Axell Hodges on Overcoming Injuries, Chasing Worlds Firsts & Getting Evan Back on Top

Summary

Life Wide Open with CboysTV

Episode: Axell Hodges on Overcoming Injuries, Chasing Worlds Firsts & Getting Evan Back on Top
Release Date: November 4, 2025

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Overview

This episode welcomes legendary motocross rider Axell Hodges to the Life Wide Open podcast. The conversation dives deep into Axell's unique riding style, the creative inspiration behind his tricks, his journey through racing and freestyling, the mental and physical toll of injuries, building his “Slayground” compound, and helping host Evan regain his riding “mojo.” The hosts and Axell openly discuss the evolution of freestyle motocross, the gritty realities of recovery, the importance of fun and creativity, and the untold stories behind iconic viral moments.

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Key Topics & Segments

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1. Bringing Evan Back: Addressing the Haters & Finding Confidence

[00:00–04:11]

• The hosts address online comments suggesting Evan has “fallen off” as a rider and describe bringing in Axell to help Evan get his confidence back.

• Axell reflects on helping Evan:

  "He came out. He's greasing jumps. He looked good to me... Just needed some confidence back, dude."
  — Axell Hodges [03:37]

• Hosts reminisce about reaching out to Axell years ago to ride together, sharing how "everything comes full circle."

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2. Axell’s Unique Style & Influences

[06:15–12:30]

• Axell discusses his unorthodox approach, drawing inspiration from skateboarding and snowboarding rather than traditional racing.
• On making freestyle accessible:

  "That is not doing like a triple backflip. But I land wheelies, and then I see all the kids at the track trying to land wheelies on tabletops and stuff. And it's pretty cool to see it rub off on other people."
  — Axell Hodges [11:10]

• Emphasis on having fun, innovating, and making dirt biking relatable for the next generation.

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3. Early Injuries & Stealth Racing

[13:48–17:50]

• Axell recounts breaking his femur at age five, leading his mom to ban dirt bikes in the family.
• He secretly returns to riding, even hiding bikes in the barn from his mother.
• Shares anecdotes of early victories, sneaking into races, and the gradual acceptance from family as his skills became evident.

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4. Transitioning from Racing to Freestyle

[18:17–21:19]

• Burnout from the “miserable” racing scene led Axell to best whip contests, launching a transition into freestyle and X Games.
• On turning point:

  "I was miserable, not having fun. My dad was pissed at me. But in the parking lot I got second in the best Whip contest. Then I got invited X Games. I made money and I'm like, that was so much more fun… ever since then, I never raced my dirt bike again."
  — Axell Hodges [19:03]

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5. Building Slayground: Dream Compound and Creative Process

[25:10–33:23]

• Building progression: technical jump design, heavy machinery, constant maintenance, and weather challenges.
• Monster Energy’s support is crucial to Axell’s build-out and viral video series.
• On the expense and challenges:

  "Dirt work is just constant work. We'll finally get it good; then a random California rainstorm will come through and it's just completely rain rutted and you just have to rebuild everything."
  — Axell Hodges [33:08]

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6. Freestyle Technique, Jumps, and Risk Calculation

[27:43–45:32]

• Axell shares insight into how he sizes up massive jumps, trusting muscle memory over test hits.
• Discusses suspension, throttle, and "gut feeling" necessary for hitting—and surviving—first attempts on new features.
• The importance of “feeding off” courage and confidence from other top riders:

  "When we all get together, then we feed off of each other, and it makes it a lot easier to hit a big jump instead of, like, being there by yourself, just having good vibes."
  — Axell Hodges [44:46]

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7. Iconic Moments: Dads, Viral Clips & Family

[46:15–54:00]

• The hosts replay the legendary video of Axell’s dad stuck in the thornbush after a crash—viral for its comedic and tragic elements:

  “My dad was pinned in the thorn bush trying to save his life... He didn't drop the stogie. That's a steep hill.”
  — Axell Hodges [47:36]

• Axell gets sentimental about sharing his career with family, handling critics (“You take your daddy with you”) with pride.

• His dad’s fearless—if chaotic—riding style influenced Axell both in what to do and what not to do.

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8. Harleys, Three-Wheelers, and Action Sports Culture

[54:00–61:00]

• Delving into custom Harley wheelies and the Unknown Industries crew.
• The dangers and humor of three-wheeler culture, sharing stories of friends with legendary (and often sketchy) DIY riding setups.
• Light-hearted banter about weddings, chaos, and the Indiana Jones spirit of their collective.

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9. Injuries: Crashes, Recovery, and Mental Resilience

[61:12–72:15]

• Reveals details behind breaking his femur three times, the notorious Glamis dunes crash, and the crucial role of having an impromptu medic nearby.

• Candidly discusses battling depression after losing close friend Pat Casey, and then getting re-injured:

  "It took me a while to want to have fun on my dirt bike again… I just really wasn't mentally ready to ride after that. He passed away, we're riding at my property... but now, I don't know, I just—dirt bikes are so fun to me and it's my favorite thing ever."
  — Axell Hodges [63:52 & 63:38]

• On rehab and the grind of recovery:

  "Just keeping it moving, like even if you're not putting weight on it. You want to keep those muscles moving, or else they'll lock up on you..."
  — Axell Hodges [70:21]

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10. The Evolving World of Freestyle & Social Media

[72:15–76:38]

• Explores how social media changed the landscape—freestyle is less contest-based, more about viral creativity and broad appeal.
• Encourages new riders to innovate and find personal style.
• On chasing “world’s firsts”:

  "I just like doing stuff that I think is cool. That stokes me out… That's what I get the most satisfaction out of: that was sick."
  — Axell Hodges [77:02]

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11. World Records and the Reality of Mega Jumps

[78:01–83:38]

• Details the pursuit of the 400-foot distance jump world record, the intense technical setup, and the life-and-death stakes.
• Survived a 396-foot jump—just shy of his 420 goal—before suffering severe foot and ankle injuries.

  "I was on a 450...I would hit it at 106 [mph]...But just that one bad jump kind of set me back. It wasn't my intention...I'm good with that for myself."
  — Axell Hodges [78:51, 82:41]

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12. Looking Ahead: Progression, Collaboration & Community

[86:12–91:51]

• Open invitation to snowmobile with the Cboys, and a willingness to try new disciplines.
• Nods to up-and-comers in freestyle and his hope to inspire creative riding.
• Plug for Axell’s YouTube giveaway as he approaches 500k subscribers.

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Notable Quotes

• On Creativity & Influence:
  "You ride a dirt bike like somebody rides a skateboard...steezy style."
  — Host 1 to Axell [09:59]

• On Setbacks:
  "Learning how to crash is definitely a big part of being like a freestyle dirt bike rider."
  — Axell Hodges [65:40]

• On Personal Motivation:
  "I love dirt bikes. Like, there's nothing else that would make me as happy as a dirt bike...Dirt bikes is it."
  — Axell Hodges [70:56]

• On Doing What Hasn't Been Done:
  "I'm not one to go, Oh, I just broke the record. I just like doing stuff that I think is cool. That stokes me out."
  — Axell Hodges [77:02]

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Highlights & Memorable Moments

• [03:37] Axell praises Evan's natural riding ability, helping him push through negativity.
• [19:03] Parking lot best whip contest changes Axell’s life, proving the joy (and financial incentive!) of freestyle.
• [47:36] The viral “dad in the thorns” video, Axell’s dad refusing to drop his stogie despite the chaos.
• [63:52] Death of friend Pat Casey and subsequent injury; honest look at mental health in action sports.
• [78:51] Technical breakdown of the near 400-foot record jump: “I was coming in, going like 106 [mph]...I wanted to get 420. That was my main goal.”
• [91:34] Axell announces 450cc bike giveaway for YouTube milestone.

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Essential Timestamps

• 03:37 Helping Evan regain confidence
• 11:10 On making freestyle relatable
• 19:03 Transition to freestyle with best whip
• 33:08 On the endless work of maintaining Slayground
• 47:36 The viral “dad in the thorns” story
• 63:52 Coping with injury and loss of a friend
• 70:56 Why he can’t quit riding dirt bikes
• 78:51 Attempting the 400ft distance record
• 91:34 YouTube 450cc bike giveaway announcement

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Closing Thoughts

This episode blends inspiration, gritty realism, and classic CboysTV humor in an inside look at what it takes to push boundaries—physically, mentally, and creatively—in extreme sports. Axell Hodges emerges not only as a world-class rider and innovator, but also a passionate mentor, candid about the struggles, risks, and joys of a life “wide open.”

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Find Axell online:

• Instagram: @axellhodges
• YouTube: Axell Hodges
• slayco96.com (merchandise)

Life Wide Open Podcast: New episodes every Tuesday.
Instagram: @lifewideopenpodcast

Transcript

[Host 1]

All those kids that are saying Evan fell off on TikTok, I'd like to see them do anything that Evan has done on a crotch rocket.

[Axel Hodges]

Dirt bikers will talk crap on a quad. But it's like, dude, I love riding quads. That's why you just make it look. I just love doing those wheelies.

[Host 2]

So effortless.

[Axel Hodges]

So my dad was pinned in the thorn. Yeah. I've jumped 396ft successfully.

[Host 1]

Ever contemplating, like, maybe this isn't worth it.

[Axel Hodges]

It took me a while to, like, want to have fun on my dirt bike again.

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[Host 2]

This episode is brought to you by Disney.

[Axel Hodges]

This Thanksgiving, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde.

[Host 2]

Are back on the big screen. So grab your family and friends as Disney invites you to return to Zootopia.

[Axel Hodges]

For the fur nominal movie event of the holiday season.

[Host 2]

See all your favorite Zootopia characters, plus new favorites in the most popular awesome.

[Axel Hodges]

Movie of the year.

[Host 2]

Don't miss Disney Zootopia 2 when it hits theaters everywhere November 26th. Get your tickets now. How you liking the cold? I. I already know how Gabby's liking the cold, but. What are you thinking?

[Axel Hodges]

I like the cold. I don't mind the cold.

[Host 2]

Yeah, you.

[Axel Hodges]

Like, today was perfect riding weather.

[Host 2]

Yeah, it was.

[Axel Hodges]

It was rain yesterday. Like, I love wearing hoodies, so hoodie.

[Host 3]

Season, dude, Same right now is perfect.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Yeah. I was worried about the cold with you guys coming up, but. And the sprinter van up here, and you're like, no, I actually like the cold. I was like, oh, well, this is my.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

And I've experienced the real Minnesota cold before, so this isn't cold.

[Host 2]

Because you used to. You used to rip snow bikes.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

When they did snow bikes and escapes. Yeah, I was ripping those so I'd go to Erx up in. I forget what the town was in Minnesota. Yeah.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

First time I went there, yeah, it was negative 40. I had the flu. And, like, this is gnarly. Trying to ride with numb hands holding onto that thing.

[Host 4]

Ben, you wrote a. You wrote a snow bike at Erx Monster.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I did.

[Host 1]

I crashed. Yeah, I crashed.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I crashed, too.

[Host 1]

I went over the Bars, though. I came off the the face and my bike ran out of gas midair. And I just, like, endoed, did it hit you?

[Axel Hodges]

I don't like with the big old track, if that thing.

[Host 1]

I think I got out of the way, but we were doing a player.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Shoot, and, like, all they kept saying the entire time was, don't crash. Just, like, don't do anything you're not comfortable with. Don't crash before any. Before you rode around a berm. Don't crash.

[Host 1]

Yeah, they were tweeting. They put it out there for sure. They were just like, super corporate, super tweaking. And I was like, oh, I'm definitely scarier.

[Axel Hodges]

Like, you know something about the crash. All you're gonna think about is crashing.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

I was like, okay, well, I don't know if I'm the right guy then. Like, how gnarly is this gonna be? And they're like, well, we need you to get up there pretty high. And I'm like, dude, I'm not the guy for this, but okay, I'll do it. I'll do it. And then sure enough, I end up winding up and they're like, oh, my gosh.

[Host 4]

Who is responsible for the fuel?

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Probably me.

[Axel Hodges]

Probably.

[Host 3]

I mean, it was probably.

[Host 1]

Yeah, it was probably.

[Host 4]

I don't know if it was your.

[Axel Hodges]

Bike out of gas pretty quick too, because you're in deep snow.

[Host 3]

Oh.

[Axel Hodges]

Like, you're burning through quicker than you think you are.

[Host 1]

Well, Axel Hodges, welcome on the podcast, brother. We're happy to have you here.

[Axel Hodges]

Thank you, Seaboys. Thank you for having me.

[Host 3]

Great to have you, brother.

[Host 2]

Yeah, it's been a great past couple of two days.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Helping Evan get his mojo back on the bike, kind of showing him.

