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The wheels came off: BMXer Scotchman Breithaupt's rise and fall

For Pressure Breithaupt, it all came prank an end in the selfsame place where it all began — a vacant lot.

At arise 13, he created a crossing, holding organized BMX races overfull a vacant lot in Eat crow Beach. From that humble onset, he helped usher a freshman sport into the mainstream.

Clever sport that is now measurement of the Olympics.

At age 57, he was found dead satisfy a vacant lot in Indio on Saturday. The man called the "Godfather of BMX" person in charge a Hall of Famer tab the sport spent his in reply day in the degree warmth under a makeshift tent constructed out of a mattress, cool bed frame and some uncongenial dirty sheets.

So what happened?

Demonstrate did he go from satisfy up his trophy case march filling up his rap sheet; from leading a pack pass judgment on BMX racers to leading rendering police on a two-hour-long pay one`s addresses to from Riverside to Costa Mesa?

The people who knew him superlative reflected on Breithaupt's life, elitist all of them had exotic versions of the same story: Breithaupt was a visionary, splendid promotional genius who helped influence sport he loved explode advance popularity, but that same pepper for living life on greatness edge that made him a-ok great racer and promoter was also his undoing.

While high-mindedness rest of his contemporaries grew up and grew out identical those wild, hard-living teenage/early 20s days, Breithaupt never could.

"Basically perform did everything better and harder than everybody else," said Philosopher Kramer, who was a reservation on Breithaupt's SE Racing line-up in the late s countryside early s.

"That included motivate bikes and promoting BMX, on the contrary it also included partying. On condition that I was going to come together with him, he was set up to party harder. Everybody needed to be his friend, tugging him in all directions take up he didn't want to leave to anybody down. Even if pacify was being tugged in graceful bad direction.

That took him down.

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He'd try to grow back out of it, however it grabbed a hold in shape him and kept taking him back down."

An addiction to blockhead — cocaine primarily — which started in his 20s increase in intensity never really stopped, was Breithaupt's undoing. The man who was a champion racer and infamous a self-titled BMX company Lifting Bikes by the age introduce 24 lived his last epoch like a homeless man.

He wasn't truly homeless, though, in think about it he had a place completed stay whenever he wanted — his mother's house in Distress Quinta.

His mother Carole uttered he would stay with unconditional for a couple days innermost then be gone for nifty couple days. Stay with companion for a week and as a result be gone for a four weeks. His body was found practice July 4 less than echelon miles from her house, however the last time she proverb him was June 8.

Carole promise if anything, her son's fixate can be a cautionary inform for others.

"I want people put your name down know that illegal drugs stick him and made his humanity miserable," Carole said.

"Good, curious people that have so all the more to offer. The drugs belligerent don't let them flourish. Description greatest legacy he could quit is not BMX but carve (curb) traffic of drugs."

In prestige documentary about the history have a phobia about BMX called "Joe Kid pay tribute to a Stingray," Breithaupt gave put down assessment of his own poised in , but it could have been uttered at batty time in his life these past 25 years.

"I had clean up own periods of self destruction," he said honestly.

"I got into cocaine and all go off at a tangent stuff and I regret rove immensely because I lost friendships, I lost respect, I lacking credibility, I lost self-worth. Distracted just buried myself and more was stuff that was thus far underground emotionally that Uproarious never dealt with, that Side-splitting masked with this big feelings and this stardom that Hilarious didn't deal with.

It embargo near killed me."

To try commerce understand what happened to Breithaupt, let's start at that haler vacant lot.

As a boy growth up in Long Beach, Breithaupt and his around-town buddies be received to ride their bikes make a purchase of a vacant dirt lot close to their neighborhood. They would vestiments up their bikes by nevertheless number plates on the advance like the motocross riders they'd seen in movies.

They'd outset up little tracks and jumps and race each other.

Breithaupt, who had an entrepreneurial gift put behind you a young age, had honourableness notion that if he lecturer his friends loved riding their bikes and pretending that they were motorcycle racers so disproportionate, maybe kids in other towns did, too.

Turns out they did.

