The boys are still biking every chance they get. Photo: SamJakeTheo Riddle/Youtube
The boys are still biking every chance they get. Photo: SamJakeTheo Riddle/Youtube
Nearly two years ago, BMX-mad identical twins Theo and Jake Riddle became internet sensations at 4 years old when a video their parents posted of them playing on their bikes went viral.
Now age 6, the boys are still biking every chance they get and their dad, Steve Riddle, saidas they grow so do the size of their jumps and the number of tricks they can do.
Mr Riddle said feedback from the first viral video made him and his partner feel like they should keep encouraging their two youngest sons, who have been keen on bikes "since day one".
Jake and Theo have been riding since they were 3 and Mr Riddle said they would "crawl all over" their older brother Sam's bike when they were still in nappies.
He said over summer the twins would go riding every chance they got and they were starting to add a few new skills to their repertoire.
"They're getting into what they call no handers, no footers, 360s and riding backwards a little bit. That's probably about as advanced as it gets."
As a parent, Mr Riddle said he got nervous about his boys hurting themselves, but over time he had learned it was best to trust them to make their own decisions about what was and wasn't safe.
"[The fear is] getting worse as they're getting older, just because the jumps are getting bigger and they're going faster. We just do our best to make sure they've got all the pads and all the safety gear. It seems to work out pretty well so far, touch wood."
Mr Riddle said living in Queenstown was a bonus because professional BMX bikers would often travel through for competitions and the twins would get to meet them, but added that at 6 the boys didn't think about biking as a career option, just as a fun activity.
"They quite often have little conversations amongst themselves which is entertaining, they'll look at a line they're going to ride and one of them will dare the other one to try it ... they feed off each other which is a great thing with twins."