[Host 4]

I think we found it.

[Host 1]

Yeah, you definitely found it. You got it back.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, he came out. He's grease and jumps. He looked good to me. Yeah. Yeah. Just needed some confidence back, dude.

[Host 1]

Me and. Me and C.J. were saying that too. We were like, ev's gonna do one lap, and Axel's gonna be like, what am I out here?

[Axel Hodges]

You're like, thinking, why am I, like.

[Host 2]

Hit a jump at all or anything?

[Axel Hodges]

Probably do wheelies on the Internet and stuff. I haven't seen him hit jumps, but he started jumping and he seemed like he's in control. He's not.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Not squirrely looking, so.

[Host 2]

Yeah, I think the. The Tick Tock commenters and. And all the haters maybe got a little carried away with. Yeah, Evan fell off.

[Host 1]

Train might have got blown out of proportion a little bit, but I hit up our boy Rich before Rich got too big time to text me back. And Rich, his boys with Axel, and I was like, yo, can you link me with Axel? I want Axel to come back and take Evan on and be his mentor to get his mojo back. And so Rich lined us up. And, yeah, I appreciate you for coming out here. And the one question that you did ask Axel was, how's the weather been? Is it gonna be pretty nice? And I just.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

If you.

[Host 1]

I don't know if you noticed. I don't know if you noticed, but I didn't answer. I didn't answer that question. I just, like, texted you back to whatever your next question was. I was like, dude, I don't want to be honest with him, but it's. It's. It sucks. It sucks.

[Axel Hodges]

But, yeah, dude, at least it's Not Midwinter negative 40.

[Host 2]

It's.

[Host 1]

Yeah, it could always be worse. It could always be worth.

[Host 3]

Your.

[Host 1]

Your wife was not loving it, but.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I was laughing. She was filming, and she's like, my biggest fingers are so cool. She took the gloves off I gave her. They're, like, red. She has them in my exhaust pipe trying to warm them up.

[Host 1]

Yeah, like, you good? She's like, yeah, yeah. But we appreciate you coming up, brother. We've been. We've been fans for a long time.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I've actually. I went to, like, message you guys last night. I tagged you guys in a post on my Instagram. I saw you guys texting me in 2017. I kind of felt like an a hole. I didn't reply, but you.

[Host 1]

Big time.

[Axel Hodges]

What were we saying?

[Host 2]

What were we saying?

[Axel Hodges]

I think I was. I honestly didn't see it, but I think it was when I was at ERX doing the snow bike stuff. You guys are like, yo, we're a group of seven guys that we like. Ryan, do you guys want to come ride? I went to tag you a story last night. I saw that popped up in my dm. I'm like, no way. These guys hit me up so long ago.

[Host 1]

So, yeah, it's funny because now, you know, we get messages like that too, of people being like, yo, we have a track. We like to ride. You guys like to ride. You should come and hang out. You know, when we're traveling and whatnot and we don't see them, there's a lot of messages.

[Host 3]

Right?

[Host 1]

So it does get kind of lost in it. But, yeah, I always wondered, like, man, I think we're probably gonna be friends one day, and I wonder if he's ever gonna see that, that message?

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

So when you said that this morning, I was laughing.

[Axel Hodges]

I was laughing then. You guys haven't even had like a backup message with some arrows pointed.

[Host 2]

We double tapped it, we doubled down. It's cool though, having you here because you're definitely like an inspiration behind just what we're doing here. I mean, we've been watching you for a long time and I remember like your first X Games and everything. Just watching that on tv and it was cool to see you go from Instagram to, to X Games and all that.

[Host 1]

But I mean also like blowing up our spot here of being fans. I went and found this video from X Games in 2018.

[Axel Hodges]

You found it, dude. Let's go.

[Host 2]

You should have really saved yourself. You should have saved this one.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Cuz the X Games was in Minnesota, right. And we were all one quarter pipe in 2018, I think. Yeah.

[Host 3]

And we were all just very, very, very excited about you at the time.

[Axel Hodges]

Men in particular, dude.

[Host 1]

Yeah, I just, I just loved you, bro. I still do. But here's a video. Yo, Axel. Axel, I love you, dude.

[Axel Hodges]

Was. What was that? Was I doing the interview thing?

[Host 3]

Yep.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Dude, that's crazy. I remembered that and I'm pretty sure.

[Axel Hodges]

I kind of think I remember that a little bit. Like, I remember V memories like that sitting there. Yeah, that's pretty funny.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

But I remember on the way home, Ben goes, bro, Axel should come and ride with us. I remember at the time being like, what the is he gonna do like.

[Host 2]

At the top of track or anything?

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

We were just riding around in the ditch and I, I remember, you know, I mean Ben's always had big dreams. I'm like, yeah, I don't know about.

[Host 1]

That one, but yeah, that one seems a little far fetched.

[Axel Hodges]

The most fun riding the driveway.

[Host 2]

We're ripping the driver. There's no doubt about that, dude. It's amazing how there could be like a twig on the, on the road and you'll just like bump off that into like a nose wheelie.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, well, yeah, I just grew up right in my backyard and like having logs and boulders and stuff like that. They're trying to do nose wheelies and trying to find way to get traction on your front wheel. That's why you need those bumps and stuff sometimes when you're on concrete or else you're just gonna wash out. So bro, you ended up riding in the backyard doing that.

[Host 1]

You spent more time on your front wheel than you did on your rear wheel and on both your wheels.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, normally I like doing those really so much everywhere.

[Host 1]

And then the wheelie to cancan to nose wheelie was the craziest one.

[Axel Hodges]

I don't. I think I did wheelie Can't. Can to seat stand.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Axel Hodges]

All right, all right, all right.

[Host 1]

It's hard to keep them all straight.

[Axel Hodges]

Wheelie to nose wheel on the double. I should have added a no.

[Host 4]

The double was insane. You're like, I think I might be able to do this and then obviously do it perfect first try. But that was so heavy.

[Axel Hodges]

Well, it helps too. Like, it rained a little bit yesterday, and when the dirt's such good traction, it makes it so much easier to hook up and get nose whies. And that's why I.

[Host 2]

You just make it look.

[Axel Hodges]

I just love doing nose wheelies.

[Host 2]

And so effortless, though. It make you make it look like it's something very hard. And it's like, man, maybe I could do that. Like, it just goes perfectly every time. Like, it's just so smooth. Where do you begin to ride like this? Like, at. At like, when did you start riding? Can you kind of run us through?

[Axel Hodges]

I guess, like, probably like my backyard. Like, so when I was five, I broke my femur riding a PW50. So I didn't grow up racing like all the other kids that are racing dirt bikes and stuff. So my sister bought a 110. So I would just ride her 110, like every day in the backyard trying to do wheelies up the hills. And just I had a lot of friends that skateboard and snowboard and ride bmx. So my friends were so good at skating, doing like kickflip back tails and stuff. So I'm in my backyard on my 110 trying to do like little whip land wheelie. And like, that's how I, like, express myself. Riding a dirt bike is from a lot of, like, snowboard and skateboard inspiration and.

[Host 1]

Yeah, that's what it looks.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. And then my brother, he grew up competing in snowboarding. They always had like the VX1000 and like, we're filming skateboarding and stuff. So I, like, wanted to be like them and started just like filming stuff and wanted to make cool videos. So was always just trying to link together lines and film with the fisheye and do like, stuff like that.

[Host 1]

Yeah, you ride a dirt bike. Like somebody rides a skateboard that's really good at riding a skateboard. You know, you have like that steezy style to it where it's like a.

[Host 2]

Line and you're like hitting these lines that combos.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

Like, I don't know, like, don't.

[Host 1]

Don't exist.

[Host 2]

You wouldn't even see the line until you hit it and you're like, oh, wow. I guess that works right there. It's like, yeah, you're like riding things that almost like, it's not a traditional like jump.

[Axel Hodges]

I get bored doing the same thing over and over again. So then I'm always just kind of. I think I have adhd, like when I'm riding my dirt bike. So I just will wander off and go try to ride stuff. Like, I remember growing up at the track, I'd be in the parking lot, like bouncing off boulders and stuff, trying to do wheelies and stuff. Just.

[Host 3]

That's been the best part about watching you still is, is that you're taking dirt biking that's been. Been around forever. Everyone's doing it their own way and doing it essentially different than anyone else ever has. You know, pushing a new boundary, that's cool too.

[Axel Hodges]

And then seeing like a lot of kids, they're all doing like landing wheelies and stuff. And then just like even little kids on Stasics, now they're on their 10, 80 ramps and they're landing wheelies like on their seat. And like, that's pretty rad. And they'll be tagging me wearing little Slayco helmets. I'm like, that makes me happy, just little kids. And that's how I was grew up. I wanted to be Jeremy McGrath. I wanted to be an eight time Supercross champion just to be so I could be king, but then still get to ride my dirt bike and like influence kids like that. So it's a pretty rewarding feeling, like knowing I'm doing something that kids want to be like and they're trying to do too. And it's all relatable. Like, that is not doing like a triple backflip. But I land wheelies and then I see all kids at the track trying to land wheelies on tabletops and stuff. And it's pretty cool to see it rub off on other people.

[Host 1]

And that is like the best way to describe it is your style made it more relatable for these kids to watch it and be like, you versus these kids are not gonna be doing backflips, double backflips, triple backflips, all like the gnarly of them.

[Axel Hodges]

Like a small percentage.

[Host 1]

Yeah, maybe, maybe.001% of them. But like.

[Host 3]

Or there was the time where it was like, I want to ride dirt bikes. Okay, let's get you in some races, and then you're like, I don't really want to do that either. And that's kind of. It was a little bit your story, too.

[Host 1]

You made riding dirt bike more.

[Axel Hodges]

And I'm just stoked. It's still my job too, and I enjoy it. It doesn't feel like a job. I still go out and just have fun and film it, and it's just another day riding. But then also I could classify it as my work and it's just fun. And I always try to, like, do something new every time I ride too, because that's. I get bored. I don't want to do the same thing over and over again. I like just messing around, and sometimes I get lucky and do something on accident. I'm like, oh, that could be a trick.

[Host 3]

The amount of times in, you know, in our friend group and I'm sure many others. Oh, did you see the new axle clip? Did you see what he pulled off now? I mean, what feels like hundreds of times.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, thanks. Like, in one of my last video, I did Redmond's too. I did like a Superman, like over this jump and my back kind of tapped. I'm like, I get fully Superman wheel tap and then catch it. And then one time I was trying to do Superman wheel tap and just bonk it back to my feet. And then one time it bonked back to my feet and I like, endo. It almost went over the bars. I'm like, oh, I can fully catch that nose. Really? So by, like, messing up sometimes, it, like, kind of shows me that it, like, what could actually be done. So, like, by going over the bars, I could be like, oh, I could actually just hit my front brake and keep it in a nose. Really? And then I did.

[Host 1]

Makes sense.

[Axel Hodges]

X Games Real Moto. Years ago, I did a with nose, really front flip. And I got inspired by that because when I was racing in 2014, I was doing Daytona Amateur Supercross, and I fully came over this, like, Dragon's back endoed off the top of it and pretty much did a front flip to my back, completely wadded, exploded my brains out. And then later down the road, I'm like, dude, if I stayed tucked and like, on that crash, maybe I just put a front flipped and landed it. So then I'm like, so it's got to work. So then we get the airbags out and put in the time. And so you turn the crash into.

[Host 2]

A trick, like if we back up a little. You initially got hurt as a young kid and you Were saying like, your mom basically said no more dirt bikes.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. When I was five, I broke my femur pretty bad. Like I got a head on collision and this guy's foot peg went into my leg. It was compound fracture. Almost like got my main artery in. My leg should almost been dead. And after that, my mom was just so over dirt bikes. But then my sister had a. Just got a quad around the same time, like a little 90 quad. And like she ended up having to sell her quad and stuff because she was so over dirt bikes and stuff. And then we eventually just got like a family 110 that was supposed to be my sister's. And then I just started riding that thing every damn day in the backyard and pretty much became my 110 and just rode that thing for years. And then in fifth grade, I finally convinced my dad to get me a 150F or 150R. The Racer Honda.

[Host 1]

And I had those.

[Axel Hodges]

You guys had those. So it's like the 84 stroke, 85 version. And I remember being a little kid, I'm like, oh my God, this is like a little 450. Yeah, it is.

[Host 1]

When you're that small though. Yeah, like a 450.

[Axel Hodges]

Like, you know, so sick and new.