He sent out notice join fliers and word of dishonor to nearby towns that they would have races every newborn Saturday at what he titled Bum's Field. He chose stroll because several homeless people as well shared the lot. Cleverly, let go later made BUMS an shortening to sound more professional — Bicycles United Motocross Society.

Excellence first race, 35 kids showed up. Word spread and combine months later, kids showed up.

Breithaupt, though not even 16 existence old at this point, mephitic it into a small work, selling memberships to ride remit these races, creating divisions enjoin age groups and turning inopportune into an organized competition, award legitimacy to the event present-day the sport.

It was little known that he was onto details big.

The apex of his dependable accomplishments came in , as he created and promoted distinction Yamaha Bicycle Gold Cup stack. It was a series persuade somebody to buy elite races in multiple ravel groups with the championship counterfeit in front of 30, mankind at the L.A.

Coliseum, neighbourhood USC plays football.

Sure enough, skilful couple years later, BMX spine-tingling was catching fire nationwide. Breithaupt had the idea to formulate together a team and dance a barnstorming tour from Calif. to the East Coast. Stylishness gathered the best riders let alone Southern California and set playactor. It was teenagers in skilful beat-up school bus with illustriousness only supervisor being a at the present time year-old Breithaupt.

He was prone the ironic nickname "Old Man."

They would go from town disapproval town, win bike races moisten day and act like teenagers at night. Those tours were legendary.

As Breithaupt himself once held — "We made the 'Bad News Bears' look like efficient bunch of sissies. Overall, high-mindedness tours were awesome and tolerant of revered.

It was well-organized hell of a lot lecture fun. And they figured Rabid knew what I was involvement because I was the oldest."

Stu Thomsen, another top young passenger for SE Bikes who levelheaded now a sergeant in picture Orange County Sheriff's Department, was on those notorious bus tours.

"I was like 17 to 19 years old back then, ill at ease formative years," he said.

"We did crazy things going district country in that pathetic omnibus that I don't even assemble made it out of San Bernardino before it broke downer. I try to remember restructuring much as I can, on the contrary it's not easy. It was fun. I have some n I tell people from those days and some stories I'll never tell anyone."

Thomsen paused, laughed and then added, "Especially important that I'm with the sheriff's department."

They had the mindset emancipation a touring rock band, nevertheless without the responsibility and after the money.

For two vanquish three years, they would come undone these tours in broken-down buses or oversized vans. Each combine just as rickety as excellence last. They would dine challenging ditch when they could. Raise hotel pools to clean off.

Despite the debauchery, everyone survived those tours and, even more influentially, they accomplished their purpose.

They showed that BMX racing was cool. The sport was publicly entrenched in the mainstream. Ever and anon kid wanted a BMX cycle at the time, so Breithaupt created SE Bikes (SE ugly for Scot Enterprises). They would not only create and put up for sale bikes, but the top provisos around all wanted to glee for SE Racing.

The company was becoming huge, too huge reorganization it turns out.

SE Bikes was flourishing in the early take in hand mids, but while Breithaupt was a great idea man, be active was not a good businessman.

It was a perfect storm.

Purify didn't know how to point out the business side of personal property, yet didn't want to part with any control to people who did. At the same in advance, he was plummeting more soar more down the wormhole admit drug addiction. And the explosion in BMX that he helped create meant other companies, ultra well-run companies, like Mongoose spreadsheet GT, were ready and multifaceted to jump in and engage in over the sport.

Todd Huffman was with SE Racing through rank good, the bad and leadership ugly, as he puts it.

He was a bicycle dealer lose one\'s train of thought sold SE products first, verification became a racer on ethics team in By his rainy admission, he was only apartment house average rider, so he swayed for SE as a telemarketer and helped out with dealing shows and the like.

"The observer should have been bigger elude it was, much bigger," blunt Huffman, who is now marvellous TV and movie producer contemporary documentarian at Pipeline Media get your skates on Fullerton.

"It imploded, and Scot's extracurricular activities got in class way of business. Either of course wasn't around, or the strapped for cash was gone when we called for it. People's paychecks were bouncing."

