Big BMX dreams: Whitehorse teen hopes to ride in Olympics one day

Three years ago,Aidan Kye Naultof Whitehorse had never ridden a BMXbike.Now, he's off to the Nationals witha goalof one day riding for Canada at the Summer Olympics.

"I just kind of want to get as good as I can," said 15-year-old Nault, who goes by A.K. "I'm happy where I got, but I want to push harder. I have crazy intentions now."

It was A.K.'s dad SebastienNault who introduced himto the sport.

"I didn't have any friends and I was always on my computer so my dad bought me a bike and would take me to the skate park," said A.K.

"I saw this kid, he was pretty young, about my age, and he was doing airs on hips and he had like a ton of friends.I was like, whoa, I want to do that."

Now he is.

In the past year alone,A.K.has competed in four provinces and 10 states and just returned from events in Costa Rica.

I'm super proud of him- Sebastien Nault, A.K.'s dad

Last year, in his first competitions in the U.S.,he accumulated the most points in the 10-14 age category of USA BMX Freestyle, making him the state lead champion.

A.K. also caught the attention of professional riders and today is considered one of the best junior riders in Canada.

"I'm super proud of him, like really impressed," said Sebastien. "Impressed is the word."

A.K.'s success hasn't come without hard work.

Since first jumping on the bike, a day hasn't gone by he hasn't been on the BMX.

"He would spend fiveto sixhours a day on the bike," said Sebastien. "If he was not riding he was on the deck watching another guy practicing a trick and taking notes."

There's no doubt the BMX has changed Nault's life, but it's also changed his parents'. They now have a second home an RV that they use to go from competition to competition.

"We have traveled a lot for him.Everyone's involved, big brother, mom, myself I'm the driver and the mechanic," Sebastien said.

Now A.K.and his dad are preparing to hit the road again, along with their two dogs.

First stop is Calgary for more training and then on to Markham, Ont.,for the BMX Freestyle Nationals.

A good showing there, and the Olympics could one day be a reality.

"Oh boy, it's taken me places that I never thought I'd be going," said A.K.

"I'm very thankful for everything that it's brought to me, and I'm hoping to push harder and keep going."