As published in DIG issue 2020 | December 2020
Is there no stopping this man! Winner of last year’s DIG Video Part Of The Year, he’s only gone and done it again, this time as our Rider Of The Year. Coming off the back of that bonkers section in KINK’s Champagne DVD late last year, Nathan didn’t have any time to think before he was back on it for his X Games ‘Real BMX’ part, and finishing off his personal project with Christian Rigal - 'Why Not?', both of which blew minds to pieces.
The dedication to the video cause is truly next level with this guy. It’s 100% all the time; regular, switch, security in front of him, police on their way - whatever it is, Nathan is a man with tunnel vision and nothing can break that. Nathan lives and breathes this shit from the very fibres of his being.
Remember those old Timex watch commercials from a few decades ago, "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking"? Nathan Williams is the BMX version of a Timex watch. During the first few days of Kink's "Upstate Of Mind" week-long trip, this rail snapped at the upright mid-warmup 50/50 grind, tossing Nathan headfirst into the ground. It was crash that would probably put most people on the couch for the rest of the week, and have them surfing every streaming service for some heavy binge-watching marathons. Not Nathan; he still got back on the steel horse and continued on with his marathon of filming epic move after epic move. Photo: Rob Dolecki
Nathan is Lord. Kink's Upstate Of Mind trip - Photo: Rob Dolecki
Is this the Van Homan “Criminal Mischief” section of the modern era? That's one of thousands of online comments circulating around this year’s epic Dennis Enarson Vans video part, 'Right Here'. After watching the six minutes-plus of blistering assaults on rails of all sizes and configurations, and obscenely large objects around the world, it sure makes a strong case for that title.
After the first filming trip to Germany in 2019 he headed to Colombia, Seattle, Arizona, New York City, San Francisco, Barcelona, before being home for a month in San Diego. COVID-19 ended up sidetracking any other potential international trips.
When all was said and done, a new Rich Forne video was created, featuring one of the most badass all-around riders to ever grace a bike, with cameos from some heavy-hitters like Dan Lacey, Pat Casey, Lewis Mills, Corey Walsh, and Jason Watts.
Can it fill the shoes of such an iconic section like Mr. Homan's was almost 20 years ago? We could resoundingly say yes, just based on the sheer wildness of all clips, but that determination is usually in the eye of the beholder. A couple of things are definitely certain: this part will be talked about for a long, long time, and Dennis Enarson is THE modern-day BMX Superman.
All eyes on the prize. Dennis puts the cart before the hop for a Colombian social media frenzy. To say the level of burliness Dennis displays is like no other, is a serious understatement. King of the world type shit. Photo: Colin Mackay
Sending it in Stuttgart back in 2019. Top five at the Pro Cup, and this wild rail ride was a keeper for “Right Here”. It was a good week for Dennis. Photo: Rob Dolecki
Cutting a mohawk and tilting my seat back was just one of the many inspirations I took from a BMX video, and to this day Garrett Byrnes has a lot to answer for. For that instant influence to still play a role when you're well into adulthood is even more impressive, but that's exactly what happened when 4 pegged, steel is real, street rider Dan Banks watched the new Fast & Loose DVD one evening last week. The guy was absolutely choking to leave the house the second the video had finished, and he stood up declaring that he was off to ride really fast. Later that evening and my phone buzzes with a photo of half his tooth knocked out and a possible broken hand. His response - "I got a little too Fast & Loose."
That pretty much says it all. In a world dominated by grinds and technical prowess, the simpler (and faster) roots of BMX have been celebrated in one of the most exciting videos to date. Rightful winners of Video Of The Year and Crew Of The Year. Check out the last word on the Fast & Loose video elsewhere in this very issue.
Kris Fox turning the screw. Photo: Matt Cordova
Squad goals - Photo by Matt Cordova
