Supporting Cast

Chapter Four of my Indie-Film Journal ‘A Virus Ate My Movie!’

“Documentation is everything, Stephen.” — Unstrung Heroes

Fall 1991, Homestead Bicycles is six months old.

“Whoa, did that guy just give you a bike??!”

Neal’s friends were as stoked as he was, maybe more. And that’s exactly what I wanted.

When I drove my metallic green VW Scirocco — it means ‘desert wind’ in case you’re wondering, (as in “we’ll build them so cheap that a strong desert wind will blow them away”) to the California gold rush town of Auburn in late ’91, it was with one purpose and one purpose only.

Homestead Bicycles needed a rider.

When you don’t have a lot of money you want a rider who’s better than he knows. You want a rider who hasn’t been picked up yet by a team or shop but might be picked up next year.

For most kids the years of 15–18 are pretty prime for BMX. Sure, they’re not hitting the weights hard yet but they have almost unlimited energy and can eat anything and sleep very little and still kill it on the track — all traits that are necessary on the road.

I’d gone to the Oak Creek BMX track outside of Sacramento a few times just to watch. I don’t remember exactly when I spotted Neal but I…