How This Pro BMX Rider Creates Art On His Bike

How did this man transform riding a bike into a professional career?

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"The world from beyond my handle bars is such a unique position. It moves faster, it's more intense. I'm forced to think faster. I feel more comfortable riding my bike sometimes than walking."

As a kid growing up in Queens, Nigel Sylvester never imagined he'd be riding BMX bikes professionally. His parents moved to the U.S. from the small island of Grenada and wanted Nigel to go to college and follow a more traditional path.

But Nigel couldn't stay away from riding. He not only cultivated a career out of it, he created an entire art form with the astounding tricks he captures on video. Watch this Seeker Stories video to see how BMX riding became one of the most important rituals in Nigel Sylvester's life.

Executive Producer: Laura Ling
Producer: Paige Hansen
Cinematographer: Spencer Snider, Peter Alton
Editor: Jordan Dertinger

[lifenoggin]

What an incredible story! Sometimes I wish I was a human and could ride a bike *sigh*

[johannezcarlbelda]

We love bmx because it's our happiness

[aokoaozaki]

He defies stereotypes because he bought that bicycle.

[oliverwilson]

Also this isn't breaking any stereotypes its a black guy riding a bike.

[JRuiz]

im getting into bmx my self was always inti streer racing but jus learning how to bmx n do tricks its sonething i wan to pursue but i feel what u sed about biking its great 👊😄 not alot peaple can relate 🚲

[anthonyjones]

Man that was powerful, everything he said took me back when I BMX. It wasn't a black thing to do but we did it and to see this more and more, lets people know were just humans more than our color.

[WuShogun]

Shouldn't it just be about a guy who makes cool videos and is really good on a bike, why does it have to be about "defying stereotypes" just because his skin is different than most in the sport?

[a]

I don't know that feel because I was never taught how to ride a bike.

[flatlandfreddyBMX]

BMX is about bicycle art. No need to stereotype or complicate anything.

[BNL]

I thought this was a guy doing graffiti while on a bike

[deepSea__]

Okay, so I am not the only one it looks like. How on earth is a black guy riding a bike defying a stereotype?
Since when has it been a stereotype black people can't ride bikes? Literally never heard of this, and it looks like no one else has in the comments either.

[harryo]

When I was a kid in London, I wasn't allowed to join our community BMX race team 'Caxton House' one day they were all leaving in the big bus with their bikes on the roof, I stopped the driver (who was the team captain) and asked why the hell couldn't I join. He just drove off, he was black, ALL of the riders were black, and the name of the team on the side of the bus was 'The Caxton All Blacks', right then I realised that racism works both ways, and either way is shite.

[michaelk]

They changed the title.

Seeker, that's very adult of you.

Realize the world has never been brought together by insisting we are separate.

Only through the proof we are all one in the same.

[pixelthis]

I don't understand is black people not being able to ride a bike a stereotype?

[michaelk]

Please don't start virtue signaling for no fucking reason.

It's a person on a bike, that's all that happened.

[neot]

I don't understand the stereotype. Now if it was some old dude popping tricks on a BMX then yeah but it's a young guy. The fact that he is black is irrelevant, his a young guy on a bike. Seems normal to me, well here in the UK it is anyway.

[bmarti]

When you literally never see black people do bmx it kind of becomes a stereotype. Not saying it's right just saying how it is. they changed the title because everyone got tiggered.

[philiq]

I actually was expecting ART and not just a guy riding around on a bicycle while being filmed. Decent interview regardless.

[mylesperry]

wow! a Black guy defying stereotypes... hm maybe we should define people as individuals not as members of groups
but what do I know

[stormcutter]

we really going to give this guy another victim card? Oh the poor guy, jesus christ lets get over this shit and enjoy our lives! Hes cool, we dont need to give him a prejudice complex on top of it!