Birthplace : COLUMBUS, OH USA
From 1985 to 1990, I was kicking ass and was ranked in the top 3 nationally every year in my age group.
The year that put me on the BMX map was 1987 when I won the IBMXF World Championships as a 15 year old in Orlando, Florida. I'll never forget that race. After I won, my dad told me "Todd, you're a World Champion. Nobody can ever take that away from you." I owe a lot to my parents.
Another rider who went down also asked Todd if he could get 7th Todd said, go for it I'm going for air... Had Todd taken 7th CW would have won the number one team as it turned out they came up two points shy losing to GT.
Another World Title in Santiago, Chile.
Todd Lyons has officially left MCS and is now a one-man BMX wrecking crew for Bully bikes.
1st place good @ 1991 2Hip Meet The Street round 1, LaJolla, CA., april 1991.
Todd Lyons rides past the edge... WAY past. La Jolla was no exception. When he wasn't spontaneously combusting and shoulder-blocking the cement (which Lyons has down to a weird science), he was setting the crowds a-flame with wild behind-the-back 360 floaters, crossed-up one-handed boosters over the sub (smooth), bio nose wheelies over the grind table (fast), gonzo jump variations, and THE TRICK of the contest : Tabletopped, crossed-up, feet-on-the-pedals HANDPLANTS over the mighty sub ramp. Good God. Winner of the Good class and $250 hands down, so to speak. Welcome to the Nineties.
AA Pro is no longer racing for Bully.
Todd handplanting at the LaJolla Meet The Street.
Todd is riding for Webco (Nico Does company).
Interview : Invert july1992.
I spent quite a few summers in the early 90's over in Europe hitting up races and jump contests. I became the European King of Dirt two years in a row and pulled my first 720 at the European Championships in Italy in 1992.
Interviews : Ride UK #13 october 1994,
Props #5 november 1994.
Wildman
It was back in like '94 at the Christmas race in Columbus. I was sitting with Craig Reynolds and Steve Buddendeck, who was the current editor of Snap magazine. I was just talking and telling some crazy stories about some wild stuff that I've gotten into. Then Craig looked at me and told me that he was going to start calling me the "Wildman." I was like "Yeah, yeah, whatever." But Buddendeck was there and when the next Snap mag went to print, I was referred to as the Wildman. The rest is history. Reynolds always jokes with me and tells me that I owe him a commission from my ODI Wildman grips.
1995 was the year that BMX dirt jumping really started to boom and get some mainstream coverage. It's no coincidence that this was also the first year of the ESPN X-Games. Back then it was called the "Extreme Games". I got 5th at that inaugural contest in Rhode Island and got kicked out the very next year. It was a crazy night where I had a run in with the Rollerblade girl racers. But man, I had a good time...
I also won my first ever AA Pro ABA National that year in Reno, NV, right ahead of the legendary Gary Ellis.
In 1997 Huffy gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. The salary was over 5 times the amount I started with Haro just 3 years earlier! It was definitely a gamble though seeing as at that time Huffy was only considered as a K-Mart brand. I definitely took some heat from other riders for riding for such a mainstream company. My five years on Huffy were pretty carefree. It was a super relaxed program where I could travel when and wherever I wanted. I took advantage of the large budget and went to just about every contest and race that I could. They gave me my first signature bike (TL-88) and promoted me to the fullest. One month I had a photo on the cover of USA Today's sports page and also a photo in the Wall Street Journal. During those years I was also the BMX team manager for JNCO clothes and Arnette sunglasses. I had about five other co-sponsors paying me a monthly salary as well. The money was rolling in from every direction, so I decided to buy a house here in Huntington Beach.
Video Huffy Annihilator.
Signature sticker from Huffy drawn by legendary BMX Artist Andy Jenkins.
I broke my wrist really bad in Australia at the 1998 World Championships. I had to get 6 frickin' pins put in and I couldn't ride for 5 months. After months of therapy, I went to my first race and broke my other hand! Some suckers out there thought my BMX days were over.
I started off the first part of 2002 without a bike sponsor and I was paying my own way to the races. Luckily Intruder, a small bike company out of Florida, stepped up in March and paid my expenses to the rest of the year's races.
Todd placed 4th in the Downhill BMX event of the 2003 X-Games.
