Derrick McClintock is a Freestyle Motocross rider from Huntington Beach, Southern California.  He started riding when he was 3 and quickly excelled and by the time he was 17, he had raced in several big races, including World Mini, Loretta’s and the Golden State Nationals.  However, at 17, he realized his heart wasn’t into racing anymore and he just wanted to have fun riding again.

Growing up he had watched pros such as Mike Metzger and Link doing their tricks at the local tracks and after watching Brian Deegan launch his bike over the finish line, Derrick knew exactly what he needed to do to have fun riding again.  Freestyle Motocross was just starting to boom in California, so the time was ripe to start a new path in his career and he jumped right in. It was difficult at first to change his style from racing to tricks, but he focused and practiced. “It was a hard transition at first trying to lose my racer style of absorbing the ramp and trying to alter my riding to throw tricks and get the pop i needed off of the ramp” says Derrick. With hard work and determination, it didn’t take long for him to take his riding to the next level and he was on his way to being a star in the Freestyle Motocross world.  

But life took an unexpected detour in 2004.  While riding at Occotillo Wells, Derrick was taking a jump he had done countless times before and crashed, breaking 3 vertebras in his spine, his left foot, wrist and elbow, bruised his pelvis, and left a deep laceration from his asshole to his balls. It took thirteen months to recover from the physical damage, but it was the psychological damage that took its toll on his life.  His home life and his relationship with his daughter was affected and he had trouble kicking the pain pills, all of which eventually led to him giving up on life and thoughts of suicide crept up.

Realizing he was on a “horrible path to death”, he decided he was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”  He checked into detox and got his life back on track, got his home life back in order and decided to give back to the community by starting a Sober Living Home to help others in the same situation he was in.

After getting his body and mind healed, Derrick was finally able to get back on his bike. After 3 ½ years, he went out and bought a new bike.  “This was the best day of my life” he says, “I felt like the sport was fun again and I felt like I had the drive and determination I had as a kid while racing.”  Since then, he has done numerous shows and started writing with one of his child hood hometown heroes, Trigger Gunn, who is a 5 time world record holder.  Riding with Trigger inspired Derrick to take on something new, long distance jumping.  He did his first distance jump with Trigger in Omaha Nebraska on August 28, 2010, and now he is working to do a 300 foot jump.  He's definitely not stopping there. Derrick will next attempt to break the world record with a 450 foot jump at an event in Washington.  

For many, riding is not only a sport, it's a lifestyle. It bonds people through entertainment and adventure, whether it's a big race, long distance jumping or some freestyle. It's become an American pastime and like Derrick, if you get knocked down, you can always get back up and ride again.