Spedding has the skill and Will to go full throttle

At 16, BMX rider Will Spedding has the world at his feet and in the pedals of the bike he powers with every ounce of his being to use the forces of physics – torque, friction, acceleration, momentum, velocity – to defy logic and gravity as he manipulates his bike to twist ‘n turn in mid-air.

Since he turned 12, Spedding, a New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete who lives in northern NSW, has devoted his significant energies to mastering bunny hops, the 180, the Fire-flair, The Bar spin, and countless other tricks of the trade in the hope they will one day lead to him representing Australia at an Olympic Games.

“I haven’t targeted any particular one,” replied Spedding when asked if his plan was to take on the world at the 2032 Brisbane Games, just nine years and 100 kilometres away from his family’s property in the Tweed River region of NSW.

“I’m just working hard, and I know I need to because when you go overseas it’s almost scary to see what the elite riders can do. So, for me, it’s about training hard and just loving what you do. And I want to work my way up to the elite.”

Spedding’s full throttle daring, and his obvious skill has so far taken him to England, France, and South Africa, where he described competing in front of a crowd of 10,000 gasping Europeans within the shadows of Montpellier’s famous Gothic Cathedrale Saint-Pierre as “incredible.”

Such memories, and the promise of the adrenaline-charged adventures still to come, are pushing the youngster to train long and hard on the purpose-built ramp that was constructed on his family’s property.

“I’ll ride of a morning, depending on school,” said Spedding of the advantages of having a ramp in his backyard. “On weekends we train from 10am until 2pm, then, when school finishes at around 2pm, we could ride until 5pm, but that really depends on how much we need to do that day.

“It might sound a lot, but I love BMX so much it’s not mentally draining. I also like the challenge of trying a new trick because it can be scary. We have a foam pit where you can do tricks, but it’s obviously scary when you do it on the ramp for the first time.

“What I have learnt from that is you need to believe in yourself and if you don’t think about it, things usually go to plan.”

Spedding’s daredevil approach is drawing him positive attention.

In the hours leading up to the Matildas opening match of the FIFA World Cup against Ireland in Sydney, Spedding was part of a crew of BMX riders who performed at an event at The Dome in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct in front of 800 corporate highfliers and their guests.

“They get you pumped up, and that makes you want to do even more,” said Spedding of his appetite to feed off a crowd’s energy.

The talented teen – who is an emerging member of NSWIS’s squadron of BMX riders including Saya Sakakibara, Oliver Moran, Sienna Pal, and Noah Elton – credited his coach, and six times X-Games gold medallist, Kyle Baldock for giving him tremendous guidance on and off the ramp.

Baldock, who rode his bike down a flight of stairs as a three-year-old and didn’t ride again after that until he was 16, has been a positive influence on Spedding’s young life. However, the now 32-year-old’s  own childhood – which he’s previously spoken about openly to the media – included being kicked out of school at 16, appearing regularly before the courts to the point where a judge threatened to put him away for as long as possible if he fronted there again, and brawling with anyone who was willing to go toe-to-toe with him.

However, he changed his life’s course when his younger brother, Blake, died after a tragic motorcycle accident. Going on the straight and narrow was what Blake had urged Baldock to do before the accident, so he channeled his energies into what was a brilliant career, and his current role as a coach and mentor.

Spedding revealed Baldock teaches his team of athletes to be accountable for their actions, and to live their best possible life.

“Kyle showed me the ropes of riding bikes,” he said. “I went to a BMX camp where he was the coach, and I really wasn’t very good – I could hardly ride the bike.

“But I was hooked, and I went to training every day. He’s taught me all my tricks; he’s shown me all the exercises I need to do to go to these competitions – and even when I’m away competing, he helps me. He also gives all of us good advice about life, and he’s really big on us going to school.

“So, Kyle has been my biggest influence.”

While Spedding has suffered for his art with some nasty injuries [“they make you tougher”], his proud mother Donna said she was excited by the world BMX had opened for her son.

“It’s amazing,” she enthused. “Especially, to think that at 16 he’s gone overseas to ride with the big boys . . . it’s crazy to think of what he’s achieved.

“I’m happy that Kyle is by his side and that [Will] has found BMX Freestyle because he’s channeled all of his passion into it.”

Spedding said NSWIS has been tremendous for his burgeoning career, saying besides helping him to access training facilities he appreciates the Institute is helping to build his profile by sharing his action-packed Instagram posts on its various social media platform.

Daniel Lane, NSWIS