Tyler Bereman had just unloaded his latest haul from Walmart into the barn at Adam LaRoche's home when we called. The building, complete with a bunkhouse, kitchen, full-size indoor basketball court, and baseball batting cage, is home base for Red Bull Imagination. And that supply run might have been the last time he goes anywhere other than the barn or the event site, located on a different part of LaRoche's property, in the next week.
Being a namesake and a creative force behind an event comes with responsibilities. For Bereman, it means welcoming the nine riders on the entry list, revealing the all-natural course Jason Baker of DreamTraxx carved into the Kansas hillside, and competing during Saturday's final.
But no role is more important than that of the guinea pig. TB knows how difficult it is to size up hundred-foot-plus hits and doesn't feel right asking others to jump something he hasn't. The sense of purpose helped Bereman overcome his most recent injury, a compound fracture of the ulna and radius in his right arm, just in time for Imagination.
Red Bull Imagination will stream as a one-hour special on ESPN+ in the U.S. on September 25 and later through Red Bull's content channels.