Quebecoise flatland BMX rider, Jean-William Prevost (aka DUB), isn’t a household name even though his skill on a bike is without question. He’s been in China for the last couple of years teaching English, learning Mandarin, making music and, of course, riding, but he got his start in the sport after picking up an issue of BmxPlus in 2000. Since then, he’s become one of the best flatland BMX riders around, and his skills on a bike aren’t constrained to ramps and half-pipes.

There is no air involved in flatland riding; we’ve discussed advanced BMX tricks before, and had an entire section devoted to the uniform environment inherent in flatland riding, which distinguishes it from the more popular ramp riding. The level of difficulty increases when you’re limited to a level plane for a riding surface. The loss of hang time, however, means the technical skills have to be perfect because even though there’s no jumping involved, broken bones still happen, and the difficulty of maintaining your balance increases with each twist of the handlebars or unicycle-like pop into a wheelie. There’s a certain poetry to the lone street BMX rider on the boardwalk or metropolitan street, wowing pedestrians with balance and the blink-and-you-missed-it manipulations of their bikes.

Recently, Dub sat down for an interview with MagSociety to talk about FlatDev BMX competition in Malaysia. Check out Dub’s interview, and some of the more recent flatland BMX tricks he’s mastered. The next time you see someone performing street tricks on a bike at the park, ask them about Dub. They’ll appreciate the recognition of one of their own. And maybe, if you’re walking down the streets in Malaysia or China, you might get a chance to see Dub himself in action.