BMX
Courage Adams returns to the country of his birth again and this time it's to give something back, as he puts infrastructure on the ground to help develop the country's BMX scene.
Courage Adams, a Spanish professional BMX freestyle rider, has never forgotten his Nigerian roots. Returning to his birthplace in 2018, he met the Lagos BMX crew and found a vibrant scene yearning for a proper space to hone their skills. BMX was a passion, but the streets were their only training ground. Promises of a skatepark had echoed emptily before.
Fast forward to 2022. This time, Adams returned with a burning ambition: "to build the first-ever BMX park in Nigeria," as he put it. His dream wasn't a solo mission. A crew from all over the world converged to make it a reality.
Ramp-building maestro Ryan Corrigan, all the way from Austin, Texas, joined forces with UK-based rail specialist Roscoe Siebers, while a couple of riding legends, Fids from the UK and Brooklyn's Pauly Cvikevich, also joined the project. Each brought their expertise, their passion for the sport fuelling their commitment.
"I came from nothing… having a skatepark gave me everything. I remember that when I was a kid I used to spend 24-7 learning tricks with all my best friends. Having a skatepark was the best thing that happened to me in my whole life," said Adams.
Not just content with building Nigeria's first skatepark, the international team also wanted to share their knowledge and skills by teaching the Lagos BMX crew the finer points of ramp construction and giving them the ability to have ownership of the project.
Their dedication was apparent when some of the crew pitched tents at the skatepark, as they wanted to be there as much as possible to help with the build. "As the days went on, it's amazing how fast they picked it up," scene legend Fids enthused.
Despite the hurdles and a time-frame of just two weeks to complete, dedication and perseverance prevailed. Within days, the skeleton of the park was taking shape, a testament to the collective spirit. But this was just the first step.
"The job is harder than most people anticipate," said Corrigan, the lead ramp builder. The meticulous work of perfecting the ramps remained, but with its completion, Nigeria's first official BMX park would unlock a world of possibilities for riders across the country and for generations to come.
Watch how the Lagos skatepark came together by watching Encouraged: Building the Future in the video player above.
Encouraged: Adams returns to Nigeria to discover the scene
Courage Adams was seven years old when he moved with his family from Nigeria to Spain to start a new life, and aged 12 when a friend took him to a skatepark in Pamplona to see BMX for the first time. BMX was love at first sight for Courage, and he immediately went out and sold all his old video games to raise the €40 (£34/$44) he needed to buy a second-hand bike.
Now 28, there’s scarcely been a day in the last decade when he hasn't been on a bike, and his skill and dedication have rewarded him with a life he couldn’t have dreamed of while growing up on the streets of Benin City.
He returned to Nigeria in 2019 after being inspired by Red Bull's BMX Nigeria film about the Lagos BMX crew. The follow-up documentary Encouraged tells a deeply personal story of identity and hope, as Courage meets the Lagos crew and goes back to Benin to visit his family.
“I always knew that Nigeria was part of me,” he says. “But this was the first time I’d been back with my bike, and it felt very different, very comfortable.
“We went to my grandma’s place in Benin, saw my aunties and cousins. It was great to be able to show them my BMX because most of them didn’t really understand what it is that I do for work.”
It was crazy to spend time with these pioneers of BMX in Lagos
But the trip was about more than just a family reunion.
“I thought it’s time to go there and see it with my own eyes, to see my past, my community, and the country, and it was crazy to spend time with these pioneers of BMX in Lagos,” he says. “It was cool, we didn’t have any problems on the street, but it was sad to see people fighting for basic essentials for life.
“The first thing now is to get a skatepark opened in Nigeria. A skatepark will help improve lives and provide some more opportunities. When you’re good at something, there are no limits – and a skatepark will give people the chance to get better, to travel, get sponsorship. Nigeria is huge and the potential there is unlimited.”
Now that dream has become achieved.
Finding BMX in Spain
Courage’s own potential was obvious almost as soon as he got on that €40 bike.
The family had no trouble integrating in Spain – first in the Basque country and then in nearby Pamplona – and once he’d been to the skatepark, he found it impossible to stay away.
“I went straight there after school every day, without even going home to eat, and I’d be there for hours,” he says. “My mum was always telling me to go and put my helmet on, but my parents supported me because they knew it was something that made me happy.”
He was soon noticed by the flatland rider Viki Gómez, and he announced himself on the scene by finishing second at the O Marisquiño contest in Vigo aged 16. Two years later he won at Street Line Montpellier in France and he’s now one of the most successful street riders around, renowned for his strength, control and incredible balance.
Courage, who now lives in Madrid, will forever be grateful to Spain for giving him a whole new set of opportunities, and in particular to his father, who made the move from Nigeria first and worked hard to save enough money to bring his wife, Courage and his two sisters over to join him.
“Everything was thanks to my father,” he says. “He lived to work, to bring in money. He’s the one who helped me to get a better life.”
He adds: “Life in Benin was nothing easy. When I was small, it was problem, problem, problem, problem. I’ll never forget where I’m from.”
His parents named him Courage for their strong Christian beliefs. His little sister is called Faith, and he has that name tattooed discreetly on one hand, along with the word ’Strength’ and a drawing of two hands clasped together.
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