Hard to believe it’s been 25 years—more than half his lifetime ago—that Travis Pastrana entered those first X Games for freestyle motocross.

WORDS: DAVEY COOMBS
PHOTOS: ERIC JOHNSON

Twenty-five years ago, the 1999 X Games marked the first time freestyle motocross was included in ESPN’s X Games. Despite the fact that he was just 15 years old, Travis Pastrana was its undisputed star rider. And by the time the event was over, the kid had made a huge splash—both figuratively and literally in the mainstream.