Must Watch: Giannis Caternellis / Freestyler #120

120 Freestyler edits from the prolific Giannis Caternellis, this one kept through the system until now. What a treat from Giannis, that opening line is absolutely bonkers in difficulty level alone, and made me ponder a question I would like to ask the flatland community. If a rider is doing a combination of tricks that no one else touches yet its been done before in parts but combo’ed differently. Is that original?
The backpacker jump to hitch and then one footed hitch at around the 3:15 mark is ridiculous and its a good case in point. So much take in here, a definite Must Watch for your Sunday feed!

55 thoughts on “Must Watch: Giannis Caternellis / Freestyler #120

  1. Big E….its true I have no words to describe the level of awesomeness if there is such a word that I feel now about the Must Watch tag you put for my latest edit….Only Respect for Mr. Flatmatters and a promise that there’s more to come in the near future….

    • Thanks Giannis, it’s been a very busy summer for me. Good to get back in some kind of routine with the site. Incredible riding fella

      • And for me as well Big E it was a very busy summer and getting back from a serious injury as well….At the moment I do have my routine in flatland also on a daily and learning new concepts for next month celebration edit.8 years Freestyler series!!!…Thank you so much for your support and your recognition all these years…..this Must Watch tag was a long waiting dream coming for me,to be honest…..

          • Landed on my left shoulder all the nerves that hold the muscles were destroyed and the top bone was dislocated…..That was back in April and 1st of June was back on my bike….6 weeks off but seemed waaaaay longer……

  2. Yes! Took minute or two but it’s officially up on FM now. The mind melting 120th episode of freestyler! What an ongoing legacy to witness. Go Giannis! Thanks for posting it up E!

    • Yo Brent what’s up brother??Thanks a million my man for always being one of the first watching and giving props on YouTube channel with blessing words and wishes….My wish is to ride together sometime….

      • I really hope one day we do get a chance to ride. I’m stoked watching you keep crushing tricks and combos. Lots of motivation for once I get back on the flat bike. Still haven’t touched any bike since I crashed street riding the night of may 30th. Nerve damage is hell to deal with, I know as I’m still living it. Nothing can really speed up the healing of damaged nerve tissue. I know acupuncture can help but its no instant miracle cure. No signal to the muscles means no physio exercises can be done to stop the muscle loss. Only once the nerves are properly communicating the nerve signals the muscle can function and be used again. Sucks watching your body consume itself and you can’t do anything to stop it. People comment on the progress made healing, but thats because the visible damage to my face is mostly gone and they’re totally unaware of the ligament, tendon, and nerve issues in the shoulder and neck. Use it or loose it as they say. But enough of that stuff.
        It’s really awesome you made it past that injury and kept up your INSANE skill level! Can’t believe you’re approaching 125 episodes soon, and all pushing fresh tricks combos and concepts. Very uplifting to witness. Take care and ride on brother!

        • Exactly my brother,nerve tissue takes time to heal and enough rest period….I did 10 physio to start move my left arm again and literally saved my summer those therapies….I’m back again riding everyday for at least 3 hours and it really paid off…..dozen of new tricks and variations have captured and will make an edit in early November for the birthday of the series…..Get well soon amigo and get back more powerful than before…!!!!

  3. And to answer E’s question. Yes. It’s an original arrangement of tricks. If the order or arrangement is new or never been done that way before, then the combo/arrangement can be considered original one way or another. Just my opinion, curious to hear others.

    • Cheers bro means a lot…..looking forward for you to come back to Athens.Lots of new tricks on the shins are waiting for us…!!!Haha!!

  4. I 100% believe a unique combination of existing tricks is original, Ernest Hemingway didn’t invent the words he used but he told his unique stories in the way he combined already existing words.

  5. Mickeyyyy!!!Wow dude….that was a brilliant comment coming from you man and very wise words…that was really inspiring when it comes to Hemingway….so true.Still have bright in my mind the moment when Terry received his Nora cup out of surprise on that awesome flatland spot you have guys and Terry was screaming”Mickeyyy……Mickeyyyyy!!!”…..to show you the trophy while he was bursting into tears…..I burst too……That was a strong moment man…..2 real friends share their joy for flatland…..THIS IS ORIGINAL.

