Mat Hoffman

Mat Hoffman (born January 9, 1972) is an American BMX rider who is considered one of the best vert ramp riders in the history of the sport. He is nicknamed "The Condor" and runs the BMX Freestyle brand Hoffman BMX Bikes based out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was contracted to ride for Haro Bikes. In 1983, when Hoffman was 11 years old, he competed in a contest in Madison Square Garden. He had learned to ride BMX on his own and did not have any other riders for reference. He remembers: "when I got to that contest I went 'woah, I guess I am going higher than everyone else'." In 1987, at the age of 15, Hoffman became the youngest SPROO to join the freestyle BMX circuit and was hired to ride for Haro Bikes. An article in Ride Magazine commented: "What's left to say about a guy who ignored all established limits and redefined vert riding – at age 15[?]". In 1989 he won the first contest he entered as a professional and took home a $2,200 check, after winning the amateur contest of the day, taking the year title in the amateur class.