FreestyleXtreme Magazine Issue 5 | Page 80

£ Tyler lays
it flat in the
hills

”

off another injury, he wasn’t as
prepared as he would have liked
to have been.
“I basically got the go-ahead to
ride three weeks before A1 in
2013, following the recovery from
my ACL injury. Just as this was
happening, I had to have another
surgery to fix my meniscus. It was
flipped over upside down and my
bones were rubbing together, so
pretty much just had to go in and
get the oil changed in my knee,
which was a quick fix,” explains
Bereman. “I pretty much rode
Supercross for the first time ever
three weeks after healing up from
my ACL, throwing myself to the
wolves. At the end of the season
I was super satisfied with what I
had done and what I had learned,
being so far behind the eight ball
and coming in with only a few
weeks of riding.”

With his momentum building it
was now outdoor season and
time to really put the hammer
down. Anyone who has raced an
AMA Outdoor National knows
that it’s no joke. Your fitness
better be in pristine condition,
as those 30 minute motos plus
two laps, will rain down heavy on
your endurance - physically and
mentally. Once again though, fate
would intervene and luck would
not be on Tyler’s side.
“Man, yeah, I was at the first
outdoor race and I ended up
tearing the ACL off my knee bone,
the same one I had already torn.”
Bereman says with a dragging
sigh. “It’s been an ongoing battle
I’ve had with injuries. The only
real healthy season I’ve had was
the 2013 Supercross. I went on to
race Mammoth MX this year and
I once again tangled with another
rider coming down the downhill,

and compound fractured my
femur.”
Through all his setbacks, Tyler
always seems to be drawn back
to his roots - freeriding in the hills.
Like so many riders influenced
by the Crusty Demons and Moto
XXX video era, Bereman’s love
for riding in the hills, hitting trails,
and shovelling jumps beams like
stadium watt lights. Anyone who
has ridden with him can see and
feel his energy and the confidence
that exudes from him when he’s
on a bike. He’s rarely faced a
jump he hasn’t conquered and
his drive to build new jumps,
shovel in hand, fuels his passion
and keeps peace in his mind. The
corporate racing community can
be volatile and the politics can
certainly be unfair.
“Racing in this industry can be
cookie-cutter corporate; I don’t

© JOHN SANDERS

“

There’s no doubt in
my mind that one day we
will be able to make a living
riding in the hills