  6. E, if you ask from a judging perspective, then yes its original to some extent. Originality in flatland is not binary, it can be measured on a scale, just like difficulty.

    • I know I’m not supposed to comment all the time on my own edit,looks cheesy but….I can’t resist to the temptation when it comes to originality talking……and for the most part you are right Oliver….Originality in flatland can be measured and has scales…When someone has 5 signature moves on his agenda is original and if someone else has 10 signature moves then he is more original than the other guy…that how I look at it at least….Difficulty on originality also is a big part.Personally I have lots of original moves that I can pull first try or second and I have others that only pulled once or twice in my life…that’s the hard part and I can live with that because flatland is not only easy tricks…you have to battle sometimes to reach that level……Thanks for your time Oliver and sorry for taking the chance since your comment went for Effraim…

        • That’s why I love Flatmatters….There are no rules…..just like Flatland!!!Cheers once again Big E for the Must Watch tag….Years and years I was chasing for it….and nothing will stop me from keep trying for the next one…!!Ha!!!

      • Giannis, you are a very original rider, great to watch. Thanks for your comment as well. Beyond comparing riders themselves, I also reflected to Effraims question on what constitutes an original move/combo and that question is from a judging perspective.

        When you judge, you simply cant compare riders one-to-one, who was more original than the other (theoretically we would need 1225 one-on-one comparisons between riders before we could properly rank 50 riders on a comp), but the judges need to score their runs. To score and compare runs, they need to evaluate individual tricks within those runs. This is the only way to really differentiate between all riders.

        A value of originality can be attached to each individual move within a combo or a combo as a whole. And this is where the scale comes in. Is this move slightly original, e.g. a jump was done before but this one transitioned straight away to another trick in a way I have not seen before, then yes its mildly original. Or all these tricks have been done but I have never seen them put together in such a long combo, then yes its moderately original. Or wow its a rolling position which has never been done this way but the technique is similar to another trick, still its highly original. Or wow this guy pulled a trick which needs a new technique and different from most of the tricks I have seen, then its extremely original and so on.. Therefore I think each combo and move within a combo should have an originality score, just like a difficulty score. The originality score would be mostly very low or zero in expert category, but its more important in Pro.

        Giannis, you are right with the difficulty. When you can put together high difficulty with high originality, thats when the magic happens! However from a judging perspective I think difficulty needs to be strictly separated from originality, meaning an original trick should receive an originality score and a difficulty score separately. One can fool around on the bike, being original but with very low difficulty and the other can pull the hardest tricks with very low originality. Each of these scenarios should be reflected in the scores accordingly.

        Giannis, I know you may not be very interested in the competition side of things, so feel free to ignore all that. What you have in flatland is absolutely outstanding and please keep it up!