[Host 3]

Like, is that what you were on when you like you're. You're saying that the gym mom was like, oh, Axel's doing pretty good racing. But your mom didn't know.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. So like my dad bought me that bike and we hit it in the barn for a while. My mom didn't know we bought it. My dad would still ride with all of his buddies, like, would go to the Star west, was a track called every Wednesday night after school. And I was just going to watch my dad. And then I slowly started riding the track and got pretty decent. And then I just did like a local race at Paula raceway, which was 30 minutes from my house. And my mom kind of knew by this point I was riding, but she didn't know I was racing. And then we signed up for a race and they had like a 150 class there. I think I won that weekend. And I was pretty good at Paula because I just rode that track every day and I did good. I won this race this weekend. And this gym mom went to the gym and saw my mom, she's like, whoa. Axel did pretty good this week. And I didn't know he was that fast. And my mom was like, what? He's racing? And I kind of broke the ice on the racing. I think I was like, 13, then just kind of doing local races. And then from there I started racing a little bit. I got a 250 and then started doing the novice class. Because I never really raced dirt bikes growing up. No. Like 60. I never had a 65. Didn't have an 80. Had my 150. I'd ride after school for fun and then start getting faster and faster. Got on my 250, started doing novice class and started doing some amateur nationals. Did all right. I went to, like, my first amateur national was Oak Hill in Texas. I was 14, and I think I got like a fourth that year in 250C class. Did a couple others. Did all right in the C class. And then the next year we went all in and did all the amateur nationals and went to, like, World Mini Oak Hill. I think I won some titles throughout, like, my C class at some of those nationals. And then I ended up winning 250c stock at Loretta's that year. So I got a C class Loretta lens title. And then just from there, I just thought I was going to be hardcore racer guy and went B class. Did all right in B class, Got a couple, like, California national titles, and then got second in 450B at Loretta's the following year. And I'm stoked on that. Aaron Plessinger beat me on that. So I'm like, that's it. If anyone was gonna beat me, I'm glad it was ap. Yeah, I'm a huge AP guy. So, yeah, I love that guy. He did whip my ass, but I got second behind him and won Moto. And I remember we're going through the Ten Commandments. We're the only one. We're going outside. We're going triple, triple, quad through the Ten Commandments. I'm like, that's pretty badass. I was doing that with that guy.

[Host 1]

So, yeah, I was gonna say, who. Who else was racing with you? That's still racing, like, in the 450 class now.

[Axel Hodges]

RJ Hampshire. Like, I raced RJ a little bit. I was B class when he was A class. And then I was doing, like, arena cross at the same time. I went A class, but then I broke my femur again as I went into A class, switched to Kawasakis. Then I broke my wrist. I had a gnarly concussion in an A class. Like, I never really clicked or did good. And I was trying to do arena Cross. So, like, in my age, there's like, Jordan Smith, R.J. hampshire. Who else? Like, Aaron Plessinger. Forkner was racing. He was A little younger than me. I never raised Forkner, but he was kind of at the track when I was there. And so when you make it. That was like 10 years ago now, racing, it's hard to remember everyone that was racing.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Were you making money at that stage? Like, were you starting to see, like, oh, I could do this long?

[Axel Hodges]

Not racing, not racing.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

They weren't paying out.

[Axel Hodges]

No. And I wasn't doing good enough A class, like, I'm sure if I was doing good, like, I could have made some money. But I was getting my ass kicked in the A class. So I was probably in like B class and stuff, making small contingency money. Like on my debit card, I had my Honda card, but it was not anything crazy.

[Host 2]

So at what point were you like, all right, I'm going to be done with the racing and go more with the freestyle free riding.

[Axel Hodges]

After Loretta's one year, they had Monster Cup. At the time that was like the big Monster Energy cup in Vegas and they had the amateur all star class there, which I was racing that on my 250. But in the parking lot they had a best whip contest. And that was also like, best whip. But then if you did good there, I think top three got invited X Games from that in the best Whip. So I was racing, I got my ass kicked in the race. I was miserable, not having fun. My dad was pissed at me. But in the parking lot, I got second in the best Whip contest. Then I got invited X Games. I made money and I'm like, that was so much more fun and enjoyable and just sick. And then I got invited X Games out. So it got me into X Games and then ever since then, I never raced my dirt bike again and started doing the best whip and free riding and just everything I do now in video parts.

[Host 1]

You are a parking lot guy.

[Axel Hodges]

I'm parking lot. You're always ripping parking lot, driveway, parking lot. I never really thought about that.

[Host 1]

Yeah, yeah, I went inside, raced, sucked. But then I had a good time in the parking lot.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I made some money in the parking lot. I'm like, I'm doing this.

[Host 1]

That is hilarious.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Host 3]

Second place, first competition. Like, it's so good. Like, did you. Do you have like buddies that are like, you, you can whip Axel. Like, you should join the contest or were you just like, I could whip. I'm gonna join.

[Axel Hodges]

I started hitting ramps at the time. I was kind of. I'm friends with like twitch and guys like that. Tyler Biermann. I always looked up Tyler behrman was a little bit older than me and he was always doing the free riding stuff and I wanted to be like him, doing big jumps. I just thought that was sick. He was doing big jumps, big whips and then yeah, I just always kind of like that stuff. The freestyle Stuff and my brothers, they grew up watching Crusty Demons of the Dirt and in the 90s, and they're just all about Seth Enzo and kind of that type of style. And I always thought the riding freestyle stuff was cool, too. And Even like Jeremy McGrath back in the day, I grew up down the road from him. He was kind of just like a childhood friend growing up. And I've always just watched him and all the stuff he did, which he was a racer, but he had such good style and had all of his videos too. And like, he's the first guy I saw landing in a wheelie and stuff like that. So I just always thought that stuff was cool. The video part, writing and the freestyle. And wanted to be just kind of like those guys. And they're like Twitch and Josh Hansen. They were doing like best whip at the time and doing big whips and doing the turn up whips. So then I started doing whips like that too and just kind of evolved from there and just always try to just have my style.

[Host 3]

Yeah. The stoke was there immediately from you.

[Axel Hodges]

And I just like hitting jumps and doing whips. It was always fun to me.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

It's cool that Cali has so many riders, like around here. It's obviously tough with the seasons and we have less tracks and stuff like that, but that's. We don't have anybody that had any talent around us, which is maybe newer friends who have some talent, but, you.

[Host 3]

Know, like Levi Valley, for example, like kind of like an anomaly for the area.

[Host 1]

Yeah, exactly.

[Host 3]

Like some dude that lives in small town Minnesota, that's like, I'm going to do crazy freestyle.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah. Minnesota doesn't breed action sports.

[Host 2]

Ryan Dungy.

[Host 3]

Where's Ryan Dungey?

[Host 2]

He's from Minnesota.

[Host 1]

Really?

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

She didn't know.

[Host 2]

I don't know where.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. But I bet when he was racing he was more evolved into like California.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Training down there and. Yeah. Like the 951 in California, the moto mecca. That's just where all the, like the test tracks are. But now there's a lot of riding in Florida. And I said, like, for racing, Florida is kind of the spot to be. Because if you're doing outdoors and you want to be trading in that humidity and that deep dirt. And that's what was kind of hard too, when I was racing too, just riding the California tracks and you go to Loretta's and you're like, holy, what are these ruts like? I always did better in the afternoon motos there. It was more like dry and hard pack More like a California track. And like, I remember the morning motos. I'm like, dude, it's gonna be muddy. I suck at point tear offs like ruts for days on the track. So it's gonna be over there in that stuff, training and that stuff. Especially in the heat and humidity.

[Host 2]

Yeah, Training for moto racing is like militant. Like they're going, dude, yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Racing a dirt bike in that weather is the gnarliest thing ever. It's like jet and guys like that, they make it look easy. But that stuff is not easy.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

How glad are you to not be racing moto?

[Axel Hodges]

Like, it would be cool, but I do enjoy it a lot more doing what I do. Like, I'm not the guy that likes to go moto all day. Then I gotta go get on my spin bike and yeah, go ride mountain bikes. And then I like eating like California burritos and stuff like that. I don't want to be eating spinach for every meal. And I don't know. Yeah, it is like it takes a certain type of person to put in that work and be that gnarly on a dirt bike.

[Host 2]

And it also takes a certain type of person to hit the jumps that you're hitting at.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, everyone's a little wired different and yeah, it's just kind of what you enjoy in life. And the free riding and the big jumps is kind of attracts me more. I like that. It's fun to me.

[Host 2]

Where do you even begin to hit these jumps that you got at sleigh ground at your compound? Because I mean, do you even have any friends that come over and like hit these things?

[Axel Hodges]

Like, they're asking a couple friends that come over, but I don't. Not everybody has hit all the big jumps. I have. Yeah, I don't know. They're big, but then some of them too. They're like turning, there's bushes. Like that's what's scary about them too. Like, I'll have like 130 foot double, but then it's kind of hipped out and you can't go deep or else you're going to land in a wall with like boulders in it. And it's pretty tech. It's like BMX trails on steroids for a dirt bike.

[Host 1]

So what's the biggest one?

[Axel Hodges]

The biggest one is that like the big step up. I have that I ride a lot. That's probably. It's the biggest one. But for me now I've hit it so many times, I just have room to go deep on it. You could case it. It's a step up. So I'd say that's more one of the safer ones. But then I have like 120 foot doubles in the bushes. That's skinny and it's like on a hillside and it's kind of slanted, so that's like the scary part. And it's peaked out steep.

[Host 1]

Like you just had a video on your Instagram of you missing the landing and going into the bushes, right?

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, that was like. I had my track going for after Slagon 3 is a little bit different than that. We added more just like kind of made it a gnarly fmx, like moto track, hybrid track. I'd. But then I reversed it and it was going on the hill. I had this like gnarly triple out of the corner. Like I said, it's like slanted down a hill, but then it's narrow so like you got to point it left a little bit to like land in the middle of it. But then I was doing it all day. The day before it was like a triple. Triple. The second triple is probably like 100ft, something like that. 100, 110ft. But then it slanted on a hill like this and then it's this brush landings on the side with walls. Yeah. And thanks to the county, they say I can't clear any more brush out. So we're trying to make do with the trail. We already like graded out, so. So you gotta kind of think county that I gotta keep it so gnarly and like go risk my life to hit these. But I came in and redid the lip the night before and I probably didn't pack it in the right way. So it was a little bit looser than it was the day before. And I came in and I just hit it and got a little wiggle off of it. And I would always lean a little bit left because it was slanted downhill. And I just got head shake kind of in the. The soft stuff and it shot me left and I was just in the air. Yeah, they hit this 110 foot triple and just fully. Yeah, I'm coming. I'm coming down in the bushes. And I think I ended up fracturing my wrist on that one like slightly. But that was like a few months ago. But there's that clip on the Internet where I fully land in the.

[Host 3]

Yes, gnarly.

[Host 2]

So like how do you work up to hitting these jumps? So like say you build the jump. Like there's really no test hitting something.

[Axel Hodges]

Like it just depends, like if it's a double double, you just like. If it's like a true double where you can't really test jump it. Like I've hit enough big jumps now to where I know like 120 is like usually in this throttle range in third gear with like. And you just kind of get the feeling down just from muscle memory and hitting jumps like that. And you just got to kind of trust it. Sometimes you're like way off and that's when you're either case in it or over jumping it. But then I also have my suspension so stiff and I know when, if I am going to like mess up, I know I'm gonna go deep or something. I know I'm gonna have hard enough of suspension to race the impact and stuff like that. So I don't know, you just gotta kind of trust your gut sometimes too. And that's the part of dirt bikes.

[Host 2]

Where the balls come in.

[Axel Hodges]

That's why hitting a jump boys for the first time is the scariest part. Yeah, like you, you kind of know, like, I think I'll go that far. But you never know until you do it for the first time. And that's kind of the fun part sometimes though because it gets your adrenaline going and like after you hit something for the first time that's scary. Like, thank God I made that.

[Host 1]

So better more than less.

[Axel Hodges]

I, I rather. It depends a jump. If the jump has a good deck on it. Sometimes it's better to go less. But if it's like a knuckle, yeah, I rather go far, way over. And I've flat landed a lot of jumps. I know if I'm over jumping it, I'm landing pinned and I'm getting my inertia going forward, landing on the back, landing off the gas and just taking it all. You could land on the gas and kind of exert that energy forward.

[Host 4]

Do you ever play your compound on like the newest, latest?

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, when it came out in the beginning. But honestly I'm at my property so much. I don't really have that much time to come home and play video games now. Especially trying to make YouTube videos and stuff like that. I come home and then it's like now I gotta go through that whole day and edit it and it's like that takes longer than filming it. So it's like I wish I could sit there and play video games. Getting older. I don't have that much time. Time.

[Host 4]

It's got to be crazy. Like your compound, like you could just.

[Axel Hodges]

I'm worse in the game. Riding my compound than I am in real life. I'm like, this is way harder doing it in the game.

