Breaking boundaries with BMX bikes

DW (English)

Cycling in Lagos is a tough experience and not highly regarded. But fearless PRO BMX Rider Damilare Adewuyi has taken up the challenge and wants to open a new chapter in Nigerian extreme sports.

Transcript

00:00Lagos is one of the most congested cities in the world and is famous for

00:04its traffic jams. 40% of all cars registered in Nigeria are driven here.

00:10Cycling would be the cheapest solution, well at least against the traffic jams.

00:15But how well can cycling actually work in a metropolis like Lagos?

00:20Cycling will help in Lagos to beat a lot of traffic and there won't be many people

00:26walking on the road, there won't be people going to work and getting late.

00:30There are now many types of bicycle, we have an electric bicycle, we have the

00:35normal one that you pedal, so it will help so much.

00:38In a country where cycling is not exactly highly regarded, BMX is also in its infancy.

00:44And yet BMX pro Tamilare Olawuyi is the galleon figure of the Nigerian extreme sports scene.

00:51How does he manage to help the sport of BMX reach new heights in Nigeria?

00:57I can help BMX reach new heights in Nigeria by my page.

01:01From there, I think they know what we are doing, they will try to put more support

01:06and put the upcoming riders through, show them how to do the tricks.

01:12BMX riders like Tamilare fearlessly defy gravity and certainly challenge some of the expectations of adulthood.

01:19And yet the scene is celebrated for its ability to offer youth more than just street life.

01:24But let's find out where Tamilare's journey began and what his biggest challenges have been so far.

01:29There was a day I saw one of my friends, so he jumped over a can or something like that.

01:34So I was like, I love what he did, so I get the bike, start training, take YouTube videos.

01:40So I learned from there, that's how I started.

01:44It wasn't easy though to be where I am today because when I was starting,

01:50my mom was like, I'm too small to drive a bicycle on the road or something like that

01:54because I believe anybody riding this bicycle on the express road,

01:59they are like jobless people that ride the bicycle up and down the road

02:03because when she's going to market, she sees some people riding the bicycle on the expressway

02:08so she doesn't like the way they look.

02:12Tamilare's passion as a BMX biker shines through every challenge he takes on.

02:15In Lagos, the sport is just finding its feet,

02:18but he's already opening a new chapter in Nigerian extreme sports.

02:22Why does he believe in BMX riding so much?

02:25I have a friend, he's trying to be like a thug.

02:28But he's seen us going to the stadium every day, riding the bicycle,

02:31he was like, bro, I want to link up with you guys.

02:34We're even scared of him because we know he's like a troublesome person.

02:37So after he started riding the BMX, he has a love for the bicycle.

02:42So he left some of his other friends and started riding with us.

02:47So it helps them, it takes some people out of the streets,

02:50it makes them feel busy.

02:53Over the years, Tamilare has seen a growing number of Nigerians participating in the sport.

02:58Where does the crush, or rush, come from?

03:01And what has Nigeria's first BMX park had to do with this?

03:05We have the first generation of BMX riders,

03:08they are the ones we see that motivate us to start riding.

03:11So the way we see them riding, we like it, so we started riding as well.

03:15So now, some of them are no more riding.

03:18So the way we are riding now as well, some people will see us and be like,

03:21so you want to ride? So that's how we increase the numbers.

03:24There are some tricks you can learn on the flat.

03:27So we always want to learn it on that flat, so we injure ourselves.

03:30It's rough, people don't like it, but with this,

03:33making it easy for them, with less injuries,

03:36so they will have more interest in it.

03:39The BMX park isn't just a playground, it's a launch pad for dreams.

03:42It is fueling the sport's growth,

03:45giving riders a stage to hone their skills,

03:48and put Nigeria on the global BMX map.

03:51How will Tamilare and the others continue with this?

03:54This is the Olympic standard park.

03:57So if we master this sport,

04:00there is no place that we won't be able to ride on a new park,

04:03because it's the Olympic standard.

04:06So we train in this place, when we get to the early competition,

04:09we won't be new to it.

04:12We have it in Nigeria, so we are used to it.

04:15The sport comes at an expense,

04:18demanding not just financial resources,

04:21but also resilience against infrastructural and societal challenges.

04:24So how does Tamilare rise above barriers

04:27to pursue his passion for BMX biking?

04:30Sometimes when I want to film on the streets,

04:33the street guys just come out like,

04:36hey, how far now? How is it going to be?

04:39Because we want to film our clips,

04:42so they will be like, we should give them anything we have.

04:45On the bad roads, we shall just find our way.

04:48We know our routines, they will take, they will help us,

04:51to avoid the roads and ride carefully.

04:55Creating talent platforms for young riders

04:58could all help to promote BMX riding in Nigeria.

05:01How does Tamilare and other aspiring athletes

05:04see their future in the sport?

05:07If we can get support from the Lagos State Government

05:10and the other big companies,

05:13we'll see BMX as one of the biggest sports in Lagos and Nigeria,

05:16because it's not that big,

05:19because we have not exposed it out,

05:22but we have enough space to try,

05:25and we just all have only one pack,

05:28so if we can get more, we'll make it expand,

05:31and many people will love what we are saying,

05:34what they see us doing, they will like it,

05:37and they will be like, they want to join.

05:40Tamilare's tricks testify to the power of passion,

05:43and his endurance proves that even two small wheels

05:46can achieve great things.

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