        • Wow Oliver…thanks a million for replying and opening such an interesting subject,which is my favourite by the way…. Before I answer I must say I am more than pleased that you think of me as an original rider and you admire what I do as a bike rider….it needs guts to say that statement and I feel honoured and humble about that…Respect Oliver. And to be objective,I used to be a contest rider for 2 decades… I used to love competitions but when I realised that nothing is fair in the placings I abandoned the whole crap contest system because it doesn’t fit to the sport….Flatland is beyond competitions. Now,to go straight up…..Oliver,who is more original rider?Matthias or Martti??..of course you don’t have to reply my friend because the answer is simple….Always I take Martti as an example when I speak about originality…the Man has both difficulty and originality on his back for many moons……..At this point,imagine if someone went out in a contest right now and pull all the crazy ass hardcore moves Martti has invented in his career including every single kick flip he did in Impulsivity…..Does he gets first place??Yes he could if you asked me….but everybody will say “Hey this dude is incredible but he’s doing Marttis tricks”……. Now,imagine if someone shows up in contest and revieling tricks that noone has ever seen or even dreaming of them…..If those tricks were difficult as hell also then….we talk about the ultimate flatland rider ever….Personally I’m stoked watching a rider doing original tricks and links even if there aren’t the hardest stuff because as a rider I know what it takes to learn a trick you’ve seen on youtube or in front of you vs a trick you have come up from your head and trying to figure out how damn are you gonna come close to pull it…..In my 32 years riding flatland,the tricks that took me longer to pull were the ones I think of my mind…One footed hitchhiker is a classic example….took me a couple of tries to hold it and roll all across my spot which is 20 meters long,the size of a basketball court,that’s because I’ve seen Pedro Melo doing it on video part….Cross footed one footed no handed hitchhiker aka Maradona hiker took me a month,literally….If I entered a contest at this very moment and roll a simple one footed hitchhiker across the arena vs roll a Maradona hiker for 5 meters….I know for sure they could scored differently…the one you have seen it before and the other came out of nowhere….this is flatland.and I hope it is original like you say my dear Oliver because this is my mentality in the sport….Unleasing original tricks is way stronger in my opinion than pull hard tricks you’ve seen from others doing….If that was a rule in contests,things could be totally different and better….and I could participate also… Thank you Oliver for your awesome comment and for giving me the opportunity to talk about a subject which is for me the holy grail in flatland…..Originality. I am here for everyone to open our minds and share everything has to do with flatland.We all have to be thankful to Effraim Catlow for giving Flatmatters to us and talking about this great gift we have in our lives…..which separates from this global chaos we are surrounded ……FLATLAND.

          • A lot to unpack here regarding judging, loving your examples as well. I think even if you are not the first one doing something (e.g. pulling Marttis tricks), but there is almost noone else who does it besides yourself, it should still be awarded with a moderately high level of originality score, even if not that high as if you would be the first person pulling it. And yes, if someone comes with more original and difficult tricks than Martti, they even would beat Martti. Judging should be impartial after all.

            I am fully with you, originality and freestyle are the ingredients giving this sport an edge. Similarly it should give an edge for riders who invest and risk their time and body to invent, and if it works out they should get a return on their investment.

            In my view the problem is not necessarily that judges dont try to incorporate this in their scoring, but that there is often no system for judging (or its too rough and high level), no method to properly record the value on paper, judges often unprepared (they did not think through in advance which tricks are more difficult or original), scores aggregated wrongly, emotionally partial or loud judges can skew others opinions, etc. Overall its like wild west. While I think riders should be provided the utmost freedom to keep it freestyle, judges should be the opposite: organized, structured, trained and tested. Otherwise the outcome will never be predictable, leading to surprises and putting people off. Predictability is fairness.

            Zooming out a little, like many riders I also have mixed feelings about whether the sport should remain this colourful underground magic we all fell in love with or should be more organized with rules, sports clubs, registration requirements and accredited judges but at the same time more fair and professional. I hope it can be both and it will value freestyle and originality with no limit to the riders on their individual style or tricks, while everything else would maybe become more structured over time. Seeing freestyle sports on the Olympics and Winter Olympics, this seems possible. One thing is for sure, same as you, originality will keep me around.

          • Oliver do you remember around 1996 when Paul Osicka got 1st place at the very first ESPN flatland contest??Well….Paul had a plan of a judging system based strictly on originality…..He offered and suggested this system to ESPN for the next contest….and guess what??They said “NO WAY”….Do you know Oliver why??Because Paul explained them that on his system each competitor should try their hardest and most original stuff until they pull those tricks….espn replied him that this situation will be boring for the audience!!Can you believe that Oliver??…..espn wanted flatland to be like circus….Hey boys with the little bikes,go outside,pull a couple of tricks flawless, wave to the crowd and go away…..That’s why flatland disappeared from TV……and the only way flatland could work on a contest is this: you have 5 minutes to pull only your signature moves….only originality counts….but this idea will never happen….Only in a perfect world…

  7. Slammed with some super difficult , hard , and original lines . Ya really went absolute ham with this new edit , Giannis . I knew you were cooking up something great , not only for your own personal progression…….but for the progression of Flatland as well . Must watch , TIMES 7….

