Mirra-cle Boy's Biggest Year Yet

Dave Mirra, aka Miracle Boy, is the most decorated X Games rider with 20 medals, 14 of them gold. He’s dominated the BMX scene for over 15 years. And 2006 has been one of the biggest years yet – but not in competition. He married earlier this year, left Haro to start his own bike company Mirra Co., lacerated his liver early in the contest season, and recently had his first child. He showed up to the PlayStation Pro in Orlando, the last stop in the Dew Action Sports Tour ready to start his comeback from injury.

Lat34: This has been a big year for you professionally and personally with a lot of ups and downs. Let’s start with ‘personally.’

DM: I’ve definitely had a pretty damn big year. I think the riding just sort of got pushed off to the side, I guess. I started a clothing store with my wife. It’s her store. It’s called Icon. And she does all high-end stuff – all the new fashion stuff. It’s amazing. I mean, that’s her passion.

BMX Park Check photos of Dave Mirra in the BMX Park Prelims in Orlando. View Gallery> Trick Sequences Chad Kagy Backflip Tailwhip Mike Spinner 720 Tailwhip Scotty Cranmer Double Tailwhip to Tail Tap Dhaniel Dhers Double Frontflip over a Spine

Lat34: Besides being a big year for you personally, it was a big year for you with injuries too. Give me a quick run-down of what happened. 

DM: Well, this year was interesting, man. I got hurt at every single contest. I went to Louisville and pulled a back muscle in practice. Then I slammed into a rail and split my lip. I got knocked out in Denver. And in X Games I got taken out because of a lacerated liver. The doctors said it was a Type 2 laceration, but it was actually more like a Type 3 or 4. I just did a CATScan and they gave me until the end of October to ride.

Lat34: So you just started Mirra Co. this year. Tell me how the company’s doing. What products are you psyched about launching?

DM: It’s doing awesome. My whole theory is that every time I ride I try to ride better than I did yesterday. And I want the company to be like that. We’re trying to keep it authentic and real. And one of the things I’m really excited about is a 16” aluminum frame for the 80-pound kid. That way they can ride a 15-pound freestyle bike instead of the 25-pound bikes we ride. So, we’re trying to do things for kids that no one else is doing. I’ve got a couple of ideas like that that may not be the bread and butter of the business but, it’s kind of like giving back in a sense.

Lat34: Well, and you’ve got some of the most progressive riders out there. So that’s got to help.

DM: Yeah, we’ve got Ryan Guettler, Mike Laird, Mike Cleveland, Dave Rytell and Nigel Sylvester. So, it’s pretty much an all-inclusive team.

Lat34: What other unique things is the company doing?

DM: One thing that I think is really cool is something we’re doing for Ryan Guettler and myself. We do a limited 250 run of bikes with a metal plate on it that has a serial number so you can document when you got it if you want to collect it. If you don’t want to collect it you don’t have to. But, I know as a kid it would have been cool to have the Haro that I had in 1985 and know that it was #68.

Lat34: You’ve had an unbelievable career. You own your own bike company now. You’re married and just had your first kid. But, you’ve had some major injuries this year. Why do you continue to risk your health in competition?

DM: This is the way I look at it: I still love riding. Last off-season I rode my ass off because I wanted to compete hard this year, but I came here and it just turned into a mess. And it’s funny because, what do you do? I have mixed feelings about contest. I’ll definitely compete next year and that might be it. Who knows? It does make sense to walk away now. I don’t take on a lot of things because it gets in the way of training. And training takes up, you know, five months before the contest season starts. Then you’re pretty much doing all contests. So, I don’t know. It’s a good question and we’ll figure it out soon.  I think the momentum is going right now, so I think since I’m healthy and ready to ride, why not keep your head out of your ass and just compete. You know what I mean? It took this many years to get the momentum going, so why quit now?

Lat34: Tell me about the progression of the BMX industry. Things seem to be changing right now. What changes are you seeing?

DM: Well, I hear a lot of things about the industry. And I never know what’s true or false. One minute I hear they’re not going to do BMX Dirt at X Games. Next thing, they are. But, I think a lot of big companies are getting pushed out. Rider-owned companies are kind of taking over. Think about skateboarding 10 years ago. I think the industry is regrouping internally to be stronger. Instead of just building strong outside walls, the internal wall are getting stronger now. Our industry has never been able to support itself. It’s always been about sponsorships, you know? And if TV went away, bike companies wouldn’t be able to pay you shit.

Lat34: Your season is coming to a close. What are your plans for the off-season?

DM: I’m going to ride, but I’m also going to relax. I’m not going to worry about too much about anything. If there’s an opportunity for a car race, I’ll do that again this year. I’m just going to take it free flow. I’m going to ride when I want and I’m not going to do what I did last year.

-Steve Lemig