The Graham Agassiz Fan Club

Once upon a time there was a little boy who raced BMX in Kamloops. One sunny summer day he wandered into the Bicycle Cafe to get his bike fixed. Being quite the gnarly little shredder his visits started becoming more and more frequent. Eventually we made friends and Graham Agassiz began racing for the Bicycle Café BMX team. That little boy kept growing and growing and riding bigger and bigger bikes (but not very big overall).

Flash forward a few years and that boy is now a Kona Clump team rider, NWD star and international slopestyle competitor.

Interview inside,Graham started riding for the Bicycle Café Kamloops when he was about 13 years old. He was primarily a BMX racer who had a knack for big air at a young age. He was given permission to jump the pro section on the track when he was still racing his Titan Mini. He had a junker mountain bike when we first met him and given his BMX and dirt bike backgrounds, we figured he might be a great mountain biker. Soon after he got his first Kona Chute his focus shifted to bigger wheels and bigger jumps. Graham had a dream of becoming a pro mountain biker. He worked harder and harder every year and it wasn’t an easy road.


Graham always took the high line with his sponsorships. He loved his Kona bikes and all the gear he used. There were offers from many other companies for free bikes, gear and even money but Graham turned them all down. He had a vision of riding for all the best companies and running all the best gear and he never compromised. Year after year Graham and the Bicycle Café paid for his Kona bikes as he kept working hard towards making the Kona Clump team.

After graduating from high school in June of 2008 Graham was committed to a fully pinned season of attending every freeride and slopestyle event he could get into. Graham traveled all around placing well and acquiring invites to bigger events. He got in tight with the boys of the Clump team and eventually sealed his spot on the team with a third place finish at the Bearclaw Invitational at Mount Washington. All his hard work had finally paid off and his success at that event was a major stepping stone into a career that has sky rocketed him to international mountain biking superstardom. Graham went on to compete in the 2008 Red Bull Rampage, featured on the cover of magazines worldwide and film major segments for NWD and Life Cycles. There are no indications of anything slowing down for this young star anytime soon and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

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We’ve known Graham for a long time and we have a lot of fun stories to tell. So many stories in that it’s hard to sort through all of them. We figured we should get some of his family and friends to share a few things that they’ve learned about Graham Agassiz over the years.

Amanda Agassiz- Graham’s Sister:

1) When and where did you first meet Graham?
I’d like to say in the womb, but that’s not very accurate. I guess I met him after coming home from the hospital!

2) What was your first impression about him? What do you think of him now?
I guess I don’t remember my first impression of Graham, it would be something only a baby could understand. What do I think of him now? Well I guess you could say I’ve grown quite fond of my older brother. He’s a great inspiration and a swell guy!

3) If Graham wasn’t a professional rider, what do you think he would be doing?
Probably working at Milestone’s and living up at Sunpeaks, only coming home to steal our food every once in a while. Or maybe even panhandling on the streets with his harmonica.

4) Tell us one interesting thing you know about Graham.
Something interesting I know about Graham is that he used to hide candy under his pillow and eat it at night. Also he hates chocolate now, probably for that reason.

5) Which song do you think would be Graham’s theme song?
Too Young to Fall in Love by Motley Crue

6) If Graham were an animal at the Zoo, which one would he be?
Probably the Zoo’s Peacock that is always roamin’ around the place.

7) Tell us a funny story that took place while you were hanging out with Graham.
It’s hard to point out just one, but there have been many various family dance parties that I can remember which have been pretty funny. Or one of the many times Graham made milk come out of my nose, or made me cry on command haha…

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Andrew Sherry – NSMB.com team rider:

1) When and where did you first meet Graham?
Graham and I first met at the NSMB Airprentice in Whistler.

2) What was your first impression about him? What do you think of him now?
At first a quiet young guy, but always a smile on his face and so vibrant. He's definitely a lot more vocal now and knows how to have a good time.

3) If Graham wasn’t a professional rider, what do you think he would be doing?
My guess, as anyone else's would have something to do with dancing? Isn't he a really good pow shredder as well?

4) Tell us one interesting thing you know about Graham.
I remember chatting with him about determination. I think it's something that separates 1 rider from another. You can tell Aggy is one of those talented guys that has it. Now adding hard work, with core talent, and an awesome attitude is a recipe for a shredder

5) Which song do you think would be Graham’s theme song?
Journey - Don't Stop Believin’.