    • Gracias hermanoooo!!!Well…..to be real,this is NOT the links I promised….This edit here happened by accident!!!……its true believe me.My friend Nick tried to upload the links I gave him from my camera and it was impossible to do due to some technical problem on my camcorder……Instead of making no edit,gave him a USB I had in my pocket with last years footage and the result was Freestyler #120!!Total freestyling in riding and editing too…!!Hahah!!The next 2 videos campeon gonna be the best of 2022 from my progress…one in 5th of November which is the day of the first Freestyler back in 2014 and the next one around Christmas….so happy with this Must Watch hermano …..feels like I won a trophy or 1st place in a contest!!…..p.s. In the end of this edit I shout “Flatmatters” when I come in front of the camera after the last link but….no sound!!Another accident but for a good reason!!Hope you are fine Mr.Longest combo ever and have a nice flatland day!!!

  8. I think the answer is contained in the question. The particular tricks may not be original but if the combo hasn’t been done before than the combo is original. Everyone knows when someone is copying entire combos or massive chunks of combos vs when a trick or two find their ways into a very different expression in a different combo. Incredible riding Giannis!

    • Thank you very much Brandon aka Mr e-clips for your wisdom and for your props to me….I fully understand your thoughts and this is exactly what I’m trying to do in my riding for the most part….try to learn anything from tricks that already exist to tricks I have come up from my mind,without even knowing if somebody else has done it before….and all the above I connect them to make a cocktail of new combos and links in general…The first combo and the last one are the best example of what I say…tricks that Pete Brandt and Martti have pulled first blended on my own demand…I wasn’t aiming in originality for that particular edit but somehow it happened….I just wonder sometimes….if someone connects together tricks like Pedro Melo pulled in his Nice nice very nice part,is that going to be original???

      • I’m still trying to mentally figure out what is happening when you do the one footed hitch-hiker and back-packers! So good!

          • Thank you BigE so much,I am overwhelmed by all the responses such as yours my brother!!!Soooooo many variations of 2 single tricks….At first it was one foot hitch and one foot backpacker…..then I pulled no handed one foot hitch and no handed one foot backpacker,backwards one foot hitch and no handed,backwards one foot backpacker,pegless one foot hitch and no handed and pegless one foot backpacker,cross footed one foot hitch jumping to regular one foot hitch….the list goes on and on Effraim,I’ve pulled more than 50 variations from only 2 tricks….one foot hitch and backpacker….And i still have more to do….Flatland is infinite…..my head is tripping anytime I think about it….thanks God we have flatmatters…..

        • You mean Brandon what is happening….in my mind??Ahahah!!!Thank you my man for pointing one foot hitchhiker and one foot backpacker….Basically I do nothing more than what Pedro Melo did in his Nice nice very nice part….I grind the leg which is in peg with the sidewall of the tire.The tricky part and I don’t know about Pedro what he put in his leg,I put a plastic plate from the inside of a shin guard and stick it with duct tape on the inside of my leg which is touching with the sidewall and on the sidewall of the tire I putted baby oil in order to have zero friction while I’m rolling one footed….Another tricky part of this technique is that you have to place the stepping foot as close as you can to the fork….I actually step on the dropouts of the fork and sometimes the inside of my shoe is grinding with the spokes!!!That’s how I pulled the pegless one foot no handed hitchhiker…..using the fork as a peg…The same technique I use for the one foot backpacker….Now for the cross footed one foot version of hitchhiker and backpacker it’s the same patent as the above but….is 10 times harder to roll it that far….Hope I gave you an easy insight of those tricks Brandon and I look forward to see you pull that in video my dude!!Its so much fun trick and you can bring lots of variation on your own demand….

          • Wow! Thank you for the insight! That’s incredible. I love how creative that thinking is.

