; I did not have a clue about trick names or anything about flatland. He is the one who really pushed me to ride flatland, and now I am addicted!

To get as good as you've gotten so quickly, you must ride all the time — do you?

Um, no, not really. Well, in the summer I ride pretty much all day, but in the winter I only get to ride like 2-4 hours a day.

Where do you ride?

In the summer I ride in front of a old torn down movie theater, or North Country Union High School. In the winter I ride in a third floor attic in the elementary school my mom works at.

Are there other riders in Vermont? Do you ride in Montreal at all?

I don't think there are any other riders in Vermont. It would be great if there were though! There are a few kids getting into riding, but they dont want to put the time or effort into it when they can have "bigger and better" things like cars. I do ride in Montreal every last Saturday of the winter months. (They hold a comp./jam every last Sat. of the month at Taz Mahaul.) There are many great riders in montreal, I just wish I knew how to communicate with them.

Ever heard of Mark Montague?

Who? [Editor's note: Mark Montague is one of the few flatlanders to come out of Vermont.]

Did Rich Upjohn frighten you the first time you saw him?

Ahh, well, OK...maybe a little bit. I heard about Rich from Marcel before my first Impact comp.,so I kind of had a picture in my head of he looked like. Don't be scared kids, he's the coolest guy around!

What keeps you motivated to ride, especially during the winter?

The satisfaction and the fun of learning new tricks is what keeps me motivated. It is more difficult to stay motivated in the winter, because having practically no sunlight during the day makes you tired and weary. On those off days I just play Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and that motivates me to ride!

Major influences:

The single most influence on me would have to be my mother. She has taught me to never give up even when all odds are against you. Martti Kuoppa, Marcel Tremblay, Brian Chapman, South Riders, and all the New England riders are also major influences on me, and my riding.

Favorite riders:

Martti Kuoppa, Lee Musselwhite, Brian Chapman, Marcel Tremblay, Chase, Terry Adams, and most of all Kevin Jones.

First "real" trick you ever learned:

Do endos count?

Favorite tricks to do:

Tomahawks!!!!

How long does it take you to get from your home to Impact? Is your mom crazy or just supportive?

It takes about 5 hours to make it to Impact from VT. Vermont is very isolated; for an example, you have to drive 80 miles to get to the nearest Burger King! So, I think my mom likes to see civilization once and a while. My mom is very crazy — she loves flatland more than I love flatland!

Do you have any sponsors? Are you looking for that kind of thing?

North Star Cyclery in Burlington, VT hooks me up with parts once in a while, but no real sponsors as of now (except for my mother). It would be nice to have a shoe sponsor though — I go through a pair of shoes ever 2 weeks.

What advice would you give a kid just starting to flatland?

Ride because you enjoy riding! Don't ride for anyone except yourself.

Final words: