By Any Means - ANDREW TOPA
I first met Andrew Topa at the Weedmaps HQ in Irvine, California. I grew up racing BMX but honestly drifted away from the scene for a while. My first impression of Topa was one of our cameramen asking if he could tailwhip in the studio with a light hanging way too low over him. Without even thinking about it, he stomped on it. We missed the shot, and he did it again right after.
I didn’t know much about him at the time, but Weedmaps has been building a pretty serious team of athletes, and he clearly fit. Over the next few weeks, I started to understand exactly who he is. Off the bike, one of the nicest dudes you’ll meet. On the bike, one of the heaviest senders you’ll ever see.
A few weeks later we were at Revel Surf Park watching him warm up for a highest flair world record attempt. The setup didn’t even look real. The moto quarter pipe was so big that the warmups alone were worth watching. Getting towed in by Justin Mulford on a Stark Varg with a rope on dirt is gnarly by itself, but this ramp was built for Colby Raha’s 90+ foot quarter pipe jump. It’s easily one of the biggest things I’ve ever seen a BMX rider hit.
Topa showed up with his hand still stitched up from a crash a few days before.
Watching him and Morgan Wade just send straight airs during warmups was already hard to wrap your head around. They were going so high it didn’t even make sense. Trying to picture what a full flair would look like on that setup was another level.
When he finally went for it, it was everything you’d expect. Full commitment, no hesitation. He ended up bailing on one of the attempts and somehow, by the grace of God, walked away from it.
Most people would take that as a sign to slow down.
A week later he was at a school show, on the mic, hyping up a crowd of kids and making their day. Not long after that, he was back at it again riding in the Monster Energy Triple Challenge, sending massive front flips like nothing ever happened.
That’s kind of the thing with Topa.
In 2026 making it in BMX takes love for the sport more than ever before.
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1. What goes through your head before a high risk jump?
Before a high risk jump what’s going through my head is imagining myself landing it, to be honest, I try not to think too much before something gnarly because the more you think the higher the chance of a mistake being made.
2. How do you manage the physical stress of continual riding?
To manage the physical stress of riding continuously I am constantly strength training, trying to keep my body as strong as possible. That way I can handle all of the crashes we take as Bmx Riders.
3. What drives you to push the limits of how big you can go?
I believe what drives me to push the limits is that I’m an adrenaline junkie and the bigger the risk the higher the adrenaline rush.
4. What got you into riding BMX?
What got me into Bmx was riding bikes with friends as a kid, hitting little jumps and eventually watching X games and falling in love with the sport.
5. Describe how gnarly the Record Breakers quarter pipe was?
The record breakers quarter pipe was definitely the most gnarly setup I’ve ever ridden. To start off it’s not even a Bmx quarter pipe. It’s Colby's Moto high air quarter pipe takeoff that is 18 feet tall and to add to that there is a huge gap in between that you have to clear to even hit the landing. To add to the gnarlyness we had to get towed in by a dirtbike in order to get the speed to really blast the quarter.
6. How does the crowd affect you when riding?
I have been doing Bmx shows since I was 16 so I’ve gotten pretty used to having a big crowd. I would say the bigger and louder the crowd the better I ride and the bigger I send it.
7. Goals you're striving towards?
What I’m striving towards is just being the best person I can be on and off the bike and being able to do what I love as long as physically possible. I want to make a name for myself that people will remember.
