Freestyle Now squad member Dez Maarsen has been super busy over the last few months, travelling Europe, winning contests, finishing school and being involved in a big theater production. Currently Dez is about to compete once again at Flatark in Kobe, Japan. We caught up with Dez to get the low down on what he has been up to and to do a catch up on all the contests that he has been rolling out the rad at. Read on.
Dez Maarsen captured mid combo switch at the Ruhr games.
You have been hitting up a few contests lately which one were they?
After not competing for all most a year I hit four contests in one month. So a contest almost every week. It started this year with Ruhr Games at the beginning of June. It was an invitational contest for European riders. For European conditions it was extremely hot during the finals. Due to a busy tour schedule and school I wasn’t able to really prepare for this contest. The weather conditions didn’t make it any easier so I ended up riding so well.
I decided to take trip to Croatia for the Croatia BMX Championship to get more in de contest mood. This contest was held on the boulevard in the beach town of Baska Voda. It ws good to see a lot of riders from Eastern Europe from Czech and Hungary making the trip to Croatia. The contest was held in the evening, so during the day we had time to enjoy the sunny weather and chill at the beach. After a small qualification the finals where in battle format. During the contest I got in a nice flow and hit some combo’s I was really stoked about. In the final with Dominik Nekolny and Chris Bohm I took some more risks, but didn’t finish too much combo’s, so I had to do it with 3th place.
At the sea side town of Baska Voda in Croatia Dez powers through one of his original combos, check the feet, you know he is about to pivot on them pegs.
A week after Croatia it was time for the second edition of the Urban Sport week Amsterdam. We had a small turn out since Nass aka the Worlds was held the same weekend. Riders from all over the Benelux made it to Amsterdam. Viki Gomez who is originally from Spain, but is now living in Luxembourg made it to support an up and coming contest instead of heading to the Worlds. The contest was hosted in the centre of Amsterdam and we had a nice OSB floor for flatland on Sunday. The weather was hitting over 30 degrees, which is pretty special for Dutch weather conditions. My trip to Croatia got me back in the contest flow and this time I kept it together during the contest. I managed to pull all my bangers in the final jam battle with Viki Gomez, Gilles van der Sompel and Sietse van Berkel, scoring me first place on home turf.
Dez spinning cross foot at the Urban Sport week contest in Amsterdam where he took the first place podium.
Nothing like the taste of victory on home ground.
Speed and flow is the Dez Maarsen trade mark style, and it was evident in Amsterdam.
Then it was time for one of the biggest contest of the year, the annual BMX Cologne contest. Again the contest was held in the bumpercar arena which made sure there was a great floor and awesome ambience! A couple of big names that made it last year where missing, but still the level was top notch and almost all the top pro riders from around the world made it. Almost 40 pro riders entered which was pretty much the highest entry I’ve seen all year. During the qualifications I managed to drop a solid run that scored me second place. Unfortunately the day of the finals my run it didn’t went as I wanted. I’ve noticed that sometimes it is nicer to qualify in a less higher position. This way you don’t have to wait for all the riders to pass and you just focus on your own run.
The BMX Cologne contest is one of the biggest contests of the year and to qualify in 2nd place out of almost 40 pro riders is no easy task. Photo by Melissa Zucchiatti
I’ve noticed that sometimes it is nicer to qualify in a less higher position. This way you don’t have to wait for all the riders to pass and you just focus on your own run.
After a big theater tour, writing my thesis and hitting a contest almost ever week I decided to take a good rest during the summer. After not riding so much there was one contest close to home on the agenda. This time I made a trip to Antwerpen, Belgium for Antwerpen City Drops. There was a small turnout of Dutch and Belgium riders with the appearance of David Hoffman from Germany and Martin Drazil from Czech. We were blessed with great weather all weekend! Antwerpen City Drops was hosted by the City of Antwerpen and had wide range of Actions Sports. The disciplines where spread over the city and BMX Flatland and Dirt was hosted next to Antwerpen historical Castle, giving the contest a cool ambiance and a lot of spectators. I was pretty solid the whole weekend and manage to hit all my contest combos in the final jam battle and took home the win. All round there was a great vibe at this contest. All the riders hanging out after the contest and jamming. This is really what flatland is about.
