Nate Berkheimer

• Hometown - Las Vegas, NV
• Current Residence - Nanaimo, BC
• Years Riding - 1988 - present
• Pro Experience - 2000 - 2019
• Riding Disciplines - BMX racing, dirt jumping, pumptrack, concrete bowl, skate park, urban terrain.
• Favorite Trick - Big flips and 360 turndowns. Snapping gates and technical rhythm lines.
• When I put the bike down - I run a small graphic shop called The Creative Ride. I also play live music, punk rock inspired acoustic jams. I enjoy exploring all that Vancouver Island has to offer with my wife and daughters, and taking time to relax, reflect and enjoy life.

My last full season racing Elite was 2007, and like most others at the time, I was chasing points all over the world. The Olympics coming into BMX really changed the mental game in our sport. I had no shot and was having no fun pushing myself, spending all those hours training when I wanted to be riding. We all started riding BMX because it was fun, and the fun was gone for me, I needed some new excitement. I hung up the race bike, dialed in a few tricks and went out to the Dew Tour Open Qualifying event in 2008. I made it through the OQ and went on to qualifying 2nd going into the finals. It was an unreal feeling at first, being rewarded simply for having a ton of fun on my bike, I was hooked.

I spent 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 hitting every stop of the Dew Tour and even a few international events. It was a breath of fresh air for me at that time in my career. I had been racing for 20 years, I put in 10 years racing and training in AA pro, I made 2 UCI elite worlds mains (2001,2004), I raced the X-Games Downhill BMX twice, I raced the first ever BMX SX race at Woodward and even raced on the first ever BMX SX hill in Switzerland. I had seen so many things happen over the years and felt like it had hit a dead spot. 

I left racing for 4 seasons to ride dirt, then had a bad ankle injury in February of 2012. Compound tip/fib, plates and screws and some muscle and tissue damage. Getting back on the bike was hard, I went out to my local BMX track to pump around and feel it out. I met some of the locals and felt right at home. Seeing such a thriving local BMX community really got me involved with racing again. 

As a father of two active girls, I have more of a reason to get out to the local events and share my passion for riding. I ride often and the kids can always see how much fun I’m having. I try to bring that same level of excitement to the grassroots programs here on Vancouver Island. 

They aren't clinics if I'm riding too. We're all here to progress, so let's catch a session. The main goal with a TCR Progression Session is for you to be a better, faster rider when we're done.

My lessons are planned out so that the riders enjoy the work that they are putting in. I’m all about less talk and more riding. Actions speak louder than words and when you’re on a bike, that theory is multiplied. Kids relate better to visuals anyways. Often you’re explaining the next segment of the day and Timmy is chatting with the kid next to him about something irrelevant. Information missed is time wasted. I try to be physically involved so that the riders retain the lessons that they learn and implement them into their normal training routine. Inspire first, teach second.

Excuses are all too common in BMX racing, and many riders don’t like to be held accountable for their mistakes. Developing a well rounded skill set on the bike and a confident mental game is a primary focus of mine. When the riders have all the tools needed to win and know how to properly execute them, there’s no need for excuses. We race each race to our fullest potential and learn from our mistakes.

I try my best to relate with riders individually and encourage them to push themselves hard in every activity. Since it’s a lesson and not a race, the riders we are out to beat are often ourselves. If we leave each day a bit faster and a bit smarter, we’ve won the most important race of all. 

As a father and BMX racer since the age of 6, I know just what it takes to get through to riders on all levels. I work on starts, speed, skills, turning, passing, jumping, hopping, pack skills/awareness, confidence, preparation, and touch briefly on diet and nutrition.