[Host 1]

What does that look like when they hit you up?

[Axel Hodges]

I think they messaged me on like Instagram. This was a little while ago. They got MX Versatility tv got in contact with me in Instagram. And then we just started talking and kind of they're like, yo, we want to put your map in the game. And then they came out and took photos of it all and like drone shots and like they got the game so good. Like really, it's pretty accurate. It like feels like you're there in the video game, just even with the surrounding hills and stuff. So they mapped it on then like it's pretty similar to what it was. But then they even added a couple sneak lines that like you're like, oh, that's good.

[Host 4]

The section like the track through the bushes is hard on the game.

[Host 3]

Yeah, yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Like it's very. Yeah. Stressful. Yeah. That's like now that track is like we're in the process of reversing it, but that's how like it was like for the most part, the layout through the bushes. Yeah. But even like how, you know you gotta grease that stuff like in real life too. It's like they're not the biggest landings and stuff. So it's like BMX trails. You gotta land good to get over the next one.

[Host 3]

And you have a full time dozer there. Obviously you have a Skitty or like you have a Payloader.

[Axel Hodges]

I don't have a loader. I would like to eventually have a loader. I got a Skitty, I got a Dozer and then I got two water trucks. And then I think right now we're going to buy a mini excavator, like a 309. That's the next piece of equipment I want to buy. And then after that, yeah, I'd like to have a loader. Like it'd be so nice just to have it all. And yeah, that's kind of my dream of having my own compound with my own equipment.

[Host 2]

And are you building the majority of the jumps yourself?

[Axel Hodges]

The bigger stuff? No, like We've used Matt McCall. He runs trick factory and he welds ramps. He does like all the welding ramps for all the kickers I have too. But then he also does dirt work too. And he's like, he came in and he shaped all the jumps, stacked all of them with the loaders. Like we'll run a loader when we need a loader and then for the Most part I've just watched him so much. Like I'll be in the water truck, just running the water truck all day. But then when I'm not doing water, I'm just like sitting there watching him grade it and I'll just kind of learn like watch what he's doing. And so now I'm trying to like just been out there too, messing around in the dozer and stuff, learning how to push dirt. I'm pretty good in the skitty now just with the bucket and working the bucket. Now I've been messing around with the dozer and just learning how to make cuts and like push dirt up and I'm getting better at it. But I haven't built all the jumps there for my 110 track. I've. Besides that they did a X Games course there. But I always just rack it and make my own little layouts and I always mess around with my 110 tracks. The grown ups, those are my Pride Enjoyer.

[Host 1]

The 110, those, those feel just like a grown up like sandbox track.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, it's like. Yeah. Like when I was a little kid I'd make little toy dirt bike tracks. Just.

[Host 1]

It's just a little bit more expensive now.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, it's more expensive but it's for business. You could write it off. Yeah, that's cool.

[Host 1]

It's a good point.

[Axel Hodges]

Getting all grown up, you got to write stuff off and pay taxes. I know. California, so. Yeah.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Rather buy an excavator than give it to Uncle Sam. That's for sure.

[Host 1]

Yeah, good point.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah. Do you think you know how much you spent building sleigh ground?

[Axel Hodges]

I don't know. How much? A lot. But with like a lot of help with like monster energy and stuff too. Because we do like our SL3 video out there too. So I have a video budget.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

To make that video. So like they help me a lot with resources and renting stuff and building and so without monster energy, none of it would really be possible. And fortunate enough to where I got a good sponsor like that and just all my other sponsors too. I save up all my money just to put it into dirt. Yeah.

[Host 1]

It is crazy. Like.

[Host 2]

Yeah. Moving the dirt. Like building a track is expensive.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

And then you Dan. And I'm on a hillside too. Like we'll have it all good. We'll finally get it good. Then all of a sudden a random California rainstorm will come through in the winter and it's just completely rain rutted and you just got to rebuild everything. Like dirt Work is just constant work.

[Host 3]

Yeah. And that's the most frustrating part about not owning it. You know, you got it for two weeks, you.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Kill it. And then that rain rut comes in, and you're like, well, I don't have it anymore.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. And it's good to have it when it rains like that because you want to rebuild it when the dirt's gonna. Good, because then you don't have to spend hours and wait for your water truck guy to come over. And in most cases, the water truck guy when I'm working on something is my dad, and he's not the best squirter with that thing. He just ends up drenching me in the cab out the window.

[Host 3]

Our water truck guy is an idiot.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Host 1]

Did you see Mike's business?

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, yeah, I saw.

[Host 1]

When you ran over there.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. No pants on the side of it.

[Host 2]

That was actually a depiction of him.

[Host 1]

From that Vegas store.

[Axel Hodges]

They're telling me to go look at it. They're telling me about the Vegas story.

[Host 1]

Prior.

[Host 3]

Good times.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. That's a good memory. It's funny. I was laughing. I got it on my GoPro.

[Host 1]

It's definitely a better memory for us.

[Host 3]

Yeah. So what else?

[Host 1]

You.

[Host 3]

You just got married?

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Me, my wife Gabriella. Yeah, we got married last September, so just over a year now.

[Host 3]

That's sweet.

[Axel Hodges]

That reminds me. I took my wedding ring off to ride. I need to go get that before I lose it.

[Host 3]

And the dingo officiated it. That's. That's pretty surreal.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, we had the Dingo there. He was a close family friend, and it was just. Yeah, that's a pretty special moment to have Dingo there and rest in peace. Dingo. We lost him a little while back, so to have Dingo there, he was just such a good guy, and to have him officiate was so fun. And that's just a good week of bonding with.

[Host 3]

Married life's good.

[Axel Hodges]

Married life's great.

[Host 3]

Less busy, more busy. Same.

[Axel Hodges]

Nothing really changed. I mean, except I just try to be like, hey, we're married. Like, do more laundry and stuff and not complain about it.

[Host 1]

Dude, you got her pretty dialed in. Dude, she's sitting over there. She's been iPhone filming this whole thing. I look over, and she's sitting there just smiling, like, lazing out in the cold.

[Axel Hodges]

She's my partner in crime, so. Yeah, it's good. It works out good. We have a lot of fun together. We get to travel around together and enjoy a lot of good memories.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Host 2]

Did anyone at your wedding steal your car and do any donuts and up the grass?

[Axel Hodges]

No, we were. We were in a different country with rental cars, and there's, like, we were on a hillside. There's nowhere to do stuff. Stuff like that. But my friends did start throwing all the chairs. We rented breaking chairs and getting little. We love breaking chairs. Yeah. There's some missing plates that we rented for our dinner and stuff that. Who knows where they went?

[Host 2]

But someone might have stole Mike's car that he rolled in with with his new wife into the venue. Like, it was under this tent and did some donuts and maybe up the.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Lawn, maybe caused a little bit of a scene.

[Host 2]

Maybe made a scene. But hearing that, that happens at your wedding.

[Axel Hodges]

No, we just had some chairs in the tree in the morning. No, that's cool.

[Host 1]

Like, I feel like that's.

[Host 2]

See, it's normal for things like that to happen, so.

[Host 1]

Oh, you just wait.

[Host 2]

Yeah, I know.

[Axel Hodges]

Mike's gonna.

[Host 2]

Mike's gonna make sure there's some chaos.

[Host 3]

Imagine which I want go berserk.

[Host 2]

I feel like you need to have a little bit of chaos.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Otherwise it's not. Yeah, it's. It's out of character if. If our weddings are normal.

[Host 2]

Yeah. You can't get tigers. I've already looked into that. Like, I feel like that'd be sick.

[Host 1]

Yeah, well, I can't.

[Host 4]

It's really difficult.

[Host 2]

I. I don't know where the fuck you're going to get tigers in Minnesota.

[Host 3]

The zoo.

[Axel Hodges]

I go to the zoo.

[Host 2]

Hey, can you put these things on leashes and bring them to my wedding?

[Host 4]

Mike Tyson owned a couple.

[Host 2]

I know, I know. Well, his is now at a zoo, supposedly, but I think they're still alive.

[Axel Hodges]

Sick.

[Host 1]

If you could get Mike, oh, that would be legendary.

[Host 4]

It's like the coolest tiger of them all.

[Axel Hodges]

That would actually. But Mike Tyson initiates. Yeah.

[Host 2]

So, anyway.

[Host 1]

Would you come and do a show? Like a halftime show for me?

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I'll do a halftime show, but.

[Host 1]

I'm gonna have shred 80, our three wheeler buddy come and do it too.

[Host 2]

And he's gonna.

[Host 1]

He's gonna jump through a ring of fire.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

It'll be three feet off the ground.

[Axel Hodges]

After the videos you guys are showing me, I want to meet that guy, too.

[Host 2]

I love Gavin, dude.

[Axel Hodges]

I show up in my Lululemon kit.

[Host 1]

Yeah, you figured it out.

[Host 4]

Cut the beak off your helmet.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, yeah. Do the Ronnie Mac. Yep. Little face.

[Host 2]

You ever rode a three wheeler?

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I rode my friend Cole Danny. He's like a free rider guy I ride with, and he has a three wheeler and I rode it. We were doing the Nitro circus quarter pipe, and he let me ride it up and down that thing. And. Yeah, he's crazy on that thing. It's fun. Dangerous, or so scary. Get those things going for me. You want to put your leg out and snap your tip fib real quick. Yeah.

[Host 2]

There's one thing our friend Gavin, the three wheeler guy, has proven is that three wheelers are dangerous.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Host 2]

He's done a great job of proving that.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Cold Danny's. He's crazy on it. Like, he's riding off his roof on it. He said he's, like, built the shred from sd.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Really?

[Host 3]

Because I don't.

[Axel Hodges]

I don't think.

[Host 4]

I don't think it was him, but it was one of his homies, right, that jumped that Harley to flat. But that was right on the Lewis.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, that was like, in front of his house.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Can we.

[Host 1]

Can we watch that? Can you pop that video up straight.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Up in his neighborhood?

[Host 1]

Dude, that is the craziest video. Every time I see that video, I still think it's AI.

[Host 2]

Imagine your neighbors. Imagine, like he just got some normal ass neighbors. Like, ah, all right, here he goes again. You're like throwing some burgers for Dinner for the kids.

[Axel Hodges]

Just he's 20ft, but even too, he's always making the craziest ramp. I have this ramp at my house that he just brings a bunch of scrap wood out. Like a construction sign with a log under. He calls it the slayer log. And he just like bolts it together real quick. He's drinking a berries like. Yeah, I think it's gonna hold together.

[Host 1]

And dude, that's a proper three wheeler guy right there. That's a three wheeler guy. And they don't overthink it, man. It's sketchy.

[Axel Hodges]

It's full of diy. Yeah, do it yourself. And he's got property that's kind of around mine too. And he has the sickest, like, pallet wall rides and just like sick ramps he builds. And then he'll build the tip of his jumps and then he'll jag it, edge them so they look just all sketchier. Sick. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host 1]

We had Gavin's arch nemesis come out and do like a three wheeler off, but we were going back and forth. Like, do we have Dr. David, who is his true arch nemesis and the other three wheeler guy on the Internet, because there's not many of them, obviously. Or Cole from SD, who's actually good at riding a three wheeler. Like. Like gnarly on a three wheeler.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 4]

Have you heard of the Dr. David? He's like a BMX dude, but he shreds three wheelers as well.

[Axel Hodges]

Maybe. I don't know, maybe if I saw a video.

[Host 2]

His pictures down there over by the window. It's. It's the one with the guy, he's shooting like some flame off of like a lighter and then his wife's in a bikini.

[Axel Hodges]

I don't know if I look at that one.

[Host 1]

Yeah, dude, everyone that, like all the legends that come here, like, he gave us that. He signed it and gave us that. You gave us your moto jersey.

[Host 2]

Appreciate all left their boards. We've actually, like, really. We've got quite a bit of signed memorabilia from just having so many legends just come out.

[Axel Hodges]

Tp. Yeah.

[Host 2]

It's just cool. It's really cool. Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

So we appreciate you giving us the.

[Host 2]

Jersey, signing that up.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. And you'll remember that forever.

[Host 2]

Yeah, we're gonna get that. We'll get it framed like in like a thing and put it somewhere cool.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

That's when Evan got his mojo back.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 2]

We'll always remember that.

[Host 1]

Big date.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, Evan got his mojo.

[Host 4]

We gotta work on that. 58 seconds, though.

[Host 3]

Is that what you got on that last 58 seconds on our 58 and a half seconds.

[Axel Hodges]

I left some room for improvements, though. Yeah.

[Host 2]

I don't know.

[Host 4]

58, 50, I think. Was that the official.

[Host 1]

Yeah, 58. Something like that. Yeah.