6) If Graham were an animal at the Zoo, which one would he be?
Penguin? Monkey maybe.

7) Tell us a funny story that took place while you were hanging out with Graham.
I think anyone could agree with me that any time with Graham has its funny moments. One that sticks out was at Redbull Round Up, when we ended up having dance offs against the Redbull girls.

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Kurt Sorge – Giant Bicycles team rider:

1)When and where did you first meet Graham?
I met Aggy halfway down Rose Hill about 5 or 6 years ago now.

2)What was your first impression about him? What do you think of him now?
Well since he sent the hip we were sessioning way bigger than anyone else and did a suicide no hander clap in front of his body then behind his body, I thought he was pretty gnarly. My thoughts now are pretty much the same, super gnarly, funny kid, always an awesome time when he’s around.

3) If Graham wasn’t a professional rider, what do you think he would be doing?
So You Think you Can Dance Champion.

4) Tell us one interesting thing you know about Graham.
He’s got good taste in tunes.

5)Which song do you think would be Graham’s theme song?
Dancing with Myself - Billy Idol.

6) If Graham were an animal at the Zoo, which one would he be?
A monkey probably.

7) Tell us a funny story that took place while you were hanging out with Graham.
There are way too many stories to pick from haha, let's just say our visit to the Can Can Room in Vegas was pretty funny...

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Curtis Robinson- Coastal Crew Productions:

1)When and where did you first meet Graham?
I think it was about 3 years ago in Whistler where I first met Graham.

2) What was your first impression about him? What do you think of him now?
He's way smaller than I thought he would be. He likes to party...and this is a fact!

3) If Graham wasn’t a professional rider, what do you think he would be doing?
Anything that involves getting gnarly. Another true fact.

4) Tell us one interesting thing you know about Graham.
He's got a cute sister.

5) Which song do you think would be Graham’s theme song?
The Stroke, by Billy Squire.

6) If Graham were an animal at the Zoo, which one would he be?
Oh a Lion for sure! RAWWRRR!

7) Tell us a funny story that took place while you were hanging out with Graham.
This one time in France where we went to partake in a big mountain free ride event, the night before things got a little out of hand when the locals put on a jump jam in the middle of the town. I managed to get a hold of Graham after he asked me to take care of him because he wanted to "kill it" in the contest the next day. I managed to get him up the street to his hotel and actually put him in bed and told him not to leave. Apparently he seemed to think I meant don't leave this instant. He then went to bed for 2 hours, woke up and made his way back to the bar until probably 2 or 3am. I was already back in my Chalet in bed with my alarm set to get up for an 8:30am bus. After finding him in the morning we had to drag him out of the hotel, onto the bus, off the bus and to the top of the course. He gets to the top of the course and he's the first to drop… Somehow he manages to ride like he always does and finished well, which is ridiculous. Graham Agassiz is one tough kid and won't let anything get in his way. A true one of a kind he is.

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Carolyn Agassiz- Graham's Mom:

1) When and where did you first meet Graham?
I met Graham on that special day of Jan 8th 1990 at the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

2) What was your first impression about him? What do you think of him now?
I thought he was cute as a button, and still is. Maybe only a mother can say that.

3) If Graham wasn’t a professional rider, what do you think he would be doing?
He would be a professional snowboarder!

4) Tell us one interesting thing you know about Graham.
Only one? He loves his mom's cooking, he has a soft spot for animals including his dog Zack, he sometimes acts like he is his sister's father, he can not tell a lie without smirking, he can do the "moon walk".

5) Which song do you think would be Graham’s theme song?
“I like to ride my bicycle" by Queen.

6) If Graham were an animal at the Zoo, which one would he be?
He would be a monkey, he likes to make people laugh.

7) Tell us a funny story that took place while you were hanging out with Graham.
There are a few, but one sticks out in my mind when he was about 7 or 8 and was very gullible (still is), he looked up to his cousin Whitney and she dared him to lick a fly swatter for a bag of candy...he did. (He loves candy)

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There you have it folks. Keep an eye out for Graham in the upcoming film Lifecycles as well as all over the 2010 slopestyle scene, in your favourite magazines and online sources!

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Interviews Graham Agassiz