Watch Ten-Year-Old Mountain Biker Wes Lukens Stun Pro Riders in Short Film

Wes Lukens showcases his determination and skills as a freerider in the short film 'Launch,' produced by Scott Gaffney

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There’s something about witnessing someone doing what they were born to do that stops you in your tracks.

Maybe I’m thinking of my own kid athletes, but I couldn’t help but feel inspired talking to ten-year-old Wes Lukens, who answered my call from Whistler, Canada, on his dad’s mobile phone in the middle of a ride.

When Wes says, “mountain biking is life,” he isn’t exaggerating. His parents, Shawn and Katie Lukens, have been on the road with he and his two siblings since March, and don’t plan to return home to Florida until September. Wes is homeschooled, and spends most of his time exploring and competing all over the world.

“We just got back from China,” he told me.

“To mountain bike? I asked him.

“Yeah, just to ride.”

Wes was recently crowned the second-best freerider in the world after crushing it in Reno, Nevada, at the Cam Zink Invitational, an all ages mountain biking event that “blends the biggest freeride lines, slopestyle-inspired trick jumps, and technical challenges into one all-encompassing test of skill, style, and guts.”

The winner was Aiden Parish, a 20-year-old rider who has already gone pro.

“He keeps getting better for ten, and for, anyone,” Cam Zink, professional freerider and X Games athlete, and host of the Invitational, said at the opening of the short film, Launch, my reason for catching up with Wes in the first place.

Launch was shot and edited by Scott Gaffney, a freelance filmmaker and legendary cinematographer in the ski world, who followed Wes as he competed in Reno. Barely double digits, Wes is seen soaring over his competition, stunning some of the best freeriders in the world.

Outside was given an exclusive first release of the film, which will later be released on YouTube. You can view the full film above. 

Here’s what Wes shared with me about the experience.

“I Love That Being Good at This Doesn’t Come Easy”

I asked Wes to expand on a powerful statement he made in the film highlighting his win.

“I love that being good at this doesn’t come easy,” he shares in it, and this is the message Wes wants other kid athletes to remember. “You have to work every day, as much time as you can. Work on the things that you need to improve but also the stuff that you really like, to get better at it. You need to know what you’re capable of so you’re not always so out of control.”

Wes has been riding since age two alongside his siblings Camden (now 14 years old) and Emery (now 6 years old.)

When Wes gets discouraged, his family reminds him that this started as a fun thing to do, and as a way for he and his family to connect. At the core, that’s what it’s all about.

“I just want to ride every single day,” Wes told me. “I wake up and I’m thinking about riding. I crave the feeling of being free in the air. I crave hauling as fast as possible. I crave the sound of my tires hitting the dirt.”

“What is your wildest dream though?” I asked him.

“To be the world’s best mountain biker,” he said.

Well, Wes may have to dream bigger, because he’s nearly there.

You can keep up with Wes on his IG and YouTube channel.