Four days before Mat Hoffman's 41st birthday, he posted a photo on Instagram of one of the most stylish and difficult vert tricks on the planet -- the no-footed invert, at typical Hoffman heights. I could not have tapped the like button on my Instagram feed fast enough.

Since joining Instagram several months ago, Hoffman has been on a subtle mission to document his current riding on his backyard halfpipe in Oklahoma City, Okla. Today, he turns 41 years old, and despite the stresses he has put on his body over the past 30 years, he remains able to blast 12-foot airs with his trademark style. Not only that, he doesn't seem to have lost any tricks. You might think that as we age, your body tends to lose the flexibility it had at age 18, but that's not the case with Hoffman.

He's 41 and still flexible enough to stretch candybar airs and cancan lookbacks, and personally I find that not only amazing, but inspiring. As we all get older, it's easy to get bitter with the changing BMX scene and forget why it was that we started riding in the first place. Mat Hoffman never forgot that reason, and his solo backyard sessions documented via Instagram are his continued gift to the world of BMX.

Happy birthday Condor, and thanks for your continued inspiration. I would not be where I am today if you gave up riding and focused on your semi truck driving career all those years ago. Hoffman's Instagram feed can be found @condorbmx.