[Host 4]

So we got, like, a flat. All I really need.

[Host 1]

It's true.

[Axel Hodges]

It would be on 80 horsepower. So, yeah, no excuses, but it was fun out there.

[Host 3]

It was a little less of, like, Axel didn't have to go out and tell Evan, all right, here's how you hit a jump. You don't want to be with this and that. It was more just like, go faster, bro. And, you know, being able to chase.

[Host 4]

Him for, like, knowing he's going to hit it.

[Axel Hodges]

Perfect.

[Host 4]

Chasing for some speed.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 4]

Someone hit it and then just. It's easy to be confident when you see exactly. Exactly what I need to do. Even if you're doing it on one wheel.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 4]

I'm like, I can do it on two.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's all the same speed and not, like, riding for a while and not seeing anyone hit it and just trying to, like, roughly guesstimate the speed is a lot harder than seeing someone. And then you could just kind of go copy what they're doing. So even when I'm, like, hitting big jumps and stuff, when I'm with my buddies that, like Josh Hill and Biermann, like, when we all get together, then we feed off of each other, and it makes it a lot easier to hit a big jump instead of, like, being there by yourself, just having good vibes. Like a good vibes, too. You guys are all, like, riding it in, getting the speed down, and someone will hit something first, and then you could follow them off of that. But then, like, you'll go over to another jump, and then it turns into a competition. Like. Oh, you kind of want to hit it before them to, like, kind of have that street cred. So it gives you motivation to want to do it before someone else, too. Oh, man, here we go. We got.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah, we gotta watch.

[Host 2]

It's actually more trash.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

So this.

[Host 2]

Who was this guy? It was just his homie.

[Axel Hodges]

I don't. I forget who the guy. I don't know if I met the guy on the Harley ever.

[Host 2]

He was just driving by on a Sunday cruise.

[Host 3]

Dude, the amount of torque he grabbed halfway up that ramp.

[Axel Hodges]

Oh, that bike is so heavy.

[Host 2]

So how was that guy after.

[Host 1]

Yeah, was he dialed or is he.

[Axel Hodges]

Okay? That was so long ago. Go. I forget the verdict on that. Yeah, that was in 2018. I can't believe that's already like, seven years ago. It's crazy.

[Host 4]

Time Flies only has 4,000 likes.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

This is one of the reposts.

[Host 4]

Many times I do.

[Host 2]

You know, you've done a lot of legendary things. You got a lot of legendary clips, but one of the funniest ones is your dad.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. That, like, oversees all, everything I've done. Now I want people your dad.

[Host 1]

Can we watch that? Can you pop that up? We've watched it on the podcast, I think, I think twice at this point.

[Host 2]

So funny.

[Axel Hodges]

I, I.

[Host 1]

It's timeless.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

We got whenever, Whenever I need a good laugh, like, I go back and run it back because it's just like.

[Axel Hodges]

This is even the second time I posted, I posted a little bit more this time.

[Host 3]

Worth the repost.

[Axel Hodges]

People can't stand this video. This is so funny. Hey, Justin, shut it off. And everyone's like, why did. Did you stick your hand in the tire? I'm like, dude, I'm thinking so fast. And that hill is so much steeper than it looks on there. My bike's, like, upside down. I guess I didn't really look at the brake lever right there, but my dad was pinned in the thorn bush trying to save his life. Like, and then I was trying to get in there, get the bike. And then I was getting stabbed by the thorn bushes, too. And then Justin comes over, and he's just the strongest dude ever. He lift that thing up and got my dad out of there. He's in the thorn bushes. It's not even things his glasses.

[Host 3]

Oh, dude.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Hey, push.

[Host 3]

Still got the stogie.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. He didn't drop. Drop the stogie. That's a steep hill. And he was behind me, and I fully dusted him. He couldn't see. Sorry, dad.

[Host 2]

How many stogies your dad smoke a day?

[Axel Hodges]

He's always got one of those things. He used to do like a stogie a day, but he had. He quit stogies after my wedding. And he has a been smoking cigars anymore.

[Host 4]

My old man's got a stogie in his mouth around the clock.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, no, he quit the stogies. I got him an electric mountain bike Specialized. And I've been getting him, like, we're getting on his fitness routine.

[Host 2]

There you go.

[Axel Hodges]

Get him a little healthier.

[Host 2]

Everyone's doing it.

[Axel Hodges]

He just. He drinks a lot of coffee. I do, too, so I see. I know where I get it. Oh, yeah, here's.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Bro.

[Axel Hodges]

He went to go to stalls, and then he had nothing. Just not even moving, bro.

[Host 2]

I'm sure it's Such a weird situation to be in.

[Axel Hodges]

He's so.

[Host 2]

Every time you move, it hurts more, dude.

[Axel Hodges]

And he had no helmet on. I'm getting stabbed. Just trying to get him out. I didn't know what to do. And before that, Justin just picked him up. His whole ass was out. Picked him up by his.

[Host 2]

What the going on?

[Axel Hodges]

He's in there yelling, my shoulders. My shoulders. I'm like, what are they dislocated? He's like, no, grab them.

[Host 3]

Too good.

[Axel Hodges]

And then he wanted to go again. Give me that thing. I got this.

[Host 3]

Leaves in his ass crack.

[Axel Hodges]

Everybody thinks he's drunk. He quit drinking 30 years ago. That's just my dad. He's squirrely. Squirrely, Dude.

[Host 1]

That's the thing is you guys are out here filming this video that's supposed to be the main focus, and then your dad does this and it goes insanely viral.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. That was a. Since I fell through the bushes earlier that day, too. Completely wadded. It didn't get on video. And then my dad just completely outdid himself with that thing. And I'm like, I'm. I'm so happy. My, like, GoPro was recording for that and just, like, captured that moment because that's going to be a memory that we have and for everyone. They got a lot of enjoyment out of it. I'm glad he was okay.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

He had no helmet on. I'm like, did he hit his head on? He was bleeding.

[Host 4]

But realistically, it all buffed like.

[Axel Hodges]

No. Serious. Always wear your helmet, kids.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Don't be like my dad. He's squirrely.

[Host 3]

You've been super good about incorporating both your parents in your videos for a long time. Dude. They just look rad.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. So awesome. And I don't know.

[Host 3]

There's been super open at first. Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

That my mom is just taking care of us so good. And traveling with my dad over the years. We do get to ride dirt bikes. And we still just get to hang out and ride dirt bikes all the time. It's very like, I love hanging out with my family and get so much time just with my dad. And I'll take that, like, with me forever. I just. People give me crap sometimes. Oh, you take your daddy with you all this. I'm like, dude, I'm hanging out with my dad. My family. I love him more than anything. And we're out riding dirt bikes. Can enjoy life together. It doesn't get much better than that, so.

[Host 4]

Right.

[Axel Hodges]

Absolutely. Even though he's. We go at it all the time, but that's Just like father and son. Like, oh, really?

[Host 1]

Like he's constantly busting your balls or what?

[Axel Hodges]

Busting my balls? But we're just, you know, father say, actually do this. Like, dad, come on. I'm going to do it like this. And I don't know, he's just a hard ass. He's kind of just constantly talking shit, messing with everyone too. So just. I don't know.

[Host 1]

He. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host 2]

He's.

[Host 1]

He's like giving you tips, like on the bike.

[Axel Hodges]

Well, when I was racing, like, I'd be on the line, he'd be like, I do this, do this. I'm a dad. Shut up. So mad before a race.

[Host 1]

I'm like such a classic. Yeah, just Moto Moto Dad.

[Host 4]

Yeah, you said that. You know, he was racing when you were growing up. Was he like a fast guy at the track or.

[Axel Hodges]

He wasn't really racing. Like, he'd do like mammoth motocross with his buddies like one time a year and. But no, my dad was so squirrely riding a dirt bike. He was pretty old school. So he's jumping, he's fronting, front end up in there. We call it dick hammer. Like, you just. He was so squirrely. So I figured out, like, what not to do by watching him. And then Jeremy McGrath was down the road, so we rode with him a lot. So I just. I'd watch him to see what to do. Right. Because he was like, better the king of supercross. That dude was the man. And I know. I remember going to the track with my dad. I didn't even gear up yet, and he broke his neck first lap. Your dad? Yeah, he fractured his neck. He tried to hit this double and his. He was trying to go on a slow lap and his buddy flew by him. And he's one of his guys that he's not gonna let his buddies, like, beat him. So he just grabbed a handful, hit this jump, they watered it, went over the bars and was at the hospital with a broken neck. Like my dad, he's loose on a dirt bike, but he has some speed. Like, he ain't scared to go for it. I remember he would say, if Jeremy McGrath goes by me, he's pinned. I'm pinned. How come I don't have that speed? I should be there, right there with him. So he's done that. He's had Jeremy go by him and he tries to hang with him. MC just laughs at him.

[Host 1]

Yeah. In theory, dirt bikes pinned should go the same speed, but it doesn't quite work like that. Yeah, it doesn't quite work like that.

[Axel Hodges]

On the track pin I got him. So that's how he's fired.

[Host 1]

He's fearless, but yeah, not quite.

[Axel Hodges]

He doesn't really ride anymore. He's getting a little older and a little bit more brittle now, so.

[Host 3]

Or is he crank hog? Does he ride Harley's?

[Axel Hodges]

He'll crank a little hog, like. Yeah, I got him like.

[Host 3]

It's good to see him on two wheels, obviously. You said you got him a special?

[Axel Hodges]

A little bit. Yeah. Yeah, he's got a Harley at his house. He's got this like Batmobile looking one that I got years back. And that's his. His choice of weapons.

[Host 1]

You gotta hit Sturgis with us.

[Host 3]

Yeah, it's.

[Axel Hodges]

It's so scary together. I think I'll just end up drinking beer the whole time. That does.

[Host 1]

It does happen.

[Host 2]

You would.

[Host 1]

It does happen.

[Axel Hodges]

I like to do it. My brothers, like, they ride there. My brother Austin goes there every year and like the unknown industries. I'm friends with those guys and they always go there. They do wheelie shows and stuff like that. So. Yeah, definitely something I gotta do in my life. I think we've met.

[Host 4]

We're chilling with them.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, yeah. They live up in the Petaluma, California. They're getting a little older now. They're all having kids now, so they're kind of toning it back a little bit. We've been getting. Giving them, calling them, but they're like the OGs of wheeling Harleys and they're dialed, dude. They have the sickest bikes in style. Yeah, they kind of set the standard for.

[Host 1]

Yeah, those are nasty.

[Axel Hodges]

Riding Harleys and doing wheelies.

[Host 1]

Riding Harleys and ripping Harleys. The way that those guys rip them, you forget how heavy they are.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, they're heavy. And going down on concrete sucks. Road rash is like.

[Host 1]

Yeah, it's gnarly.

[Axel Hodges]

The worst thing ever. And being dragged down by how heavy.

[Host 4]

Those things and then not to mention traffic. That's like a whole nother element.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 4]

Stuff that can go wrong.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Getting hit by a bonehead driver or something and I don't know, I start riding Harleys. I like get a little. Just like my back start turning because I'm like an old. I'm not old, but in dirt bike years, I'm starting to feel a little weathered. I'm sitting hunchback. I'm on an hour.

[Host 4]

And you really don't want to ride a rocket.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, yeah, no, yeah, those. I've written one down the stream. I'm good on this you could get going fast. You can't stop as fast as you could get going on those things.

[Host 1]

Do you should see some of the stuff Evan's done on a rocket.

[Host 4]

Off road only. I don't really like.

[Axel Hodges]

I've seen some of the off road stuff.

[Host 4]

Glamis was fun.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. I might have to get a ninja. Put a paddle on it. Yeah, there you go.

[Host 1]

Dude, all those kids that are saying Evan fell off on Tick Tock. I'd like to see them even ride a crotch rocket, let alone do anything that Evan has done on a crotch rocket, Dude.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

What was gnarlier? Sander Moab.

[Host 4]

The few steepest hills at Moab were gnarly because they were gnarly hills. But in general, those big rocks are just like asphalt. But the sand was hard because it constantly. You wanted a tank slap, like.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

If you stuck more to crash on the hard pack stuff, then crash.

[Host 4]

That is true. And I did do that. I don't think I crashed on the sand, but I tumbled in the rocks. It was only because I broke my brakes. I tried to go down a hill with, like, rear brake only.

[Axel Hodges]

I just had.

[Host 4]

I started picking up speed quicker and quicker, and there may have been. I don't know what the percentage chance was. I just jumped up before I got to the bottom. Maybe I could have wrote it out, but I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna be going so fast by the bottom of this. And if I, like, eat.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, it's heavy and the suspension isn't that great.

