While you may have heard of Andy Roode before (The Volume Bikes I.D. he made a year ago is a great place to start), there are those of you who may have not. Raised on the East Coast of Canada in Nova Scotia, Andy moved west to Vancouver ten years ago. Like most riders, he moved out here with friends and $1,000 in his wallet. "I lived in a small town where nothing was going on. I hated living there and thought Vancouver was the place to be." No doubt Andy has certainly made a name for himself, primarily in Canada, but that's been changing in the past year. Thanks to getting hooked up with Volume and Demolition in Canada and Nike 6.0, Andy's skills are definitely getting noticed.
Introducing Andy Roode
Whether it's working 9-5 or collecting clips, Andy works hard at what he does. The guy's a perfectionist and that is something I have a lot of respect for. No whack and no tagging of the back wheel on the last step, the guy is dialed when it comes to rails. Despite all the hard work and what may lie down the road, when asked about the future, Andy simply states "I want to save up enough money so I can go to school and take up a trade."
Day to day life with Andy Roode revolves around his friends and the tight-knit group they've amassed in Vancouver. All transplants from other areas of the country, reuniting under the common union of two wheels and a love for all the parks and street that Vancouver has to offer. If you happen upon Andy at a flat rail with a slow pitch, prepare to witness some serious moves go down.
ESPN.com: You did a trip out to Newfoundland with Ten Pack this summer, how was that?
Roode: All the spots are good and we ate a lot of fish and chips there. All the people there are super nice, it was weird because I was like the mad guy on the island. The one dude walking around pissed off. [laughter] I couldn't believe it, like everyone was nice. It's so good there.
Why are you mad?
Because I am. [laughter] I get mad at myself and I just start freaking out at myself, but I don't know... Sometimes people get a little bit of the aggravation, but all my friends know that I'm not actually mad. They all start laughing at me... to fuel the fire and get me even madder, which is bad. [laughter]
Back in the day, did Jason Enns give you his old frames and parts, and that's sort of how you got the Volume hook up? Or was the Volume-Demolition hookup all through Ten Pack?
Yeah , I think he helped out all the dirt bags he liked with parts, clothes and shoes. He lived a block away from me for years. When Volume-Demolition was looking for riders in Canada they decided on Chijioke Okafo and I. Jason was the team manager at the time and Ten Pack hooks up Volume and Demolition.
Any thanks or shout outs?
Shout-outs to northernembassy.com, everyone at Ten Pack, Volume, Demolition and 6.0. Shout-out to Surrey Steve, Jeff Evans, Sam Lowe, James Steele and BMXFU. I'd like to thank you for this interview and dealing with me at spots.
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPNâs media platforms. Learn more