Laura Wojcik and Claire Duhamel
BICLOU, EPISODE 45 - What is the bikelife?
Acrobatic cycling, of English and American inspiration.
Between BMX and trial, but with the city as the main setting.
An urban culture therefore, which is reminiscent of the skateboarding of the 80s. Moreover, skateboarders and bikelife enthusiasts share the same playground in Paris: the Place de la République.
Among the fifty or so teenagers perched on large colorful bikes, Gaoussou Diakite, alias Gaga, 14, one of the youngest talents in the discipline in Ile-de-France.
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Paris, the rallying point for all riders
Gaoussou Diakite lives in Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt (95), he learned to “lift” (roll on the rear wheel), in an underground car park in his town.
But his real pleasure is coming to Paris for a ride.
“Saint-Brice is our city stadium while we can go to a football field.
Paris is like a footballer's football field ”laughs the teenager.
"It's even better than a Parc des Princes", adds Ruben Guedj, his sidekick of bike rides.
Almost every week, the 4th year student takes the RER with his bike, heading to the capital to meet a group of riders from all over Ile-de-France.
All of them live within a radius of sixty kilometers and do not hesitate to reach the capital by train with their mounts.
“We've been coming for over two years, we land there every day.
We meet in Paris, it's easier for everyone, it's in the center ”explains Corentin Duquesnoy, said Coco, the leader of the bikelife in the region.
"He had an old broken bicycle"
At 25, Coco has already taken several "little ones" under her wing, or rather on her wheel.
Gaga showed the extent of his talent very quickly, and the elder saw rare potential.
This passionate college student was just missing some material help.
“He had a crappy bike, a busted old bike.
Suddenly, we all contributed and we paid him the bike.
It's a good bike.
That's what he needed, ”explains Corentin.
“I think that without Coco, I would still be with the old bike and I even think I would have stopped, because I couldn't do it anymore.
I saw everyone riding great bikes and I was still in B'Twin, ”says Gaoussou.
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His new equipment is a SE bikes, a historic American brand for BMX and bikelife enthusiasts.
New, the bike costs a little less than 1000 €.
And a second-hand model remained difficult to access for Gaoussou.
The rue de Rivoli show
If the Place de la République is their rallying point, the Place du Trocadéro is also one of their favorite spots.
And between the two, the new widened cycle path of the rue de Rivoli has become a playground where they never go unnoticed.
It is thus not uncommon to see dozens of riders string together tricks and accelerations between Parisian cyclists taken aback.
Fishtail, passing a red light, failure to respect pedestrian priority, some of them accumulate traffic violations.
So much so that some cities like Quimper (29) have issued decrees prohibiting the practice of the bikelife on the road.
In Paris, no such restriction exists for the moment.
Moreover, Coco evokes the police bicycle brigade of Rivoli which knows the young people of the movement well.
“There is even a policeman who encourages us, he even found us on Instagram.
But he told us that we were acting too stupid ”.
Often, the exchanges with the police force turn "to the dialogue of the deaf", according to this young man from Montataire (60): "I try to explain to them that we have a different style, that it is our way to. us to ride, that we like it and that we do it when there is no one on the bike path.
The tall, talkative brunette also recalls some basic rules to follow: avoid zigzags in traffic and around pedestrians who do not agree to be closely overtaken.
Frequent fines
Corentin Duquesnoy nevertheless admits some behavior that is not very aligned with the Highway Code.
“Afterwards, yes unfortunately there are some who play idiots.
We try to correct that as best we can but it is not often easy for me.
I am not one of their parents ”.
Many followers of the bikelife are regularly fined.
"Sometimes the cops stop us and for 22 €, sometimes there are some who cry and they get screwed by their parents", regrets the Picard.
"It scares me as a mom"
Misconduct that also frightens Ramata Soumano, yet very proud of the acrobatic prowess of his son Gaoussou.
"It scares me as a mother," confides this very vigilant caregiver to the education of her eldest.
With Gaga and her friends, she talks straightforwardly about their behavior on the road: “When you burn out the lights, I can't understand, I will never understand, just a car comes and it's over.
Especially in Paris, they drive like crazy.
".
“It depends on where we are, we're not going to burn fires on the Champs, that's for sure, but a little traffic like in the streets of Saint-Brice, we know where there are cars, we look at the angles ”tries to reassure one of the teenagers.
"Thanks to the bicycle, I am happy"
The schoolboy's passion got carried away without his parents recognizing the extent of his potential.
It was at the age of 12 that Gaga began to take an interest in the bikelife, the detours of a meeting in a park in her city with another follower of the movement.
“At first, I didn't take it too seriously, I thought it was going to pass to him.
And since I started to watch what he was doing, his videos, there, I said to myself "yes anyway, he has the level, the little one" laughs the mother.
"I hope he will continue in that, that he can shoot in clips, series that he is spotted.
Because it doesn't look, but it's work.
He worked a lot to get there ”.
In the movement, the most seasoned can round off the end of the month with paid shoots and shoots.
Like Tito, muse for a shoe brand, also seen in Booba's clip.
In the meantime, Gaoussou perfects his tricks after school.
Ramata smiles as he evokes the adolescent's close relationship with his large silver bicycle, “an extension of his body”.
Moreover, it is in her room, under her bed that Gaga puts away her precious mount.
A devouring passion which allowed the schoolboy to gain confidence and to open up: “two years ago, I was not as I am today.
Thanks to the bike, I am always smiling, I am happy.
I am more sociable ”.
It is not his huge smile that will deny it.
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