Ten Years Since – Texas Toast Anniversary

Time sure does fly! It’s crazy that today marks ten years since the first Texas Toast. I can still remember the bits of info leading up to that initial event—something new and different, spearheaded by Taj Mihelich and backed by Odyssey. A DIY event in downtown Austin, with themed obstacles designed and (partially) constructed by BMX brands. It all sounded way too awesome to miss! And while still in its infancy, the first year of Toast was indeed new and fun (and extremely hot) but also a little more tight knit feeling, since the turnout wasn’t as crazy as the following couple of years. And while the event grew exponentially in its four year run, there was a vibe at that first one that is hard to describe. I guess you just had to be there…

PHOTOS & INTERVIEW: JEFF ZIELINSKI

To mark the occasion we dug up some archive photos from the event and jogged Taj’s memory with some questions.

Can you give us a little back story and how Texas Toast came to be?
After my back surgery and hanging up being a BMX pro, Odyssey hired me to work at their then brand new office in Austin. They hired me without any clear idea of what I might do in the office, but one idea was putting on events. They had always wanted to put on some fun events, but never had the extra time to put one on.

What was the goal or motivation behind it?
I wanted to pass on to other riders and fans some of the amazing moments I had at great contests through the years. I loved the experience of being in events where all the riders fed off each other’s and the crowd’s energy. Riders were psyched on each other’s riding, and it motivated all of us to push ourselves. I also wanted the event to be a bit of a laugh to keep it from being a serious competition. And, I wanted it to be something that anyone could be a part of in some way. I really just wanted to get everyone together and ride.

The Gauntlet of Death, 100 foot rail challenge, highest bunnyhop, the street comp, trail jam… What were some highlights from that first year for you?
So many! I loved that the absurd Gauntlet of Death got ridden. Scotty Cranmer won the first year… we had a blow-up doll dressed in a thrift store wedding dress on top of the “castle” protected by the “dragon.” Scotty made it through the whole mad obstacle course, got up on top of the castle, saved the princess, and jumped down from the castle with her, all while riding one-handed! It was impossible to take that scene seriously, and you just had to laugh.

Seeing everyone pull together to make the sketchy ramps and rough weather into something cool was amazing. Gabe Brooks and Brock dueling in the bunny hop contest. Of course, when Mikey Aitken went through the dirt jumps was amazing.

It seemed like that first year, being a new event, a lot of people were on the fence about going, then once they saw how much fun they missed out on, the turnout exploded the following year…
Yeah. I wasn’t too conscious of any of that; just head down working on getting it together. Felt like we had about the right number of people at that first event (especially for how limited the ramp build was). The next year we had a bigger venue, and that worked out well because there were a lot more people.

A lot has changed in Austin in the ten years since the first event. Even the original location is no longer there. But socially speaking, what was the climate like in Austin during the first event?
Austin is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, and it is constantly changing. I can’t imagine pulling off an event like that downtown nowadays (at least on our extremely limited budget). I hope Texas Toast brought the riding scene together a bit and was fun to be at for the locals too.

Holding a BMX event with food and music and the works, literally right next to downtown Austin, how difficult was that to pull off? Did you do everything by the books, or was there a little of run it and ask for forgiveness later mixed in there as well?
Pretty by the books. Austin has so many events going on all the time that they are strict when it comes to permitting, and they do police events. The land for the first Toast was owned by a production company, and so part of the agreement when we rented it was that they would take care of all the permitting. They only halfway did, and the morning the event started, we got shut down by the city because The Gauntlet of Death wasn’t properly drawn on the event plan. We had a mad rush hiring a structural engineer to come out to the event and sign off the structural soundness of the Gauntlet so the city inspector would let us have the event. The ramps and stuff in the Gauntlet were so laughably goofy… the idea of them being “safe” still makes me laugh. The landowners were also supposed to provide security at the gates, but didn’t. That was a little risky, I guess. Spectators were walking down to the nearby gas station and bringing in loads of beer. That could have gotten us in trouble, but I didn’t know that! 

It seemed like the following years, as the event began to grow, so did the challenges. What were some issues you guys faced?
I guess just the size of the event grew and the logistics of putting it all on. I made things difficult by wanting to have such a big build… a bigger and better Gauntlet of Death, bigger dirt jumps, flatland, better street area, and all the other little events we did like The “Gauntlet of Stickers” for kids. The most challenging thing for me was how much money I spent on materials, rented equipment, tools, bleachers, event space, etc. If the event had been rained out and spectators didn’t come, there was no backup budget.

For you, how did that first year compare to the others?
The first year is a blur to me. I remember it being insanely hot, and it gets hot in Austin all the time, but that year was off the charts. Building stuff for the event alone in the back of OTX, unsure if anyone would show up, was nerve-racking. The 2nd and 3rd years in the lumber yard were pretty rad. So many people came, and the riding was at a really high level. I loved seeing the spectators and riders enjoying themselves.

Can you recall a few highlights from the years? Whether it a particular trick, a legend who showed up, etc…
There are so many images and moments to remember. So many great riders and legends came out. Literally, friends from all over the world made the trek out, and some just to hang out and spectate. In the days before the events, sponsors would come out and help with their sponsored obstacle. Seeing Moeller painting the S&M ramp and Ronnie Bonner painting the Shadow ramp while the Ride BMX crew painted their wallride was such a cool thing. Community pitching in to make things cooler.

One of my first trips out of the USA was to a Backyard Jam that Hoffman Bikes sent me on; it was really cool that Stu [Dawkins] and Ian [Morris] (who ran that event) came out to Toast. Backyard Jams in the old days were a ton of fun and something I hoped to channel into Toast.

Every generation of rider had their standout DIY event series… 2 Hip Meet The Street, FBM Ghetto Street, Texas Toast, and now Swampfest. How much of Toast was influenced from past events? And what do you think sets Toast apart?
It is pretty cool to even be mentioned alongside events like those! I tried to create an event where people could ride. That sounds obvious, but a lot of times, I’d go to an event with all my best riding friends, and we wouldn’t actually be able to ride very much because the course was always in use. Having lots of small obstacles scattered around and a street course, vert ramp, dirt jumps, etc… Was so someone who wanted to ride could probably find something to play on.

And do you think there’s room for another Texas Toast?
Room? Sure! I don’t wanna’ run it, but I’ll draw up crazy ramps for it!

Anything else we’ve missed or you’d like to add?
I can not properly thank all the people who put in work making those events happen. So many people volunteered and put in so many hard hours of labor helping us build, picking up trash… doing whatever just to make something cool. And all the sponsors too. A lot of brands pitched in cash to make the events happen. It was astonishing to me that they would pitch in so generously to the cause. And, I have to thank Odyssey for letting me run so completely wild with the event. They never questioned my plan or ideas no matter how crazy they seemed—even though their name was on the event! I’m forever grateful to BMX for all the support.