CULT CREW: Florida
Chase Hawke, Dakota Roche and Sean Ricany riding all kinds of park, street, DIY, private ramps, a pool...
Style god Chase Hawk is another of the top riders that make up the crew at Cult – his products for the brand include the American-made, flat black ‘B Boy’ frame which comes with a signature colourway and graphics, and ‘Hawk’ bars, made from 100% heat-treated butted chromoly. Among his other sponsors are Etnies and Odyssey BMX, for whom he has a signature range of products including the slick ‘Hawk’ tyre.
Chase grew up in the BMX hotspot of Austin, Texas, and was introduced to BMX by his dad who bought him his first bike when he was seven. He started out as a racer, but when a skatepark opened up near his family’s home, he couldn’t get enough of it, and quit racing soon after.
Learning his trade, he was fortunate to be able to ride with legends such as Joe Rich, Robbie Morales, Taj Mihelich, Sandy Carson and Ruben Alcantara, and he quickly developed a fast, smooth style that impressed all who saw it. By 2006, he was starring at the X Games, but it took him until 2014 to win his first medal, a Park gold, by favouring style and flow over technical trick combinations.
Elsewhere in 2014, he also experienced great success at the Vans US Open at Huntington Beach, California, finishing second overall behind Gary Young, in a contest where once again style, flow and lines were favoured over tricks. Chase also walked off with the Best Line award.