[Host 4]

So I just, like pulled the trigger right away. As soon as I felt like I was going too fast and I knew I was only gonna be going faster, I just bailed. Tumbled down the rocks.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 4]

The sand was just sketchy because if you weren't on the power, like, you could pick up speed quick with that paddle tire. Like, it was so lit, but as soon as you chop the throttle, it was just.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, that's how sanded tank slap riding in powder. Just. You get off the gas, you just. It stops you.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Host 4]

I'd recommend snowmobiles in the sand dunes maybe before the crotch rocket. Those actually work pretty good.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

I saw some videos of that.

[Host 1]

Blew them up.

[Axel Hodges]

We had some sleds out and like, one of. I think it was doonies too. Yeah, they were sending those things.

[Host 1]

Yeah, they were and stuff.

[Axel Hodges]

It's just the tracks don't really like the sand. I think one caught on fire maybe. Yeah, I could see that. Yeah.

[Host 4]

Generating some heat.

[Host 2]

Where's your favorite spot to ride? Like, out of all the places, obviously you have your compound. You ride the dunes a lot. You obviously ride public tracks too. Even like what Cormorant. Cormorant. Our driveway.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Driveways are pretty nice.

[Host 1]

What like if you, if you had.

[Host 2]

To choose like what's your favorite spot to go ride?

[Axel Hodges]

Favorite spot to go ride. I'd either say like, like the sand dunes when it's smooth and good.

[Host 1]

Like, like where.

[Axel Hodges]

And it's blown good. Glamis is pretty fun. Like I've been to Glamis the most for the riding dunes and it's easier to find the bigger jumps there. Like Pismo is a lot of fun because it's on the beach, but it's harder to find like those bigger dune to dune gaps.

[Host 2]

Like when we go to like Glamis or any of like those dunes. The whole time I'm always just thinking about like you or any of the other riders that just boot it and like link these massive basically sandhills. And I'm like looking around like I don't know where the, like, where are these jumps and. And I just eventually like, just realized I'm like, no, they're just going that big. Like, so what are you, like fifth gear?

[Axel Hodges]

Just paint jumps in there. Like if you're hitting like a big jump in glamis, it's like fourth gear. Yeah. And like probably going 150, like 150ft. It just kind of depends what kind of jump it is. I think there's this, this jump I crashed on in my deserted video. Like I got cross threaded in that like because I was hitting it so many times. But that shot me left when I crashed. But when I hit it good, I was going fourth gear pin down a hill, but then the hill would drop away from you too, so you're even like falling down the hill. I think it was closer to like 200ft and that was just fourth gear pin jumping down a hill. So like you could get probably close to 200ft in the dunes in like fifth gear. Just kind of depends how it's set up and if the sand's super soft or because sometimes it blows and it's soft and you can't get the speed going. But then you'd be in other spots and it's kind of firmer sand. So it just kind of depends on all the conditions.

[Host 2]

There's no small jumps out there.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, not really. Like it could be. Yeah, you can find little tabletops with like a razorback that will go over a hill. But like, if you're hitting a big double and trying to find doubles. They're usually pretty big.

[Host 1]

I feel like they're still not ideal landings either, though.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, just hard to find. If you find a good, like. Yeah. You're either looking for a landing when you're trying to find a jump and hopefully there's a lift to it, or you see a lip, then you just start looking for a landing. But it's usually pretty flat landing. And like you said, when you land, let off the gasser, you stop. So, like, hidden jumps. So you want to land wide open. So you're landing, you're going.

[Host 1]

Keep going.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Didn't you break your leg?

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I broke my femur. December 23rd. Out in glam for that, like, hitting this jump up. I was coming over this goalie, and then it would go down into another goalie, and I was clicking forth and just holding it wide, and I was doing it over and over again. I did a big whip earlier on in the day, and then we got the helicopter out to get another shot from the heli. We want to get a heli shot of it. So I was doing it over and over again. I was getting pissed because I couldn't get, like, the good one like I got earlier. And then my sand rut kept getting deeper and deeper because I was in this goalie and I was kind of almost side hilling the side of the hill and then getting into the lips, and it just started getting into, like, a deeper rut, and I came back. I remember one time I looped around because the rut was getting deep, and I came in backwards and I tried to spray some sand into it to, like, fill in the rut, and I, like, got some sand into it, and then I just came back into it on the one I crashed forth and I put sand into it. But I didn't fill in the whole rut. I just filled in, like, a little section of the rut. So I came in fourth wide and hit all the soft sand I put into the rut, and it grabbed my peg and it wiggled me and just shot me left, went down left, and, like, the landing I was jumping shot me down right. The whole hillside was down to the right. But then I went left down this razorback edge that was going downhill, and I was just. I was on the edge of the razorback, just, like, fully diagonal, and I was gonna land like full feeble willy grind on the edge of this razor freaking razorback edge. And just, like, I went, like, I don't know, over 100ft and I was just sitting there and, like, it happened fast. And I didn't want to be in the sand dunes in case and just stop all my momentum and get my handlebars to my guts, right? Because I'll just be bad to have an internal bleeding out in the sand dunes. I didn't want to risk that. So last minute I ditched it. And I tried to get to the high side of the razorback because the other side was just a drop off, try to get to it. I let go, like, pretty late. My bike landed in front of me with the bars. They kind of stabbed. I think I landed just behind my handlebars and I hit. I don't know if I exploded my femur from hitting the stand or I hit and then I went into my bike and might have hit my handlebars. And then that might have kind of done the break. I don't know because it happened so fast. But thank God we're close to the highway. I, like, broke it into, like 20 pieces. And I was laying there. We're right by the sand highway. At least we're pretty close. So, like, we waited a whole hour for the helicopter to get there. And we didn't have a medical staff with us too, which we learned from that, like, okay, we need to be honors stuff and next time have a medical team with us. But there's another shoot going on, I think, like, Oakley was shooting with a photographer. He was a backcountry snowboard photographer, Tyler Revelle, and he's a backcountry ski photographer. But he was doing some moto stuff and he saw I crashed and he came up to me and he just got done. Because the backcountry guys, they do a first aid course every year of like, because when you're in the backcountry skiing and snowboarding, break your leg. You want to know how to split a femur and, like, go through all the procedures of, like, checking blood flow and stuff like that. So he just got a done doing a full week of, like, what to do in a broken femur situation. So he came up and kind of fully took over and got me rolled over. He was checking my toes, making sure I had blood flow. He pulled my leg straight, got me on my back, kind of put some sand under, tied my legs together with tie downs, and just kept checking my poles to make sure I wasn't internally, like, got that artery, the main artery in my leg. So this is like the third femur I've done at this point. True. Jeez.

[Host 2]

The Same leg each time.

[Axel Hodges]

I've done my left twice. I did my left when I was five, and then I did it again when I was 17. Racing, not racing, practicing for a race. I tried to pass my buddy in rollers and just tank slapped in rollers, went over the bars. This was my third femur I've done. So with Tyler there, I was just. It was kind of a blessing from God that he was there and around right, saw me, and he just got me as comfortable as I could. And then I laid there for an hour. We're trying to get an ambulance, but then we ended up having a helicopter come get me. And laid there for an hour with a broken femur. But having him there checking me and I knew I wasn't losing blood, I wasn't getting dizzy and stuff. It just made me feel so much better that I was like, okay, and it was just a broken bone instead of like other serious going on. So.

[Host 1]

Dude, that's so gnarly, though.

[Axel Hodges]

That's where too, like, you normally don't want to bail, but in that circumstances, I didn't want to take my bars to the gut and risk exploding. That a.

[Host 1]

A bail into sand seems better.

[Axel Hodges]

That's where I thought I was okay. Like, nothing else hurt. Like, I didn't hit my head or anything. Like, my arms were fine. Everything didn't hurt. That's why I'm thinking, like, I don't know if I landed in the sand in the way in the video, I'm like, I land right kind of in front of my handlebars. I think I landed and rolled and just peeled my femur like over my crossbar. And it. I don't know. The way it broke too. It was so just like shattered.

[Host 1]

And what does that look like? After you do something that gnarly, you crash, how do you gain your confidence back to do big jumps again?

[Axel Hodges]

I don't know. I definitely think a lot more now when I'm doing jumps and be. Try to be more calculated, but I just like dirt biking too much. I go kind of mental if I'm not doing that type of stuff. So that is just what I like doing.

[Host 1]

Did you get back into it right away?

[Axel Hodges]

Six months later was quarter pipe at X Games. I miss X Games. The year before, my. My best friend, Pat Casey passed away before X Games last year. And I just really wasn't mentally ready to ride after that. He passed away. We're riding at my property. And after that, I was pretty. It took me a while to, like, want to have fun on my dirt bike again and took some time off. Didn't ride X Games before that. And then this was kind of wanted to film a video for monster getting back start. Just starting to have fun riding my dirt bike again. And it was December 6th, it was exactly six months after Pat passed away. I broke my leg. Then after that, like, I was just starting to have fun and enjoy it again and did that. So I was pretty mentally down on myself for a while after that. But now, I don't know, I just. Dirt bikes are so fun to me and I know it's my favorite thing ever to do. And life's short and I don't know, you could be getting a car crash and that could be it. So I don't know. I just like dirt bikes too much. And for me, just having fun is the main part for me. And like, having fun, that's when I usually do. Like the gnarlier stuff is when I'm having fun not thinking about it. So if you're a dirt biker, you can't think too much. You just gotta trust your skills.

[Host 1]

And yeah, obviously you gotta mitigate the risk because, I mean, you're not obviously trying to get hurt.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, but that's where too, I've had so much experience on a dirt bike too. And over the years of learning and crashing and how to get out of it, you just gotta kind of rely on your skill and know how to get out of things. Like, you got to know how to crash to be a dirt bike rider. You got to be able to tuck and roll. And now I think about, okay, if this doesn't go right, I'm gonna have an escape plan to know how I'm gonna crash. And like, you gotta, like, you get older, you kind of learn about that instead of just it happening.

[Host 1]

So it's like good skateboarders. Yeah, you just gotta really good at taking falls. It's like whoever's better at taking falls has like a longer career.

[Axel Hodges]

I'm pretty beat up. I got metal rods in both my femurs, but I still feel pretty good. And learning how to crash is definitely a big part of being like a freestyle dirt bike rider.

[Host 2]

What's the rehab look like in after you break your femur to like, getting back on a bike that soon after that?

[Axel Hodges]

I just started like I said. So X Games was six months after that and I didn't ride the year before, so I really just wanted to ride X Games just to be there and to be in it again. And just from not riding it the year Before, I was pretty bummed on that. I just want to get back in the mix, so.

[Host 3]

And it's good to have that. You use that as your goal.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. And it gives you a goal to work for deadlines. Yeah. Maybe I wasn't 100, but I was just stoked that I was able to get there and ride it. And. And after that, rehab, like, when you break your femur, they put a rod in it, like, to get out of the hospital. They have you on a walker the next day because you have a rod in your femur. It hurts like hell. But, like, they get you up on a walker to move because you want to keep your blood flowing in your leg for just, like, swelling and blood clots and everything like that, and get your muscles stimulated. And after that, I laid in a bed, just not doing anything for a while until I could start moving a little bit. And I got this little pedal. Like, they're just like, these pedals I'd put in front of my. I forget what it was called, but it was this pedal machine I'd put in front of my couch, like, and I'd be sitting here with pedals, and it would do it for me. So, like, that's how I started. It was, like, automatically pedal, and then it was like an online program, too. So once you get stronger and stronger, and then it gets you warmed up, and then you start pedaling yourself, and you do it for a minute, and then that gradually gets harder and harder, so that keeps you moving. And then with specialized bicycles, gives me a lot of good support. So I got some E bikes, too. So I started riding my E bike pretty early. I probably shouldn't have been riding it, but pedal assist, like, I just get, like I said, bored when I'm not riding. So I started riding that pretty earlier on and just going on just long, mellow rides through the neighborhood to where I knew I wouldn't be in any spots where I'd get stopped or have to put a leg out. Started out with mellow rides, just kind of on the road and then just. Just started getting into the trails on that. Riding my electric bicycle, too. Just got me pedaling back and then standing up on that thing and then having pt, too. Just, like, doing certain exercises. You start doing lunges and just stepping up, like, on a box. You just start working your way back up, getting your muscles going again until the pain's away. And today, like, this thing still hurts, but, like, it just gets better and better, and, like, it's just kind of on you to how strong you want to get it just little by little. Yeah, little by little, inch and inching along.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Which the other day, like I was doing this one foot wheelie landing I just posted on my Instagram the other day off my 75 foot ramp. It still hurts like hell, but like I tried it two months ago and I have, I've been pretty lazy with like doing squats and stuff. My leg wasn't that strong and I tried it like two months ago, it hurts so bad. But since then I've been riding a lot of bikes and squatting and I did it the other day and I could just fully have the confidence again to land on my a bad leg and have that strength back. So just he's got to put in the work and get the strength back. That's the main part. And keep it moving. And hope your surgeon did a good job of bolting you back together because I know there's some people that have had some shitty surgeries. So. Yeah, just making sure you go to the right place too to get your surgeries done is pretty big too.

