It’s hard to believe 1987 was 25 years ago. My father drove me up to Manchester, NH for the first “King of Flatland” contest that year, and from there I made it to most of the series until it ended in 1993. The contests the Cote family put together were instrumental in growing flatland freestyle in the Northeast and beyond… riders came from all over, so that influence was undoubtedly global. I could write thousands of words about what that contest series did for the scene, and freestyle in general, but fortunately Kieran Chapman has already done it in book form. Kieran made the iconic New England ‘zines Radazine and Wire during the late ’80s and early 90s (it eventually became the web site eWire, one of the first BMX content web sites). For the 25th Anniversary of King of Flatland, Kieran collected all of his historical coverage into one great book, complete with a DVD of seemingly endless footage. It is a must have for anyone who went to the series, and you can buy it here.

I couldn’t miss going to the 25th Anniversary contest, after all, I’m still doing this little bike stuff all these years later. So I packed things up and flew out from Oregon. 3000 miles for a parking lot, and it was worth it. I rode a bit, took some photos, and caught up with some old friends, some of which I hadn’t seen or heard from in 20-some odd years. There were plenty of KOF legends who made it out, including former Hutch riders Darren Pelio and Greg Macomber. Pro class winner Jim Cavanaugh (above) was a staple at the early KOF contests, and he’s still progressing to this day.

Check out the photos below. The horizontal photos can be expanded by clicking, and I’ve put a link to a full-resolution version of the group photo at the end of the post for anyone from the crew who wants to download it.

Darren Pelio was one of the riders out of KOF to receive national recognition, and factory sponsorship. Darren traveled all the way from San Diego for the 25th.

Sean Maher nearly took out my lens on this one, but that's a good thing.

Gabe Kadmiri got second in Pro... I think Gabe was barely walking in the early days of KOF, but he's since become a well known New England flatland ripper.

Group shot of those of us who attended the original series . Riders, Parents etc. Click to expand. I've linked to a full-resolution version at the end of the post.

Greg Macomber, all grown up. Greg rode the 13 and under class at KOF, and was part of the Hutch Factory Team in the late 80s.

The man behind Radazine and Wire, the KOF 25th Anniversary book, and one of the legends of KOF. He also won the veterans class.

Jim Cavanaugh.

Scott Denoncourt's run in the veteran's class was one of the highlights of the day, and he placed at the top of the pack. The run included his signature high speed rollaid, pulled clean.

Scott Moroney was representing the original Mt. Dew GT Trick Team.

Steve Kiander, Darren Pelio, Greg Macomber.

Steve Jordan, 4th place in Pro.

For anyone who wants a full-resolution version of the group photo for personal use, click here.