Franklin Farm, Nitro Circus Training Camp

Franklin Farm,

We left, my kids and I, not early from home in Rotorua, direction Tokoroa to get to Franklin farm, Nitro Circus camp, where Angelo (10 yrs old), Roméo (8yrs old) were invited for a Jam. On the way, we stopped for beers and food and get our friend Euan from Action Sports Medical.
30 minutes of quite a simple route and you arrive in the middle of nowhere but with a nice scenery.


A very small sign, barely noticeable, tells you “Franklin Farm”, and a big sign “Private Property”.
You open the gate, drive few meters and there it stands: this 16-meter black tower, the highest in the world, rising between some lines of dirt jumps. On each side, a ramp as long as a highway. Jaw dropped; you cannot get off your eyes from it. Until you see the warm welcoming smile of Jed.


Jed Mildon. Yes, the Legend Jed Mildon. It doesn’t ring a bell? Come On! The first man to hit a quadruple backflip on a BMX during Nitro Circus Show?
Jed did this “farm” to learn, to improve, to perfect the tricks he wants to do for Nitro Circus, and to share his skills with everyone.


After some hugs and some cheers and a bottle of the “liquid of confidence” (beer), we join the team of the 20 riders already here who are working on the jump lines. Yes, you dig you ride applies here as well, and we love it. It links the people together. Angelo and Roméo already with shovels in hands found some old friends. While you cut the grass, dig, and keep the kiwi gold (dirt) on a side, shape, spray water, you joke with the other riders, but your eyes always go back to that tower, and that huge foam pit.
I mean, as a father, I am always scared that anything could happen to my kids. Seeing this black thing just under the sun is freaking me out.


Everything is clean, shaped, secure. The sun is here. You walk around and you discover a small skatepark, some other huge jumps for motorbikes (I mean one would jump with a motorbike, Jed and crew will hit it with a bike, another smaller ramp on a side to have fun and learn tricks from the Boss. A resi also is here, just under a tree, aiming to another jump ending in an airbag. I mean you can reach the airbag if you do not skyhigh the jump before and end up in a branch.
This place is fabulous. Roots but secure, everything is made to make you have fun and progress.
The house on site is a small museum, with Nitro Circus helmets, Jerseys, photos, memories. It’s alive; you can make a whole video of the photos in your head, like if you were Jed.


I cannot ride this place; everything is too big for me. But my kids are having fun.
Angelo started the day with his friends by the dirt jump lines to warm up, while Roméo did not wait one second before to hit the small ramp ending in the foam pit. Roméo is on fire lately. Since he got his brother’s old dirt bike, he jumps everything he can.


Switching from one spot to another, you stop and watch the other riders trying new tricks, falling, hurting, but going back for it. Everybody is cheering up, helping, giving tips.
Yeah, Yo Bro, f*ck Yeah, damn it, Nooooo, Yessssss, yihouuuu are your words for the days.
It is amazing to be here. I can see my kids trying backflips in the foam pit, doing tuck no hander, no foot on the dirt jumps, laughing, shouting, having fun. The only moment they stopped was for few minutes when our friend Euan took the BBQ out of the trucks and made hamburgers.

At the end of the day, everybody looks at the top of the tower and wonders if he can do it. Some go up to watch from the top and go down saying “no way”. I went to get my kid’s bike up, and when you are there, you can feel the structure moving a bit with the wind. And there is not much place up there, so you really look your steps.
The first time Angelo did it, he was 9. I was so scared. 16 meters down the ramp, hitting 55 kph with a 18” BMX made my heart skipped some beats. But he wanted to do it and did it. This time, he had his 24’’ Commencal dirt jump bike and I felt a bit better. Some riders did double backflips, trying to get a triple, and watching them is unreal.


The game on the last runs of the day from this ramp is to ask Jed something impossible to do. But he always manages to do it: 720 Double backflip? Done; No hand Backflip done… Unbelievable.



Adrenaline gradually going down, we start packing and say bye to everyone. My kids are already asking when we are coming back. A big hug to Jed and we are off to Rotorua, with so many things to say during the trip. The kids will sleep well tonight.
Even tough, I spent my day watching, taking photos and videos, I am also exhausted as my level of stress was up to the roof watching my kids hitting World Class jump.

The whole day was fantastic, like every time we go there, thanks to the people who are so friendly. The MTB is a community here in NZ. A big family. Working for everyone ‘s fun.
We like Jed not for who he is, but for what he is: a smiley man very dedicated to help kids and riders reaching their goal at the Franklin Farm and via the air stunt academy. He always has time for you if you want to try a new trick.

See you soon Jed