Antwerpen City Drops bmx flatland contest was a sweet victory in the battle finals for Dez Maarsen. Such a solid finals run.
The pure power and style of Dez was in full effect at the Antwerpen City Drops contest battle finals.
What ones have been your favourite and why?
The Urban Sport Week Amsterdam was definitely the best. The event is as set up great this time and I rode the best here. The victory was really great with all my friends, family and theater show colleges to cheer me on! And I was stoked to pull all my bangers after struggling at the previous competitions. I even saved a trick for the final that I manage to pull in the last second.
St Martin has a new prototype frame, can you tell us anything about it?
The geometry is the same as the previous Opera frame, there are just a few minor changes on the frame to make it stronger. The strawberry patented wedge seat clamp has been replaced with different seat clamp. Then the chain stay is more cleaner and has some fancy bended tubes and thicker dropouts. The frame I’m testing isn’t heat treated so I won’t be able to truly test its strength.
The new prototype St Martin Opera frame is in current test mode, its looking solid.
You’re heading back to Flatark, it’s been 2 years since your last time there, what are you looking forward to the most and the least?
I’m the most excited about the Japanese riding scene to hang out and ride with the riders. The scene is still top notch and so strong. Now with all the super young kids riding BMX Japan is making sure flatland will stay alive in Japan. Also i’m looking forward to the food!! Can’t wait to have a bowl of ramen. The thing I’m looking for the least is jet lag and qualifications. Arriving in Japan on Wednesday, with qualifications on Friday I hope there will be enough time to get ready.
Dez Maarsen in 2015 at Flatark in Kobe where he placed 8th. Here is hoping for a rad result at one of the biggest contests on the flatland contest calendar. Photo by Marcio Abe.
Dez qualifying run from Flatark 2015
You have finished your school studies now, what were you studying? How will this help moving forward? Are you glad it finished with?
Getting this bachelor degree feels like such a big win. It was a long journey to get this. Struggling with dyslexia, school was never my thing. After dropping out of school at the age of 17 after getting my high school degree, riding BMX and traveling where my only ambitions. My mom supported my decision as long as I found a job. After working at soulcycle BMX shop for a couple of months I got the best job a young BMX rider could ask for. I was approached by ISH a theater group that makes breakthrough theater shows by using urban sport and street arts. I saw them preform a year before and back then I toughed it would be so awesome to be part it, so it was definitely a dream come true. For two years I was performing in sold out theaters and traveling and Romania and China to even to shows there where big high lights. After two years unfortunately the tour was over. I saved up enough money to finally make my trip to Japan where I spent over a month travelling across the country with my homie Gino Stuart. Competing at the legendary King of Ground contest making the final of pro contest for the first time at the Prova Cup in Hiroshima. After I was super motivated, but had to get a job again and ended up as dish washer. I decided I had to be more pro active in getting shows. Media & Entertainment Management seemed like a fitting study and with the right motivation, taking some test I was accepted to my local university.
Studying and riding went pretty good together. I still had plenty of time to ride. Unfortunately studying and competing didn’t always go so well together. Sometimes I would skip exams and risk getting expelled from the semester by skip mandatory classes just to go to competitions abroad. At the end of college I was pretty deep in competing since I no longer had mandatory classes. Riding was more priority since I was competing in the World Circuit. After doing that for two years it was really time to finish college. Getting back in college mode was hard, so finishing it was a hard time. Many months of no riding and rejected graduation studies passed. But the same determination I’ve for riding kept my going and after struggling for almost two years I finally graduated and I’m a proud owner of a Bachelor in Arts.
For now I want to focus on BMX, traveling, riding shows and competing and slowly make a transition to pursue a career in the real world.
Thanks to my supporters St Martin, Soul City Cycles and Freestyle Now.
