Daniel Dhers has been on top of the contest park scene for the past few years. For 2009 he's got a new bike sponsor (KHE), and is as motivated as ever to keep shredding. Keep reading to see what's going on in the life of Daniel Dhers. [Daniel's Vital BMX Profile is packed with videos, so check it out for sure.]

Who are going to be your sponsors in 2009?
So far DC Shoes, Red Bull, KHE Bikes, POC Helmets, ALBE'S, Team Blowin' It, and Woodward.

You've gone a while without a bike sponsor. Was that something that bothered you at all?
Not really, I remember when Haro and I parted ways in '06; a lot of people asked me what was I going to do but I didn't really care that much. I knew I was gonna be riding the same with or without [a bike sponsor], and so I did. I didn't start riding because I wanted to be sponsored, so it won't change what I stand for, but it's nice to have a bike sponsor again. I’m pretty excited to work with KHE on a few projects for '10 so be on the look out.

How did you get hooked up with KHE?
I met Thomas at the Masters in '07 and we talked about it but it wasn't the right time. We talked again at Interbike last year and we were in a better position to work something out. I liked everything at their booth and really wanted to make it work. I love light bikes and KHE definitely has the lightest.

How did you get hooked up with DC as well?
At X Games in '07 Mirra put a word on me and that's pretty much all it took. A few months later I was full factory with them and seriously couldn't be more happy, Eric (DC TM) is awesome, and it is like a dream come true to be in the same team as a few of the riders I always looked up to, so thanks Dave!

You won so many contests over the past few years. When the contest season ends, do you just go home and relax for a while? What's your schedule like in the off-season?
I go back to Venezuela or Argentina when my season is over. My schedule consists doing media of some sort every week, ride like four or five times a week, and partying. I don't come here often so I have a lot of friends I gotta vistit, and I’m always meeting new people so is the perfect excuse to go out, especially if I don't have a contest next day [laughs]. I also try to go to the beach whenever I can and free the mind from riding as much as I can before the season starts again.

Do you have a place to ride when you're back home?
There's a shady vert ramp and shady park that I filmed at with Red Bull for some Web videos but I don't go there much because is a little dangerous. Unless I’m with a lot of people I don't want to risk it. Then my friend Pedro has some backyard ramps and there's where I try to ride, but right now pretty much all my friends are injured or with their bikes broken so I’m gonna be riding solo for the next couple of weeks

Lots of pros in the States have houses and dope cars. What is your housing and auto situation when you're in the States?
I'm still living at Camp. I don't want to live in State College so if I get a house it'd be somewhere else—I think either Vegas or San Diego. But if I move out I'll probably build a warehouse or backyard ramps with all the goodies. As for my car I have a 300C. I was looking to get something crazy like a Lambo or Bentley, but I think it'd be funny to drive such a car around the Amish county and park it at the barn, you know? So I'll look into that again after I get the house.

It seems like a lot of the top guys in the big contests these days do not have pegs. Did you ever run pegs? Why or why not?
I ran pegs since I started riding until '07. I just took 'em off to try it out and I loved the feel of it so I've been pegless since then. I also think I got more into jumping than tech so I never bothered to get back to it until recently. I built a "street" bike, brakeless and with two pegs, and it was awesome to change it up and do different stuff for a little bit, but I went back to my old setup when I got my new bike. I think I'm going to put pegs on again for a little bit to see if I can catch up to Scotty and Webby [laughs].

You've been riding for Red Bull for quite a while now. What kind of doors does that open up for you?
Pretty much every door, I can get in any party thanks to them [laughs]. Not only that, but they push their rider’s name with the media and it’s crazy. Here they pushed it so much that I can't go somewhere without being recognized. They are very well connected with everything so it don't really matter where in the world you are, they probably can hook it up and get you in or find anything you want, it’s awesome.

Some guys at your level don't compete at non-TV events, but you seem to show up all over the place. What kind of events do you like to go to?
I like to go to places and contest are the best excuse. A lot of riders think on the prize purse, media, etc. to make their decisions. I don't really base myself off of that so I try to take the opportunities I get and it has been great. I visit places like Estonia, Italy, Singapore, etc. just to ride a bike, so why not? I also try to support every scene if I can. I always think that if some rider that was in the magazines would have came here when I started riding it would have made my head spin.

There were rumors of you getting ready to ride vert competitively. How's that going?
Not so well [laughs]. I rode often in '07 but I chilled more last year. I like it and I'd like to try it in the future competitively but it’s really scary when you ride a 13-1/2-foot ramp, you know? I like the one from Masters which is like 12 feet to try a few of my quarterpipe tricks, but it’s not the same on a bigger ramp. So for now I'll watch, give the riders shit, and ride it from time to time until I man up [laughs].

A lot of people only see you spinning like crazy over boxes and quarters. Is that the only kind of stuff you're into? What are some of your favorite tricks?
I like spinning the most. Last year I learned a lot of 720 variations and a few flair ones so that's pretty much all I did. I still do other tricks, like opposite 3 stuff and I've been getting more into tech and more basic jumping and air combos, but definitely spinning is what I like the most. I'm always looking for the next spin or combo.

Do you have any goals in 2009, and is there anything in 2008 that you wished you would have done differently?
For '09 I'd like to repeat as much stuff as I did last year and maybe improve the ones I didn't do so well. Ride and learn as many things as possible, and I would like to get a public skatepark going here at home. I don't regret anything I did in '08; if anything I'm pretty stoked on the decisions I made.

Thanks?
To my family for supporting me so much, my friends that have been there for the good and the bad, Woodward and its crew, Eric and Sean at DC, Ilana, Milena, and Josh at Red Bull, Jarka at POC, Thomas at KHE, Flip @ ALBE's for all the good times—I’m pretty sure we are going to top them this year. Stober for getting me into camp, Bestwick for all the shit he gave me through the year, wait until you see my superman seatgrabs now, beech! And Mirra for everything he has done for me.