How a Local Father-Son BMX Riding Duo are Going Big

Corey Bradley and his 16-year-old son Owen share an adventurous passion: BMX riding. At 47, Corey says he’s among the last riders his age still doing tricks at the Springfield Skate Park, which also caters to BMX bikes. Owen holds a part-time job there while maintaining A’s at Parkview High School.

Recently, Owen has earned attention through online interviews on FATBMX, the BMX Network, and has become a young rider to watch. Not only is Owen winning competitions, he and his father are sponsored by Reds BMX, a Springfield shop that actively supports the local BMX community.

It’s no surprise that Owen excels at BMX riding. Corey has jumped curbs and executed freestyle tricks since he was a kid and never grew out of it.

Owen’s passion for freestyle ignited after a friend of his father’s from Kansas came for a visit. Owen was playing video games when the friend invited him to join them at the nearby skate park.

It was the first time Owen learned to drop in on ramps. He was hooked and he’s been riding and practicing tricks ever since. Last November, father and son competed in Wisconsin—Corey in the 35+ class and Owen at the intermediate level. Owen won first place.

While the Bradleys share a passion, they ride two different ways. Corey rides a Standard bike with front and back brakes. Owen rides a red brakeless Cult brand bike. Owen says his favorite tricks are bar spins. “So when you’re riding your bike, you’re holding onto the grips—the bars— and that’s when I take both of my hands off and I spin it in the air. Both wheels are off the ground.” Corey says he likes doing front brake tricks, which are “kind of a lost art.”

Corey says he rides BMX in his 40s as a release: “Whenever you start riding when you’re young, you do it for fun, you know? And now it’s just to get your mind off of real life, like a little bit of an escape.”