Ryan Williams, Known as “R-Willy,” he took to YouTube to share how he pulled off another unprecedented BMX trick. “Backflip without front flipping bicycle”, Dubbed “Free Willy” by Travis Pastrana, it took over 11 days, over 24 hours of practice and over 1,000 attempts to iron to perfection. In Williams’ own words: “This trick has been in my head for over a decade and it’s the hardest trick I’ve ever done in my life. “It was a mental battle for myself to keep working hard, but we did it in the end and I hope everyone enjoyed watching the process.”
The complexity lies in the fact that: Approximately 10 moving elements that need to be aligned Perfect for the success of this technique. Additionally, Williams was blind and had his back to the bike for most of the stunt, which added to the difficulty.
The process of mastering this skill It started ten years ago. In 2013, while training with the Nitro Circus team At Parole, Williams came up with the idea of combining a backflip with a “pedalless frontflip.” However, he soon realized that this was extremely difficult. Despite the challenges, Williams continued to practice the technique over the next two years, including in live performances, and eventually, On March 14, 2015, he achieved this while riding his motorcycle in Sydney. Travis Pastrana himself dubbed the trick “Free Willie,” and Williams decided to keep the name.
Williams didn’t stop there, however. He realized the trick could also be performed on a BMX bike, This presents new challenges due to the difference in wheelbase. Despite his efforts, he was unable to complete the BMX trick at that time.
Seven years later, Williams found the perfect place to perfect the technique, his own “Willie’s Place” Equipped with airbags to provide a safer environment for practice. While experimenting with special flips and heel clickers, he realized it might be more feasible to perform the trick using a heel clicker variation. After just 10 minutes of trying, he managed to grab the handlebars of the BMX Free Willy.