By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
Nearly 1,500 people were treated to an hour of extreme bicycle and scooter stunts Saturday afternoon by a team of professional athletes.
Thiem for showcasing professional bicycle and scooter stunts to the Del Rio community at
“Freestyle Action Sports Fest.” The event was presented by the Main Street Program with the
goal of hosting a free community event for people to enjoy. (Photo by Louis Zylka)
The “Freestyle Action Sports Fest” was a free bicycle stunt exhibition performed by the Bicycle Motorcross (BMX) Freestyle Team and presented by the Del Rio Main Street Program in Del Rio’s historic downtown, with most of the action taking place in front of the Paul Poag. The BMX team is based in California and traveled to Del Rio to host presentations at local schools within the past month.
Pepper Bernal, board member of the Main Street Program, said she presented the idea to invite the BMX team to be part of a free community event, which was put together in 40 days.
bicycle stunt for the crowd who attended the “fest” on Saturday. Castillo said he enjoys
performing for kids and seeing them be inspired and motivated to ride a bicycle. (Photo by Louis
Zylka)
Two of the performers are local Del Rio celebrities: Ruben and Robert Castillo, who are brothers born and raised in Del Rio.
Ruben Castillo is a three-time National American Freestyle Association (AFA) Masters Champion and was inducted into the Texas BMX Hall of Fame in 2024. Robert is a three-time National American Freestyle Association (AFA) Masters Champion and was inducted into the 2023 Texas BMX Hall of Fame. Robert is also the owner and operator of the BMX stunt team.
bicycle stunt for the crowd who attended the “fest” on Saturday. Castillo said he enjoys
performing for kids and seeing them be inspired and motivated to ride a bicycle. (Photo by Louis
Zylka)
Before the event took off, Robert and Ruben were awarded keys to the city of Del Rio by the Mayor Al Arreola. Ruben thanked the city for recognizing him and his brother and thanked the community for attending the event.
Robert said he was overwhelmed by the award, adding, “I never thought we would be doing what we’re doing today. Del Rio, we love you.”
The other performers on the BMX team were Chandler Dunn and Jacob Thiem. Dunn is a scooter performer for Nitro Circus, a factory team rider for Lucky Scooters and a featured performer at SeaWorld. Thiem is a bicyclist for Team USA 2028 Olympic Hopefuls and a factory team rider for Huffy Bikes.
