From The Archives
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Volume 4, Issue 1, Summer 2020
Purchase here
One Question with Gervais Rousseau
by Nick Ferreira
photograph by Ben Gea
Challenger:
Staying motivated to ride BMX isn't the hardest thing to do but it's also not the easiest. There are injuries, jobs, relationships, and just general daily life that can pull you away from it. How have you been able to stay motivated riding BMX into your late forties? Have there been moments where you have either thought about quitting or have stopped riding? Do you have any tips for longevity with BMX?
Gervais:
I will turn 50 January 14th, 2021. Riding has been pretty much my whole life. Society’s chains called my name at the beginning but stopped soon after. All I wanted was riding and still is today. Got a job which lets me enough free time to ride a lot, my wife is 100% supportive and got a bunch of cool spots to ride in my area. I never stopped riding. And I will never stop. Yes, that sounds maybe clichè but the fire which burns inside of me is so big that it will never die. I sleep, eat, and breath BMX. There was only one time I said I will quit: after a second major injury in a two year span. But after a couple of days hearing my wife and my close friend John saying “Take your time but you will ride again,” I knew that after this, I will never quit. Even with aging, I progress every time I ride. That’s what keeps me going. But never forget to have fun. That's the secret. As my good friend Nina B. said one time “As long as you keep riding, we can’t stop.” So come join us and enjoy that long and fun haul!
Staying motivated to ride BMX isn't the hardest thing to do but it's also not the easiest. There are injuries, jobs, relationships, and just general daily life that can pull you away from it. How have you been able to stay motivated riding BMX into your late forties? Have there been moments where you have either thought about quitting or have stopped riding? Do you have any tips for longevity with BMX?
Gervais:
I will turn 50 January 14th, 2021. Riding has been pretty much my whole life. Society’s chains called my name at the beginning but stopped soon after. All I wanted was riding and still is today. Got a job which lets me enough free time to ride a lot, my wife is 100% supportive and got a bunch of cool spots to ride in my area. I never stopped riding. And I will never stop. Yes, that sounds maybe clichè but the fire which burns inside of me is so big that it will never die. I sleep, eat, and breath BMX. There was only one time I said I will quit: after a second major injury in a two year span. But after a couple of days hearing my wife and my close friend John saying “Take your time but you will ride again,” I knew that after this, I will never quit. Even with aging, I progress every time I ride. That’s what keeps me going. But never forget to have fun. That's the secret. As my good friend Nina B. said one time “As long as you keep riding, we can’t stop.” So come join us and enjoy that long and fun haul!