Long before he was competing in BMX races, Bowie resident Toby Dunn knew his son had a thing for his bike.
“Jaden’s first bicycle he actually wore the tires off,” Dunn said. “Not from sliding the back tire. I mean he wore out a set of tires he rode it so much.”
Jaden cannot remember life without him riding his bike,
“I just started riding street with some friends and just grew to love bicycles,” Jaden said.
That passion for riding has paid off as Jaden won the Texas State Championship in BMX racing for the 13-year-old intermediate division on Sept. 8. That was followed by the tougher Gold Cup in Austin on Sept. 15., where he finished second overall. This was in less than a year of competing on the national circuit.
Dunn was more familiar with motorcycle races himself, but when Jaden brought up BMX racing as something he might want to do, Dunn and Jaden’s mother Amy sent him to a BMX camp called Rebel Run in Houston after racing in a few local contests.
“When we picked him up, they said the only problem they had with him was they could not keep him off the bike,” Dunn said.
With a new bike for Christmas, Jaden started seriously competing on the national circuit for the first time after basketball season ended. With a newfound dedication and using everything he learned at Rebel Run, Jaden has racked up at least 16 first place finishes.
While Dunn and Amy fully support Jaden in this endeavor, it has been Jaden who has taken charge of his training and diet so he can go as far as he can. He has kept an A-B average while taking three advanced classes.
The teen lives with Amy in Weatherford where he goes to school, but sees Dunn often.
One of their projects is trying to set up a mini course in the back yard. While it is something Dunn is familiar with in motorcycle racing, it is a lot of work and is just in the starting stages right now.
While Jaden has some local sponsors, including Dunn’s place of work Lipscomb, they hope to attract some national sponsors in year two to help offset the bike maintenance and travel costs.
Two big races are still on the horizon for Jaden: the Lone Star National in Houston on Oct. 25-27 and the Grand Nationals in Tulsa, OK. on Nov. 28-Dec. 1.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.