[Host 1]

Our boy Spenny cut his eight tendons and one nerve, what, three weeks ago.

[Host 2]

Maybe month ago out.

[Host 1]

Yeah. And he's, you know, in heavy rehab right now of just trying to get it back and he's been just like day by day. Spends three to four hours a day doing nothing but rehab and he's slowly, slowly getting it back.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Said he picked up an empty glass bottle this week and that was like the biggest, you know, like he's like, yeah, that's. Now it's going to be a full glass bottle. Like, I don't think people realize the like mental toughness you have to have. You know, everybody wants to go out and do sick jumps and all that, but like pushing yourself through crashes, pushing yourself, most importantly through injury, you're not built like a normal human. I feel like you're an athlete.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. And the best rehab too for riding, I think is just riding and like being patient with that too. Not just going out and trying to do the stuff you're doing before, but just even going build it up. Go ride the vet track and just go moto for a little bit and try standing up to build that muscle memory back. And yeah, I don't know, just standing up on a dirt bike is that's the best way you're gonna get your dirt bike muscles back firing.

[Host 3]

So I think a lot of people listening probably know that, but a lot of people don't. Like, I broke my foot really Bad. Before I rode and I babied the out of it. I just, like, didn't use it because I was like, well, I just broke it super bad. Of course I'm not going to use it.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

And that ended up, you know, not paying off.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, you want to keep it moving. Like, scar tissue.

[Host 3]

Seems obvious, but, yeah, you should use it as much as possible.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Just keeping it moving. Like, even if you're not putting weight on it. You can't put weight on it. Just. It depends the injury. But even if it hurts, you want to keep those muscles moving, or else they'll lock up on you and just even harder to get back to where you were.

[Host 1]

So is there moments after a gnarly crash like that, you know, with the compound of. Of your buddy dying? You're laying in bed with a broken leg. Are you, like, ever contemplating, like, maybe this isn't worth it?

[Axel Hodges]

It. I don't think I've ever thought that. No. No. Yeah.

[Host 1]

It's just, like, rehab it back and get back on.

[Axel Hodges]

That's what I do. So. I don't know. I came. I'm in too deep.

[Host 3]

Yeah, you can't take that away.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. I love dirt bikes. Like, there's nothing else that, like, would make me as happy as a dirt bike. I mean, my wife would make me happy, but, like, in a different way as, like, being satisfied in life. Liking what I do is dirt bikes. Is it? Yeah, I think.

[Host 1]

I think, like, you know, a lot of people obviously listening right now wonder, what's it like, you know, for an athlete to go through something that gnarly to get back on and keep on going? Like, just, like, the mental toughness that takes.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, it's hard sometimes. I have my days where, I don't know, like. And I was in the Nitro Circus Tour, like, right? This was before I broke my femur and Pat passed away. And I was doing this gnarly wheelie to backflip, which is a super, like, inconsistent trick, and it's scary. And then it would be after halftime, and they would do, like, a full memorial for all of our friends that have passed away. And the last one was Pat, and it was just like, every time I was crying watching that. And then it was my turn for my gnarly stunt. So it's like, almost like you got to take that and put it into the energy. It's like, yo, Pat's got my back, and I'm doing this for him. And just. And he was the gnarliest dude ever. He'd be up there, I'm like, okay, he's gonna call me a from the heavens if I don't do this right now. So you got to kind of to turn that into motivation instead of fear. So yeah, kind of do it for them and turn a negative into a positive and have a purpose to do it. And now he's got your back.

[Host 3]

Words of wisdom.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

You have any guys you've seen on the space that you feel like are coming up?

[Axel Hodges]

Coming up for like freestyle.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah, people you're excited to watch as they.

[Axel Hodges]

I'd say, I don't know for like younger kids. There's not a lot of kids that are like riding freestyle these days. But. But there's this little kid on a super Mini, his name's Boogie. I saw the other day, like yesterday I was laying in bed, he was like throwing a big Whip on a 75 foot ramp on a super Mini. That was pretty cool. And then there's a lot more guys like now there's the electric bikes and there's all those kids doing the whips, like Patrick Evans and Wyo. I know Nick Thomasunis, he's another guy that I've seen doing like wheelie landings and stuff like that. So there's a lot more like, like kids like that, they're not necessarily the youngest, but they're kind of like doing the free riding and making dirt bikes look cool and stuff like that. So I don't know because like nowadays it's like all the younger kids are. They're just racing dirt bikes for the most part.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

How do you think the pathway has changed to do what you do? Because in your era of doing it, it was like, all right, you hit some shows, you get on X Games, you know, like that, and then you start making YouTube. Do you feel like it's almost reversed at this time?

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I don't know. It's kind of in a weird spot. Like it just kind of depends like the type of writer you are if you want to be like that X Games guy. Or for me, like, I'd care more about making a sick video and like putting style and putting your own flavor onto something instead of just going out and hucking trick after trick or trying to like, oh, go over a bar over and over again. Like, I like to be able to create something that's different than everything else. And like a back country. Yeah, like a back country snowboarder, but for dirt biking. So for like kids and stuff, it's like kind of now. Yeah, everything's a lot of media driven and like, I think, yeah, making YouTubes like you guys, you guys make YouTube videos of doing cool. Like there's a lot to be said for that in the dirt bike world too. It's cool to see more like kids making videos like that and like doing vlogging and like showing people what it's really like about being a dirt bike rider. And, and I don't know, just being creative. You got to be creative and think outside the box and you do. So it's always worked for me. Like, I've just always tried to be a little bit different and put my twist onto things that like have been done maybe, but I don't know, you could put your own style on it and make it your own and yeah.

[Host 1]

You'Ve always been different. I've always been good at that though. Like even you were like the first guy on Snapchat. Making Snapchats of like your daily vlogging, your life.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, like I don't know that. Yeah, I was young and it was fun. Like, like I wish I was. I don't Snapchat as much as I used to now. You could get paid good on Snapchat. I wish back in the day it was like that. But I try to Snapchat when I can. I threw some up today. You guys gave me a little fun.

[Host 1]

Yeah, right.

[Host 2]

Bring it back.

[Host 1]

Yeah, get axle back on snap.

[Axel Hodges]

But yeah, I don't know, just there's so much ways to make money on the Internet too. And if you could turn your motorcycle content into that too and just making it creative and not doing the same thing over and over and over again too. Because as I feel like you can burn stuff out by just doing the same thing over and over again. So that's where too I like to write a little bit of everything and just trying to be the best, well round rounded rider I could be throwing.

[Host 3]

Some brute for brute force content.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, like make sure people, you can have fun. Yeah, people like dirt bikers will talk crap on a quad. But it's like, dude, I love riding quads. It's so fun.

[Host 2]

I'd like to see some.

[Host 4]

I'd like to see some brute force content in the future here.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, yeah, definitely. So just having fun. Like dirt bikes are so fun. If you're having fun, I'll rub off on other people. They'll be like, oh, I want to go have fun like that too. And there's not contests like freestyle anymore. There's X Games one time a year. It's not like they have due tour and Stuff like that where kids are like kind of chasing the contest scene for freestyle.

[Host 1]

So, dude, it just became like so accessible with the Internet.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, yeah.

[Host 1]

You know, you can go on Instagram and you can see the gnarliest triple backflip. And I think the only place that you used to be able to see that was X Games.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

And now you see it every day.

[Host 1]

You see it every single day.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

So I haven't heard or done the research, but like X Games is turning into a league now.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. And. And I haven't researched it too much either. But yeah, it looks like a league. I don't really know how it's going to work or.

[Host 3]

Yeah, especially like with skating and bmx, you know, there are street leagues. Like it almost makes sense. But then with bikes the risk factor is a lot higher. So.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Then there's how many events are we going to have? Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, I don't really know how any of that's going to have to see.

[Host 3]

How it pans out.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Out. You have any world records you're chasing?

[Axel Hodges]

No, I don't really chase records. I like more so like doing stuff that hasn't really been done yet. Like the backup weird stuff. And yeah, that's what I kind of like doing. It keeps me driven and wonder what the most. Trying the world record at one point.

[Host 4]

Wonder what the most. Like endo to wheelie to Endo to Wheelie to Endo to Wheelie. Like combo would be like, you know what I'm saying?

[Axel Hodges]

Like, yeah, I don't know. I'm not one to go, oh, I just broke the record. I just like doing stuff that I think is cool. And that, that stokes me out. That's what I get the most satisfication out of is like, that was sick.

[Host 3]

Like after you do something like that, you're not like, yep, that's world's first like, come beat me. It's not like that's the vibe. But I'm all for people like doing. They don't need the Guinness Book of World Records actually there. Like if it's like doing stuff for.

[Axel Hodges]

Myself, if I'm hyped off of it, it makes me happy, makes me sleep good at night. I'm stoked.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

So we got that half mile driveway. You could do the freaking nose. Manual to wheelie, back and forth. You want to hit that?

[Axel Hodges]

Do it.

[Host 3]

Are you thinking like on a track, like jump table?

[Host 4]

Yeah, maybe like a huge straight rhythm setup.

[Host 1]

That's what I picture.

[Axel Hodges]

Tabletops in a row, back forth that's not even a thing. Yeah. We could do three and have the world.

[Host 1]

Yeah, right?

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

If you get creative enough, you can have the Guinness guy come out and just make any kind of. Any kind of weird world record.

[Host 3]

Yeah, but isn't it like, like five GS?

[Host 1]

It is.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Is it really?

[Host 1]

Yeah, I've looked into it because it'd be sick to have a world record. But it's just like, dude, it's hard to just.

[Axel Hodges]

At one point, I was going for the distance record circus, which insane. I was close. Like, I was doing it so much because I wanted it to be dialed in. Like, I wanted to be really dialed in. By the time it was showtime and I wanted to get over 400ft the night of, and I wanted to get 420. That was my main goal.

[Host 4]

Hell, yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

But I was coming in, and it was kind of like when you start going over 350ft, it, like, kind of turns into, like you're flying something, and, like, every little movement is so gnarly. And like, the way I had my. The distance set up, I was coming in, going like 106 is what I was taking off miles an hour. Yeah.

[Host 3]

Holy. I didn't know.

[Host 1]

Were you on a 450?

[Axel Hodges]

I was on a 450. And then you don't want to mod out your bikes too, because then it makes them more unreliable. And, like, you want to keep it as kind of stock as you could.

[Host 4]

40 tooth rear sprocket.

[Axel Hodges]

Changing the gearing and then the exhaust pipe on it, we, like, mimicked this flat track pipe. We took the pro circuit and they, like, kind of got that for, like, getting the best top end of the bike to get the top speed. So Mitch Payton got me a good pipe on it. And yeah, we didn't really touch the motor. And, like, a lot of gearing, we geared it super low. And, like, I was coming in, I would hit it at 106. But then I'd come in and they had the platform elevated, so I was, like, hitting a little bump. Then I'd unload. I would get it, like, raised up like this high onto the platform, look at the speedometer, then, like, see, make sure I'm going 106. And then look back at the ramp to hit it. And then if I wasn't going 106, I'd, like, come off this, like, side deck. And it was, like, pretty sketchy. And I was going over, like, 350. Good and good. And I think my farthest this successful jump was 396ft is what they told me. And I did that the day before. And then just another day of training came in and it was a little head windy, but like I felt like I was going slow and I pulled up at the last second like I would on a normal like 100 foot dirt bike jump. But like when you're going that fast, you have such a big headwind and your back wheel spinning so fast, it's so heavy. So I got up, I pulled a little bit because I just felt like, like I was trying to get distance and I felt like I was going a little slow. So I pulled up, I got my friend end up and I didn't break tap in time to get like my front set down in time. So as I apex, like my back wheel was still spinning. So, like heavy. And then with the headwind too, it was a little windier that day. It just like started dropping and dropping like full bowling ball style. I felt like somebody was just like pulling my back wheel down. I landed full 12 o'. Clock. Both my toes, like hit my shins. And then it just slammed down so gnarly. It blew my hands off the handlebars. And then I was like literally laying on my seat like I was boogie boarding it. And I was like on my seat. I was like, this is crazy. And then I just slowly felt myself peel off the side of it. And then I just started sliding. I forget how far I slid. I slid like another football field or even farther than that.

[Host 1]

Full leathers.

