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.
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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.