MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – A local stunt rider is turning drivers' heads all over South Florida.
LaDavid Johnson, 21, better known as the 'Wheelie King,' rides from his home in Miami Gardens to his job in Pembroke Pines on one wheel of his bicycle. Johnson removed his tire from the front axle of his BMX bike and rides with no safety net.
"It's a challenge," Johnson said.
The Walmart employee, who lives in Miami Gardens, says he likes to challenge himself by riding for miles and miles only on his back tire.
Johnson can be seen sporting wildly-colored socks and wearing a t-shirt with "Wheelie King" emblazoned on it in parks and on major roads, where he says he obeys traffic rules.
Johnson said the key to riding on a bike's back tire is patience.
"You go slow, though. Make sure you keep your balance," Johnson said. "Once you feel that you are comfortable, you could just ride all day."
In just the last few weeks, people on the street have started to take notice. Johnson's Instagram account has blown up to more than 10,000 followers.
The 21-year-old store employee and student at AVI Technical Institute seems to have a cult following. On Thursday afternoon, while riding around at Buccaneer Park in Miami Gardens, a car full of women pulled up and whipped out their cell phones to take photos of him.
"We love you, LaDavid!," they yelled from the car.
Johnson said he tries to ride farther every day and is always up for a challenge. He said he'd even be up to breaking a record set by a man in California who is said to have done a wheelie from California to Florida in 1998.
"I'll take the challenge. See how far I'll go," Johnson Laughed.
We just happened to see LaDavid riding one day along Pembroke Road in Miramar. We thought his stunt skills were so special that we had to share.