          • Yeah Brandon it’s funny how this idea popped out of my mind but I couldn’t think off any better to coast that far one foot hitch and backpackers….Sure there could be other technique by someone out there…who knows?Last night at 3 am bytheway I watched for the 2nd million time!!!!…..again the first only brakeless video of all time…E-clips !!!…..and I realised once again that I have bite lots of tips here and there from yours Brandon,dare to say entire combos!!,sorry about that dude!!hehehe!!….This video along with Dorkin series changed my mind in flatland…forever.

  9. Last year’s lines ? Damn , Giannis . These lines are so difficult , bangers mi hermano . Plus it’s sick that you actually freestyle lines of this level . I look forward to the November ones and just KNOW that must watch tag will be yours ……again . I can’t even imagine the lines that were on your camcorder . It’s cool though , these lines and future ones will hang n bang just as hard . The BMX King of Greece never stops…..stoked and ALWAYS stoked on your progression , original flavor and freestyler mentality in Flatland , Campeon . Thanks for the shout out and thanks again for this edit . 120 …..talk about a BMX Flatland milestone……

    • Exactly hermano,these lines here are from last year…early until the very end.For this year I switched gears and experimented with totally new and different tricks than before….Links and tricks i was dreaming for a couple of years now and i wasn’t sure if were possible or how to come close to pull them…You’ll see next month… and beyond amigo!!!The whole theme and talking about originality really intricate me….I don’t know why is still to this day’s such a taboo subject the title “Originality”…..I don’t claim to be original…but…its in my nature to try new things and try to improve yesterday’s situation….Its in flatland nature also the improvement and the progress….those materials defines our sport from others….like tennis,which is stable.In flatland on the other hand,anyone can learn different and unique tricks and can add signature moves in the process…that’s original.And before you realize it,you are addicted to originality and your mind thinks and imagines original pictures on the screen inside your head…The only enemy of originality and personally mine is….TIME….You need time to be original but it’s been a couple of years now that I’m not afraid of time and especially lost time….This year now it happened again….5 months off from my KGB due to shoulder injury and within a month I managed to pull tricks and links I was aiming for years to bring to life….p.s. The whole summer I was riding with a skyway street beat 88 I build last November…which i injured my shoulder on it!!Break a leg…they say!!Gracias campeon for your love in what I do on a bicycle but mostly for your unstoppable tension and passion for flatland….Carpe diem compadre!!!

  10. I’ve been peep gaming this edit . Gotta say it…..it’s earned a serious nomination for edit of the year . That first line alone is so damn technically difficult . Side yard kick flips randomly freestyled in the mix , and that one footed back packer is straight up ham . How ?! I’ve zambonied REGULAR back packers and here’s Giannis pulling them one footed , ha……AND in LINES . Back packer hijacks to hikers , and all these ridiculous rolling lines ,even in his compact sesh spot where you’d think he’d need a huge lot . Turbine back packers in lines . So much hard sh-t just nailed effortlessly . All killa and zero filla . The BMX King of Greece is full stop at any costs. ( even AFTER injury. ) There’s a reason why I’ve BEEN ranting about Giannis’s riding since 2014 on this site……..and this new edit is proof why. There’s zero hype , zero smoke and mirrors……..just core , original , difficult lines , tricks…….in an infinite tricktionary. 120 edits……….with MORE to follow. Salud , Campeon…….

    • Wow hermano!!Gracias once again for your tension and seems like yesterday from the very first Freestyler edit where you took notice what the series is all about…Documenting and sharing everything I am capable of was always my goal and definetly this case pushed further my riding….Yeah this edit here is a proof of what the series came along…
      The first combo is a longer version of a link I pulled in Freestyler #111 around the middle of the edit,just kept it for longer and ending in a front wheel undertaker….so also the rest of the links are longer or improved versions of combos I already did in previous edits…….and one footed tricks is still in the game for good and I feel is a technique that has A LOT to give in the future and still gives to these days…Many times I’m wondering….who else is messing around with this kind of riding??Salad you King Rodney for caring about my thing and of course you know I also watch and take inspiration from your crazy hard as hell loooooong combinations mi amigo!!Your enthusiasm on the bike and your good shape is a motivation to keep me on my KGB for years to come…!!