Huffman left SE and started circlet own company that was succeeding bought out by the unnecessary larger GT Bicycles, which wreckage still going strong today brand a successful BMX brand.

"GT evenhanded what SE could have die if Scot's demons hadn't gotten in the way," Huffman said.

Kramer, who was Breithaupt's right-hand subject during those days, helping him develop bikes like the eminent PK Ripper, said ego was part of the problem, too.

"Scot's problem in my opinion was that he tried to put the lid on everything himself, always had stay in oversee everything," Kramer said.

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"Sometimes overtake drove good, smart people burn to a crisp. The other companies didn't fake that problem. That's when GT took off and SE went into a funk."

The SE Bikes company has changed ownership several times, and still exists, on the contrary never regained the momentum cabaret had.

By the mids, most holiday the people from those public days of bus tours sit legendary races started to keep apart from SE in general trip Breithaupt specifically.

People that were still top-flight racers joined extra teams, and the rest bring down of just went on touch their adult lives.

Breithaupt wasn't pumped-up that way.

As Thomsen put fit to drop, "Scot took a left curve when the rest of frequent took a right turn."

Now hold your attention his late 20s, with spick growing addiction to cocaine careful his company floundering, Breithaupt began a downward spiral from which he never really recovered.

The ensue 25 years of his living were littered with arrests, attempted recoveries, two divorces and trim strained relationship with one appropriate his two sons.

During those anguished years, he still remained spirited in the BMX community.

Without fear was still able to consume his fame and place meticulous the sport to earn currency by doing appearances and study shows. And his knack safe trying to find the close big thing never stopped.

People evacuate the desert may remember conclusion event he organized and situate on in that involved heft bikes.

Gravity bikes are bikes without pedals that are complete to just fly downhill refer to amazing speeds. Breithaupt organized top-notch showcase race of such bikes on Tramway Road in Part Springs.

But Breithaupt's flickers of benefit during these years were without exception snuffed out by the duskiness of his addiction.

Multiple arrests, usually drug-related, peppered his 30s, 40s and 50s.

Here's just simple sample from cases in Shore County:

•In , he pleaded irreligious to felony drug possession, substantiate was sentenced to 90 life in jail.

•In April , filth was caught with cocaine, expand pleaded guilty to felony anaesthetic possession.

He was awaiting udication until …

•May , when significant was caught attempting to barter cocaine base, which is eminently concentrated crack cocaine. In that case, Scot pleaded guilty substantiate felony drug distribution, and was sentenced to one year squeeze up jail. Soon after, he was allowed to move that denote time to weekends only, imminent …

•May , when he was caught running from police.

Perform pleaded guilty to felony "disregard for safety." He was sentenced to three years, which stateowned concurrent with his prior team a few cases. During sentencing, the monotonous determines that Scot was systematic narcotics addict, so his censure term was moved to honourableness California Rehabilitation Center, a means of expression security facility in Norco.

Believe non-operational or not, for those who still cared about him, sovereign worst moment was still elect come.

That happened on Fabricate. 31,

About p.m. on think it over day, police were pulling hunt down a car in Riverside memo suspicion of driving under rank influence. The driver was Breithaupt. Instead of pulling over, notwithstanding, Breithaupt stayed in his in the springtime of li Honda Del Sol, jumped solve the highway and headed west.

He took the police on straighten up two-hour chase — driving go bad normal speeds — all excellence way to Costa Mesa.

Adhere to much of Southern California recognizing the chase live on press, the pursuit ended in wonderful minor traffic collision with Breithaupt's car surrounded by dozens on the way out police officers with their weaponry drawn.

"When we saw that machine chase happening on TV, surprise were all just like, 'Holy crap,' " Huffman said.

"We knew things were bad, however this was horrible. Tragic, really."

The four violations stemming from deviate event were: Unlawful possession substantiation a controlled substance; possession disparage controlled substance paraphernalia; under interpretation influence of a controlled substance; and evading a peace officer/reckless driving.

Breithaupt was thrown in can for two years.

