Homan comes out of retirement for final ride at Redmond Jump Show

Published 6:29 pm Thursday, August 22, 2024

It was a relatively quiet Thursday afternoon in downtown Redmond until suddenly motorcyclists revved their engines over the cheering crowd in anticipation of a 40-foot jump ahead.

Leading the charge was Justin Homan of Wild Ride Brewing, who  came out of retirement just for the show.

Professional riders visited Redmond for the freem 8th annual Wild Ride Brew MX13 Jump Show on Aug. 22. During the three-hour show three professional motorcyclists performed stunts off the dirt ramps set up just off Fifth Street.

Homan wasn’t going to jump, but stepped in for another motorcyclist who had to tend to a family emergency. He said before that he hoped to perform well, even though he was a bit rusty.

“It’s a scary sport that’s dangerous that you can get really hurt in if you’re not prepared,” Homan said.

From the jump off to landing, it’s about 70 feet. The bikers landed on an inflatable jump pad as they descended, which Justin Gallacher said “is not what you imagine it’d be.”

All went well at the event. There were no serious crashes and no injuries.

In addition to the adrenaline-rushing performances, the event fundraised $10,000 for Hospice of Redmond.

Hospice of Redmond will use these funds for patient care, buy supplies and build the Pet Peace of Mind program that allows patients to keep their pets nearby during their end-of-life journey.

Parker Irvine visited from Battleground, Wash., to see the show and to visit his grandparents in the area. This was his first time seeing this jump show but he’s gone to a few other shows before.

“I like the tricks they do when they’re in the air,” Irvine’s younger sister, Sadie said. Parker agreed that the tricks were his favorite part too.

Parker later got his hat signed by Jimmy Hill, one of the professional cyclists from California. Hill even signed one kid’s arm.

Trent Meyer, an upcoming rider from Prineville, also joined Hill and Homan. The three did a few “trains” where they all jumped off of the ramp in a line. They did individual jumps as well, sometimes with a backflip or a handstand while in air.

“You don’t get this close to freestyle jumping often,” Gallacher said, as riders flipped above him. “It’s really cool Wild Ride Brew does this.”

Along with the show, there were local food and drink trucks, boats from Lifestyle Wake and a National Guard vehicle. A DJ played music for fans during show breaks.