PORTLAND – When Jeff Lenosky does a 180-degree turn, it better be exactly 180 degrees.

When the world record holding stunt cyclist does his thing, there isn’t much margin for error. He tells fans that he’ll put tire marks on every surface during his show and hopes it isn’t the other way around.

“I’m still having a ton of fun riding my bike, and I feel like I can inspire people to ride their bikes,” said Lenosky, a native of New Jersey.

Lenosky was in Portland Saturday as part of Gorham Bike & Ski’s grand opening at its new location on Congress Street. Lenosky, a free-ride cyclist, national champion and record holder, did stunt performances during the day and held a stunt skills clinic.

“The main thing is to get people to go out and have fun on a bike,” said Lenosky. “It’s just about inspiring people to go out and do something active and get on a bike.”

For all the bikers who clung to their training wheels a few years too long or crashed over the handlebars a few too many times, there’s Lenosky, who makes his mastery of the bike look easy. He can balance it, spin it, jump it and land it with precision.

He wowed the crowd with his stunts Saturday. He’d launch himself into the air and land on the staging that he tours with. He started slow with a three-foot jump and then made the leap to over four feet, a feat he holds the record for.

“You need to jump good, but you need to stop good, too,” he told the crowd, displaying his skills in acceleration, jumping, stopping and balance.

He did jumps over a volunteer from the crowd, even balancing on his rear tire while touching the nose of the boy with his front tire.

“I told you I put tire tracks on everything, you want to see a tire track on his nose?” he asked the crowd.

He had the crowd cheering on his demonstrations, and even had children doing wheelies in the parking lot after the show, some displaying more bruises than skill for their efforts.

“You want to see something faster? More reckless?” he asked, getting enthusiastic response from the crowd.

He balanced on a rail that was four feet tall, 10-feet long and just two inches wide, finishing it off with a front wheel up and a jump off the rail to the ground. He did a bunny hop up his staging, over his trailer and down the other side, bouncing across three hurdles on his way down. He even did a leap off a rail from the top of his trailer.

The interest in biking and the exposure it has gained in recent years has allowed Lenosky to take his skills on the road and produce such demonstrations.

“It’s definitely way more accessible now because when you go around and do a demo and try to promote a sport, its a lot easier for people to get into that sport,” said Lenosky.

He does about 40 events now per year. That was after doing nearly 100 in previous years. He mixes the demonstrations with competitions, trail building, course development and photo and video shoots.

“They all go hand in hand,” Lenosky said, who estimated that he’s on the road for 200 days a year. “I still do competitions but not as many as I used to. I have to just stay legitimate. I wouldn’t feel comfortable going to bike shops and showing off without something under my belt to make it look like I’m worthy of showing off.”

Lenosky is among the tops in his sport. His resume includes the Bike Magazine Video Award, the Bunny hop World Record, 2X Teve Mountain Games Championship, the NORBA National Championship and the 2X North American Trial Championship.

He said the trial demonstrations he did Saturday are easy to put on and promote, whereas the mountain biking competitions out in the woods are harder for fans to see and relate to.

“That’s why trials riding like this lead itself to demonstrating,” he said. “You can show up in a 30-by-30 footprint and demonstrate everything you’d see in 20 miles of trails right here.”

He started riding bikes as a child but soon got interested in the sport on a whole other level.

“I went to a store and I saw a BMX Magazine and picked it up,” he said. “I just fell in love with it from there.”

Much of the sport was based out of California back then. So Passaic, N.J., wasn’t exactly a hotbed for cycling, but Lenosky stayed interested in riding and skateboarding. While in college and earning a degree in Sports Management, he started mountain biking. At first it was just for transportation but it quickly evolved.

“I started goofing around and started doing all the stuff I did on my bike and skateboard,” he said. “After about a year, I saw that they were actually riding over stuff, not just for fun. I kind of pursued it from there.”

He’s turned his talents and passion into good living. The exposure the Internet and TV has brought to biking and the various niches of the sport only add to what he’s trying to do.

“There’s a lot more exposure,” he said. “So kids now are familiar with BMX and skateboarding. Twenty years ago being a bike rider from New Jersey was a rare thing.”

He sees the sport of mountain bike riding continuing to evolve. After an early surge, it seemed to settle down in popularity but has made a recent comeback. He likens it now to a lifestyle sport like skiing and snowboarding. People may do it not just for competition but for fun and exercise.

“I think it’s continuing to grow, and I think it will be a healthier sport now,” he said.

As for his own career, Lenosky still loves doing tricks, competing and riding his bike. He isn’t sure where it will take him quite yet, but he’s enjoying the ride.

“I keep evolving with what I do every single year,” he said. “Ten years ago, it was competitions with some demonstrations. Now it is competitions and demonstrations and putting on contests. Who knows what I’ll be doing in five years.”