  11. Even his no handed , one footed hikers. Original , and very quirky…..they’re HARD . This kind of N.B.D. move of Giannis’s reminds me of moves that Matt Berringer , Erik Elstran and Robert Diquattro do. Total outside the box type of moves that take a certain type of imagination , mentality to think of . Totally going FULLY against the grain , riding as unorthodox as possible .. There needs to a box set available of Giannis’s riding since 2013…..I’d buy two…..

    • And to tell you this cabrone….if I ever made a box set with every single edit inside from these 8 years…..YOU are the first one that I will pack it and send it straight to Texas for you campeon….along with Kevin Jones as you may guess!!Hahahah!!!……As for the N.B.D. tricks you referring my brother….hold on….something is been cooking and it smells soooooo good…………

      • My god , dude……..ANOTHER MUST WATCH ..you were so spot on , G ! FREESTYLER # 121 is mental . Without giving away too much of the weaponry of N.B.D. , original , and ” water bender ” moves in this……I’ll just say that Giannis can hold hard rolling positions controlled , smoothly in KNEE stance…. as well as other techniques. I really wasn’t ready for the creativity in this one hermano. The Dizz slide variations just scream FREESTYLER as well . Giannis, you should have the person who hooks up your edits send this one to EVERY BMX site on the net . I love your ability to just learn , dial , and CREATE tricks , variations , and links of ANY type on BOTH wheels and ANY time era of Flatland . I seriously think you’re top 20 in the sport’s history . Too much tricktionary . I really hope that K.J. will watch THIS one as well as the others like Brett Downs said he does. Also thank you , Giannis . your recommendation for line of the year with my 2 hour combo and kind words about my combos really , really lift me up . I have two videos recently on

        • Gracias hermano for watching and enjoying Freestyler #121….its a pleasure that this new edit with the recent learned concepts gives you motivation and moves you forward….these are links pulled after last summer in 1 month hard work and I’m really satisfied with the result….keep moving amigo and have fun!!

  12. they are called………. Rodney Williams long link 1. and Rodney Williams long link 2. …they’re recent and are also a tribute to YOU , being one of the main riders who I look up to and admire and respect their riding skills , determination , innovation , and progression of all thing BMX Flatland ! Salud , BMX KING of Greece and now……I have to go watch FREESTYLER #121 …..AGAIN and comment AGAIN on it in the near future ……….

  13. Ummmm…….yeah , I couldn’t wait , ha……Giannis took shin guards and used them to further push the art of Flatland. Slamming down SHIN stance mega spins , double shin- one handed ice creams, Forward and backwards . No handed fudge packers . hikers , one handed -double shin ,back yard rolls . One footed X leg hiker , jump switch to regular hiker , one footed hiker jugglers …….even has the back packer -hijack jump to hiker and steam butter slip to half packer dialed enough to throw in wherever he wants to in a line. Martti , Sakis , Brandt and K.J. should be stoked to see what you , hermano …..have created , pushed and developed with some of their creations . I honestly don’t think that there’s ANY trick , link or variation that you can’t learn , build off of or even morph into something even wilder , Giannis …..SALUD , campeon . Again , you’ve given Flatland yet another slaaammmed gift of progression….

  14. It could be Majde , Heresy , I.G.I., Viking , We , Sequence , Deco , London , etc ,etc…….ANY bike / part company. Pick THIS guy up for your 2023 roster. Originality…..Giannis . Difficulty…..Giannis . Equal skills on both wheels……Giannis . Tricktionary……Giannis . Progression on the daily WITH a 9 to 5 , family life / responsibilities …..Giannis . Countless N.B.D.s…….Giannis . Way outside of the norm , box ,and loop of what you’d assume can be done with any trick / variation…….Giannis. ANY trick / variation from ANY time era of BMX Flatland……Giannis. He’s BEEN due . This edit is testament to everything I typed . As Effraim stated ” watch the first line ” ……nuff said.

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