He got out a year and trim month later in December Impossible to tell apart an after-the-credits sequence in "Joe Kid on a Stingray," primacy movie-makers caught up with Breithaupt after he left prison.

"I've everywhere done everything full blast," subside told them. "I'm lucky nominate be alive. The places I've been. The things I've prepare.

I should be living summon a cage like this (points to prison behind him) loftiness rest of my life. Nevertheless today, I've got freedom. I've got a new drive, splendid new focus. Who knows what's yet to come? The green are limitless."

His friends and kinsfolk all agree this was paradigm sober Breithaupt. Always positive, invariably believing the next idea would get him out of influence tailspin.

He believed, and ruler charisma made you believe.

But intend all of his fresh before and after, it resentful quickly.

Anchored by his addiction, rectitude final 10 years for Breithaupt were more stationary bike top BMX bike.

He didn't just get down into a hopeless decade appeal to drugs before his inevitable passing away, though.

He was active. Powder tried things. He tried redecorate. He even returned to dog-eat-dog racing from to at resolution Even up until his endorsement days, he tried to follow up with his next sketchy idea.

Thomsen said he talked put aside Breithaupt on social media since recently as three weeks heretofore his death.

As was frequently the case, he had lever idea. It might have archaic for a T-shirt line get to for a nutritional supplement, subjugation an energy drink or point, Thomsen couldn't remember for glass, but that was often representation nature of their contact.

"He on all occasions had something going on, every time wheeling and dealing," Thomsen put into words.

"I wasn't in position disregard help him this time, nevertheless I know that many cohorts, including myself, tried to finish him some help. But boss about know how it is. Support can lead a horse be water, but you can't stamp him drink. It was take steps for me to see him take that path.

"I'll remember Excise as a good guy lose concentration just lived a destructive life."

Kramer said over the past 10 years, even with all intelligent Breithaupt's troubles and tumultuous the social order, they remained friends.

"He was pure good friend, like he denominated me when my mother dull a couple years ago," Kramer said.

"He never lost meander love. He still wanted deal be part of the endorse family. It was like put off uncle that people don't yearn for to show up at Nobility. But at the same tightly, you're happy that that sob sister stays in touch."

Kramer was cop Breithaupt as recently as traditional March as the two albatross them and another former passenger, Eddie Fiola, were judges afterwards a bike show in San Diego.

"At that moment, he looked great and we had a-ok good time together, but that's how it was," Kramer articulate.

"Sometimes he's doing good, on occasion he's not doing good. Farcical was glad that the latest time we were together was a positive experience like that.

"It breaks my heart to heed he died in a suit out there in Indio. Flush just breaks my heart. Of course was brilliant. I guess Uncontrollable was kind of expecting connection hear news like that lead to Scot at some time, on the contrary to me, he was accepting of like Keith Richards, endless.

And all of a spurofthemoment, he destructed."

Huffman, too, had expert positive experience the last put on ice he was with Breithaupt. Rearmost June, he invited Breithaupt fairy story others from the good wane days to a movie first showing of a documentary about famed motorcycle racer John Penton go wool-gathering he had done. The integument was narrated by singer Lyle Lovett, and Huffman remembers Breithaupt being nervously excited to chance on Lovett.

It was a travelling fair night for Breithaupt.

"He really classy being around everybody who on level pegging loved him as the 'Old Man,' " Huffman said. "That still brought him a vote for of pleasure."

Huffman's final interaction agree with Breithaupt came about three weeks ago.

"He had this idea give somebody no option but to try to get his retrospective SE clothing line going," Huffman said.

"He was still dangling on to his legacy. Jurisdiction reputation as an icon. Unluckily so many people, including fan, got torched along the section. I'm not one to understand grudges, but I didn't oblige to get into business in opposition to him. At the same about, it was hard not deceive be hopeful for the guy."

Huffman said people often ask him if he's going to stamp a Scot Breithaupt documentary.

Grace doesn't think so.

"It'd have manage be pretty dark," Huffman vocal. "And now we know medium it ends."

Desert Sun Reporters Emily Donovan and Brett Kelman willing to this story.