Go211: Hey Kyle what’s going on?

K: I’m just kind of walking through a Wal-Mart. Just kind of getting some last minute odds and ends.

Go211: Oh well that’s a perfect first question then Kyle. What does a guy need at Wal-Mart before he heads to China?

K: *laughs* Ah its nothing real big. I’m just um actually getting some stuff for ah to pack my bike cause were taking three bikes. I gotta get some foam. I don’t know what else I’m getting. I gotta get some tape to cover up the frame. You can only place so many stickers on your frame in certain places and I got them in the wrong spot so I gotta cover them up with some red tape. I think that’s really about it. Maybe some snacks.

Go211: Have you been to China before?

K: Yeah I’ve been twice I went for the test race that they did. And then for the worlds.

Go211: So you know all the intestinal fun you can be in for?

K: Oh yeah *laughs* food’s usually always a little bit of trouble. But I mean the Olympic village is just unreal for us. How we’re going to be treated food and everything like that, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Go211: I’m sure you guys will be fine. Just don’t drink the water.

Go211: So why did you choose to stay home and skip the first week of the games and the opening ceremonies?

K: To be honest we don’t have too much of a choice. I mean watching it on TV I thought it wasn’t going to be that much of a big deal. But seeing it on TV I wish I we could have been there, but then again we don’t race until like the 20th and the 21st. So I think it’s smart on our part to stay back and you know ride the track down here. We’d just be sitting around for a while so I think that’s the main thing. But then again watching it on TV man I was getting goose bumps. It would have been pretty cool to be there.

Go211: I heard that a group of you guys got together to watch the Opening Ceremonies. So did it get you really stoked or did it make you nervous? What was going through your head as you were watching the whole thing?

K: Yeah to be honest that’s when it started to sink in. Seeing the whole Olympic vibe and everything like that you know just seeing all the athletes walking in it just started to hit me and I started getting goose bumps a little bit. It was cool.

Go211: So what do you think the Olympics means to BMX racing, in your opinion do you think that it’s bigger than the x-games? Is it different than the x-games?

K: Yeah, to me personally, I think it’s bigger than the x-games. I mean it’s the Olympics. It’s the highest level our sport can go. I just hope that it reaches out and people really like what they’re going to see. It’s kind of been unheard of you know?

Go211: So the starting ramp at the Beijing Supercross course is different from what you’ve been racing pretty much most of your career. So what’s your biggest challenge with the new course?

K: I would say probably the start, the gates, just feeling comfortable up there and I’m just doing the traditional style BMX gate for so long and then you know being put up on the supercross starting hill it’s just taking me a lot to adapt to it. I think I’ve had the hardest time out of everybody. But I’m finally starting to get comfortable up there. You know better late then never.

Go211: Yeah for sure. So has the starting sequence and the gates changed as well as the ramp?

K: Yeah they went to the random start. They’ve had that for a while now. But it’s a different technique now.

Go211: Right. So tell me what is the Olympic experience that you are most looking forward to?

K: Um I would say just, man just being a part of it all. I mean just getting a medal and all that’s gonna be a bonus. I’m just thankful to be a part of the whole thing. Being on the team and all that’s coming along with it has just been a blessing. I mean as far as experience goes I just want to be able to take it all in to be honest and enjoy it and at the same time do my best. You go out there and treat it like another race and don’t let all the hype and everything get to you. That’d be the main thing.

Go211: Is your family going to come over and watch?

K: Ah, no, my mom and my grandfather aren’t going to be able to come. Just because my grandfathers pretty old he probably won’t make the trip and my mom, she’s not too keen on flying. So I’m going to be solo. My family is going to all get a group of people together at this local bar by the house. All my friends and family are going to watch it from there

Go211: So I read about you having knee surgery in 2006 and that you came back and just had this awesome season last year. And I was wondering if you thought there was some sort of correlation between your injury and success?

K: Long story short I think my injury was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to take 7 months off my bike. I haven’t been off my bike that long since I first started racing when I was 7 years old and it just made me realize how much I love what I do and how much I missed it. It kind of just rejuvenated me so to speak. I got that hunger back that I was missing for awhile. I could say it was a blessing in disguise.

Go211: How are you preparing for Beijing without losing sight of the rest of your goals beyond the Olympics?

K: Yeah. As you can tell I’m just trying to do one thing at a time. I mean, I’m just ready to get over there actually and get it all out. After the Olympics is the NBL Grands so I’ll be thinking about that after the Olympics is over. One race at a time.

Go211: Well thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Good luck over there.

K: Thanks.