Bike
BMX
Faith, hope and Courage Adams: This is the next chapter of BMX in Nigeria
The follow-up to last year’s Red Bull TV film takes the rising star of BMX street back to the country of his birth, in a moving personal journey.
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.
24 min
Encouraged
At age 16 Courage Adams turned pro, taking the BMX world by storm. Now, he returns to his roots in Nigeria.
Now 23, 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 recently returned to Nigeria after being inspired by last year’s film about Starboy and the rest of the Lagos BMX Crew. The follow-up documentary tells a deeply personal story of identity and hope, as Courage meets the Lagos crew and goes back to Benin to visit his family.
Spain is now home but Adams have never forgotten his Nigerian roots
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
Pamplona is where Adams cut his teeth as a BMX rider
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
Adams's talent has seen him compete at contests like Simple Session
© Teddy Morellec/Red Bull Content Pool
“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.
Adams with his family in Benin, showing them just what he does for a living
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
“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.
Courage's family are very proud of his achievements
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
“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.”
Learn more about Courage Adams
Courage meets the Lagos Crew for the first time
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
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.”
Starboy and S-King, stars of the original BMX in Nigeria film, hold court
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
S-King revels in the crowd's appreciation of his talents
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
Courage and the crew ride off to find another spot to session
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
At times it’s a case of improvising to turn a spot into something rideable
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
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.
Adams revisited one of the original spots seen in the first film
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
Courage Adams all lined up in Lagos
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
A final street session with the Lagos crew
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
Courage Sanni was another member of the Lagos Crew and a talented rider
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
“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.
Discover more BMX content
A trip full of cherished memories where new friendships have been formed
© Tyrone Bradley/Red Bull Content Pool
He sees his name as an inspiration in itself, but more than courage he’s been forced to learn patience, as he waits for the full Spanish passport that will enable him to fulfil his dream and travel to California, to chill, and meet more members of the BMX community.
“It’s been four years and I’m still waiting for a Spanish passport,” he says, “so for the moment I can’t travel freely. But I’m sure it’s going to come.
“It has to happen next year. I can feel it.”
