[WLF] PRO-Files: Chris Riesner - 04

got out of moto’s early in high school right around the time that brands like SRH started to blow up. I stopped playing organized sports like soccer and baseball and started spending all my time riding BMX bikes. It was many years of riding skateparks and trails all over the West Coast and even some cross country trips with my buddy Waylon’s company Compound BMX(now Sanctuary BMX). I got a job working at Woodward West over the summers and all that continued up until the end of college when I went on a solo cross country trip in my pickup truck with self-converted camper.

While visiting my cousin in Chicago I ruptured my spleen doing a transfer hip at the slippery skatepark. With multiple weeks in trauma care both in Chicago and California it was months of pain where I basically had to sit up (not even lay down to sleep) and if I moved or even laughed there would be consequences of tremendous pain in my chest. 

It was a strange two years preceding that where I went through something of an identity crisis not having BMX to fulfill me like it always had. I explored all kinds of different things like sewing custom hats, woodworking, making/playing banjo and guitar, whittling spoons, hiking and camping.

Trama care. Cross country road trip ender

While visiting my cousin in Chicago I ruptured my spleen doing a transfer hip at the slippery skatepark. With multiple weeks in trauma care both in Chicago and California it was months of pain where I basically had to sit up (not even lay down to sleep) and if I moved or even laughed there would be consequences of tremendous pain in my chest. 

It was a strange two years preceding that where I went through something of an identity crisis not having BMX to fulfill me like it always had. I explored all kinds of different things like sewing custom hats, woodworking, making/playing banjo and guitar, whittling spoons, hiking and camping.

It was after a continuous push to get a moto from my good buddy Dirty Mike (who’s really into building choppers) that I got a plated XR600R. I ran that thing all over the Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Sur and Sierras carrying my camp gear, banjo, fishing pole ect all on the little rack. I was really enjoying the freedom of cruising dirt roads and going wherever I wanted, seeing a lot of land that was new to me. Slowly I started going on moto trips with my buddies who had 250’s and after a year or two of enduring the crazy arm pump of riding that big hog on single track I ended up getting a ktm 350EXC.

PRESENT & FUTURE:

All last fall, winter, and spring I was camping out and riding that 350EXC at all the different OHV’s within a 3-6 hour radius of Santa Cruz. In spring I got out of my comfort zone a bit and road a few enduro races for the first time. Enduro racing has been an awesome experience because it’s such a non straightforward format with what they call time keeping. I love how much strategy there is to learn. I’d look up info on the internet and not really find anything but then go to the races a day early and get an abundant of knowledge from all the vet guys. It’s truly a test of your endurance and I’m looking forward to trying out some more come rain season! 

I also just made a new bike purchase. After a ton of research, trying buddies bikes and talking to other riders on instagram/forums I decided to pull the trigger on a ktm 250xc. It was a really tough decision between the 200 and the 250 but other than that I knew I wanted to get on a two smoker this year. They’re so light, nimble, reliable and just have something about them that puts a smile on my face thinking about flowing through single track on em. So I’ll be dialing that bike in, getting the van and camp kits ready and anxiously waiting for the rain!