For a brief, desperate moment, Timo Pritzel (26) tries to escape the screaming mob of primary school pupils. But the dense siege of writing pads and felt-tip pens gives him no chance. "Hey, write 'cyclist' under the autograph." Timo writes "cyclist". There it pops again. "Nah, write 'horny cyclist'!" Timo only jumped over a tiny ledge for the BIKE photographer when the school class happened to pass by.
He is now officially registered as a "bicycle artist". Nobody flies higher than him. Yet a crash almost cost him his life once.
But somehow the little ones are right. The Berliner Zeitung once called Timo a "one-man-boy group". Because nobody rides more radically. Because he does somersaults on his bike. Because he has virtuoso body control. Because he's simply a great cyclist. It's just a good thing that Timo didn't listen to the computer at the careers advice centre back then. When he filled out the virtual questionnaire with his preferences, the computer only knew one career recommendation: construction worker. "I just really wanted to earn my money in the fresh air," says Timo, amused.
Ten years have passed since then. Today he is self-employed. Not a construction worker, but a "bicycle artist", as it says on his trade licence. Aerobatics would be a better description. It was a long road before Timo was able to make a living from cycling. He already knew in the mid-eighties that this was exactly what he wanted after he got his first BMX bike for Christmas.
He has documented his path to fame on the huge shelf next to the stereo: folders full of newspaper cuttings. Photos of daring stunts. Bike videos with Timo in the leading roles. "I would love to stop time. I hope I can ride my bike for a long, long time," says Timo. He can hardly believe it himself that it all started with a personal ad. In order to avoid training as a construction worker, secondary school leaver Timo looked in an American BMX magazine for a host family for a practical year in the USA. The 20-inch scene there was booming. Jim Kleinhans, a private detective from Las Vegas, brought the Berliner into his home. For some reason, the flabby bike fanatic had got it into his head to set up his own BMX team. Soon he was racing with other riders at the weekends. A great experience for Timo.
Timo worked in a screw factory alongside high school, met BMX millionaire T.J. Lavin, achieved his first racing successes - and got a proper professional contract in 1994 after coming third in the biggest race in the world at the time, the "ABA Grandnationals".
Back in Germany, bourgeois reason suddenly interfered with the high. Timo was determined to return to a normal working life. But his job applications were so bad that he only received rejections. "Luckily," Timo thinks today. Only the post office in Berlin Schöneweide offered him a job as a postman. "It's unbelievable what you experience there. Women opened the door in their underwear and invited me in for a coffee". But Timo prefers tea. And so he enjoyed himself on the doubles of the dirt track instead.
The rest is history: German championship title, dirt jump world champion, world record in bike high jump, professional contract. Then the switch to mountain bikes, because dirt jumping was now also booming in the 26-inch scene. Perhaps everything would have continued to ripple along like this if chance hadn't taken control again. At the beginning of 2001, Pritzel travelled around Germany with a number of dirt pros for a BIKE photo shoot. Among them was John Cowan, one of the stars of the radical cult video "New World Disorder". Cowan stayed in Kreuzberg for a few days after the trip and told Timo about his secret project - the "Hell Track" in California. This hell was paradise for Pritzel - a dirt track mutated into a giant with a twelve metre high launch ramp. A specially created filming location for "New World Disorder 2". "Cowan actually wanted to ride there with his friend Graham Kuerbis. But unfortunately he had been seriously injured while biking. So he asked me if I wanted to ride."
Pritzel swept over the Hell Track like a god. Flips, no food, Superman - the full range of aerobatic manoeuvres. Even though he had broken three ribs on his first attempt. There it was at last, the big breakthrough. The star became a superstar.
Sometimes, when Timo is sitting in his flat in the evening with his girlfriend Lilly and listening to music, he thinks about the future. Then fears come up. Fears of injury. Fears that are anaesthetised by adrenaline, applause and pats on the back out on the track. Then he thinks of the infamous "Backjard Jam" in England, where he tore his kidney, among other things, jumping over a 14 metre wide ditch in 1996. Or the night sprint at the BIKE Festival in Riva in 2001, where Timo crashed on his head after an unsuccessful somersault.
His reputation has become an obligation for Pritzel. At the age of 26, Timo has achieved everything he ever dreamed of. Success, travelling, sponsors - and working in the fresh air. Nevertheless, he still sees himself at the very beginning. He wants to ride freeride races in the future and a bit of dual World Cup. He would like to support the Berlin BMX and dirt scene even more, help design the scene magazine "Zwanzig Zoll Rider Magazin", organise events, develop new products with sponsor Scott and, of course, shoot many more spectacular videos. He will be scribbling his name all over many school notepads. But what's the best way to describe "awesome"?
Profile Timo Pritzel
Place of residence: Berlin Kreuzberg
Age: 26 years
Profession: Professional cyclist
Team: Scott
Sponsors: Scott, Oakley, Eastbag, Iriedaily, SRAM
Hobbies: Travelling, Food
Favourite music: Hip Hop, Dead Prez
Favourite film: The condemned, Slam
Favourite book: The Godfather
Favourite food: healthy
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand, Australia
Favourite magazines: Lodown, 20-inch, Style
Successes: World champion BMX dirt jump 1998, 6 x German BMX champion, 2 x winner Red Bull Freezride MTB 2002/2003, winner Dirtjump Sea Otter 2002, world record bike and BMX high jump (4.55 metres/5.12 metres)
Contact:
timo@timopritzel.de
Homepage:
www.timopritzel.com