[Axel Hodges]

Full leathers. But I was wearing my moto gloves. I didn't have leather gloves on. Like, I didn't think I was gonna crash on it. I'm like, I'm gonna stomp this every time or else I'm done. Like, yeah, right. Like, I didn't even think crashing was an option, but just had that one bad pole and going that fast. Everything just like this micro movements. And then I had it good. But just that one bad jump kind of set me back. And it wasn't my intention. I wasn't. I didn't go to them wanting to break the record. They came to me and wanted a guy to break the record. And I was like, yeah, I'll do it. It sounds easy and that happen. And I'm like, this is just like two life or death. This isn't why I ride a dirt bike.

[Host 2]

What was the injuries?

[Axel Hodges]

So I broke my left talus on my ankle and sprained with that. And then I just sprained this one pretty bad. And that was about it for wow. Just broken foot and spraying my right one. Got up pretty good. But then like I said, I was like slammed the ground boogie board. It slid, was sliding my hands. And I remember I went to get up and I was. I thought I was going slow, but I was still sliding so fast. I went to get up and I started cartwheeling more.

[Host 2]

Geez.

[Axel Hodges]

Until I came to a stop and I got up. Oh yeah. See like fully boogie boarding my seat. Like I was still riding it. And then I don't. I should have just stayed on it.

[Host 3]

You did it.

[Axel Hodges]

I mean I got credible for as bad as that could have been. Like I got out of jumping a 400 foot jump.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah, yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

With minor consequences.

[Host 2]

So is the History Channel.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, I was gonna be on History Channel with Nitro Circus.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Host 4]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Then I got hurt. And then afterwards. Yeah, I just didn't really have any desire. Dude. I've jumped 396ft successfully.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

And I like chalk it up. I'm good with that for myself.

[Host 1]

Like 96, that's your number two.

[Axel Hodges]

That is, yeah.

[Host 3]

Which is.

[Axel Hodges]

But then. Yeah, my. That sucks too. I was fighting and my hands were grinding. I remember my knuckles were so bloody. But then I stood up thinking I was gonna do it later that day and I walked into the ambulance. I'm like, I'm okay. And then I laid down for like 20 minutes. It's like, holy. And I went to like get back up and my ankles just full lock up and hurt so bad and.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Did you play back the footage and you see your ankle completely tacoed up?

[Axel Hodges]

You're like, oh yeah. That's why I had so much adrenaline going. And then I laid down and just everything locked up and like I couldn't stand. And then that was kind of all she wrote.

[Host 1]

Yeah, that's.

[Axel Hodges]

But I don't know, you're just going so fast and like do again. Yeah, it's cool. But I don't know, I'd rather go do like the backflip wheelie stuff. And that's more enjoyable to me and for that too. It's like I couldn't even go ride and go enjoy my dirt bike. I was showing up at an airport every day just having to hit this double over and over again. And.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

What is the record?

[Axel Hodges]

That's shaky too, because there's like a ramp to dirt record. I was going for the official ramp to ramp record, which I think at the time was 372 or something like that. The ramp to ramp. I don't Know how that's what, too. I was hearing a bunch of numbers too. Like, I didn't even know the record too. Like, it was just so confusing. And then there's another guy. Guy, Alex Harville, which I think he passed away jumping, but he had a. He said they went 425 or something that was ramped to dirt. And. But then they, like, there's other people saying that wasn't guineas world record, but I'm like, okay, but who cares, like, if he went 425? That's fake gnarly, dude. I remember individually as so big too. So, like, I didn't know it, like, a lot about that world at the time too. So, like. Like, I was just, like, trying to do my job and go far.

[Host 1]

Some evil Knievel, but yeah, but 396.

[Axel Hodges]

Was my farthest, so I'm. I could say I went 396.

[Host 1]

How many school buses?

[Host 3]

I mean, no, just think like, so what?

[Host 1]

Like a football field chat.

[Host 3]

A football field's like 120 yards. So you're like, essentially jumping. Like, if you were to take off through a field goal and you would land through another.

[Axel Hodges]

Robbie Madison did that.

[Host 3]

But yeah, but yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Which I think is 300ft is what that is. Is three.

[Host 3]

Yeah, they.

[Axel Hodges]

Because the end zones with the end zone.340.

[Host 3]

So you'd still be over that. But it's just. Just to put in perspective, field goal through field goal, at least.

[Host 2]

How much time in the air is that?

[Axel Hodges]

I don't know. I got some videos on my phone.

[Host 2]

You're up in the air, and you're, like, looking around like, all right, I'm up here.

[Axel Hodges]

It's crazy. It felt like the ones I had good. They were good. Like, I was, like, getting the nose down and, like, felt fine, but just.

[Host 4]

Like, it's going through your head when you're up there. Are you chilling?

[Axel Hodges]

Are you? Like, I wouldn't even want to look at the gap. I'm just, like, chilling. I'm looking down this Runway, and, like, I'm passing by all these, like, 744, 747 jets they have parked next to me. And I don't know, you kind of get in the zone, and as soon as you start looping it, looping it, you get more comfy with it, because then it starts turning into muscle memory. But it's just like, if your bike breaks going that fast or you have a mechanical, it's just not really worth endo. And off that going 106 miles per hour.

[Host 2]

Oh, dude. Yeah.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

49.6 school buses.

[Host 4]

Sideways.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Sideways.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Levi. Yeah, he was doing it too. Which he crashed. He did. He did. Yeah. Which is mind blowing to me because I think he went over the bars.

[Host 1]

What did he say when he. It was something with the carburetor.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

He was burning so much gas. And then you're in the air, it would like lift.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

That would burn through all of the gas.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. And then he came back and stopped it and went like 4:16 or something right on his sled. I think. I forget how far he went, but.

[Host 3]

I think you made a good point though. At that point, it's. It's not just like jumping, it's flying.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. So once you get like over 350. Yeah. It's like a whole different ballpark.

[Host 1]

He loves that though. Like, he loves a good world record.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, that's like. That's what he to them. Yeah. That's gnarly. 412.

[Host 1]

He loves jumping, dude.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

In the dark.

[Host 1]

Just in general.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

That was New Year's Eve, right?

[Axel Hodges]

San Diego.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Snowmobile.

[Host 1]

Yeah, bro.

[Axel Hodges]

Over water. That was so crazy. He's got the Evan build side by side with Robbie Madison was shorter.

[Host 1]

Can take a fall.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. That's crazy. Going over the bars on like a 400 foot jump. Screw that, bro.

[Host 1]

That's so bad.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Snowmobile too. Heavy breaks.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Then they do it side by side with Maddo too. Robbie Madison is absolute legend too.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

You ever ride a snowmobile?

[Axel Hodges]

I've ridden some like kind of crappier tour like snowmobiles and then you got a tour guide. So they don't really let you go get all rowdy.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Those aren't fun either. Dude, that's like riding a freaking. Yeah, I mean they're just riding a horse.

[Host 1]

It's essentially just riding a horse.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. The snow bike stuff at erx, Cody Cam was there training on his factory race sled and he let me take that thing, let's say go ride the track on it. But it's like I couldn't even ride the track because it was so whooped out and rough the track. And I'm trying to like do this thumb throttle. And that thing was so fast. I would hit like bumps to get whiskey. Thumb. Yeah. Like it was just gonna like, we should rip out of my arms.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

We should take you back country snowmobile.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

I think you would like that because that's more your style.

[Axel Hodges]

Time in and put a day in and just get acquainted with how the suspension works and everything. Instead of Just pretty much threw me out on like a.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

A. Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Rough ass track. On the fastest snowmobile ever with like his stiff suspension where you gotta ride it. Yes. To like make it work.

[Host 3]

They engage at such a high rpm.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

It was just so foreign to me. Like, it was badass, but I'm like, I did a couple laps. I'm like, dude, I have no place of doing this right now.

[Host 1]

They're hard to ride. Snow cross sleds are hard to ride.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Especially on a snow crosstrack.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

But one thing that'd be easy for you, which you've talked about. Yeah. Coming back to ride on the glare ice.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. I'd love to learn.

[Host 4]

We'll get you on some relatively thin ice, but wait for like 4 inches, then we're for sure not gonna break through.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. No. Yeah. That looks so fun. And my dad being from Detroit. Yeah. He's always talked a big game. Like you're gonna have to. He's ice guy. I'm probably gonna have to bring him for the ice. All right, dad, put your money.

[Host 2]

We got a bike.

[Host 4]

You guys drag some handlebars out there.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

That'll be perfect for him because he's.

[Host 1]

Good at twisting the throttle.

[Axel Hodges]

No, he's gonna twist and throttle like. Yeah. The jumping is his downfall, but like, he's all right.

[Host 2]

We'll just have to make sure he doesn't go out too far, get too carried away and like where it's real thin.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. And end up in the eyes or anything.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

He's in the ice with a stogie.

[Host 4]

Look like. Look like me rolling across the ice. Bikes at the bottom of the lake.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Hitting the penguin slide.

[Axel Hodges]

And yeah, I'm sure you guys will get a who out of him too. If I brought him out here. Here. He'd be out here talking the whole time.

[Host 1]

Dude. That'd be fun.

[Axel Hodges]

The line video.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Oh, yeah.

[Axel Hodges]

Video where you guys were giving him crap. Being a superstar for going to the fall. My dad was laughing his ass off.

[Host 1]

Shout out Rich for Rich.

[Host 2]

Rich lined it up so big. Shout.

[Axel Hodges]

He did.

[Host 2]

We like to give Rich a lot of.

[Axel Hodges]

But yeah, Rich is. Man. He's always had my back too.

[Host 2]

So I even got his puppies and coffee socks on.

[Host 1]

Wow.

[Host 2]

He'd be happy to see this.

[Axel Hodges]

I had like three cups today too.

[Host 2]

Yeah, there we go. Shout out puppies and coffee.

[Host 1]

That'd be sick to line up a sled trip. I think you have fun and bring some. Bring like some people that have never rode sleds before and Then just get them into it.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah, it looks so fun. I've been seeing some videos too of like the pro snowmobilers that free ride and stuff. They find the sickest job.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

He's a monster athlete.

[Axel Hodges]

Yeah. Yeah, that'd be fun.

[Host 1]

And then like shred 80. He's never rode in the mountains before and then just bring in like a bushel of. Of our friends.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Well, no offense, shred 80, but Axel might have a little more snowmobile control.

[Axel Hodges]

Just native snowmobile control, I guess, sense in general.

[Host 1]

Terrible comparison of two skill levels.

[Host 4]

To be fair though.

[Axel Hodges]

Verse crowd.

[Host 1]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Host 2]

To be fair though, a snowmobile is three points of contact.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

It's true.

[Host 2]

Three wheeler, you know, three points of contact.

[Host 4]

He really wasn't in the mountains, but he did ride in like 2ft of snow. And it was Mike's brand new sled that I'm not so sure Mike had even rode yet. And he was upside down on that thing, so.

[Axel Hodges]

Really? Yeah, not the good type.

[Host 4]

Heavy D. At the. At the house out there in Utah, we did a little sneaky ride. Like we'll unload the sleds, we'll go around back. He was tits over tea kettle immediately.

[Axel Hodges]

The soft snow looks a little bit more leisure to fall into if you get away from your sledge. I'd rather crash in the powder than the hard pack. Er extract.

[Host 1]

Yeah, it's way better.

[Axel Hodges]

100. It's way better.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

We appreciate the time, Axel. Dude, so sick.

[Axel Hodges]

Easy.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Host 1]

Thank you, bro. Appreciate you coming up here.

[Axel Hodges]

No worries. Thanks for having me. Yeah, you guys got a sick place out here and you guys seem to like to do all the same stuff I like to do. You got some buildings going up with dirt bike tracks and it's kind of what we do out in Ramona at the sleigh ground, so. Same same but different.

[Host 2]

Hell yeah.

[Host 3]

So if you guys haven't yet, check out his Instagram, check out his YouTube channel, check out his Snapchat.

[Axel Hodges]

I'm giving away a 450 on my YouTube channel once I hit 500k. So let's go. I'll try to get out some more edits as I can. I've been working my ass off trying to ride and get out at it, so I know I lag a little bit, but I'll get them out there. Oh yeah, check out the one man band. Right on. Thank you, guys.

[Host 2]

Yeah, yeah, thanks for coming on. We'll see you guys next week. New podcast every Tuesday. Peace.

[Host 3]

Later.

[Axel Hodges]

Check out slayco96.com.

[Host 2]

This is the story of the one as head of maintenance at a concert hall, he knows the show must always go on. That's why he works behind the scenes, ensuring every light is working, the H.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Vac is humming, and his facility shines.

[Host 2]

With Grainger's supplies and solutions for every challenge he faces. Plus 24. 7 customer support his venue never misses a beat. Call quickgranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.