There are many reasons to practice adventure sports (you can see some in this link) but what motivated Sergio to ride a bike was that soccer, despite being a team sport, seemed too competitive to him. One thing led to another and BMX appeared in his life. He has traveled halfway around the world and has rubbed shoulders with elite athletes, but he is still the same simple boy as always.
Yumping.- Sergio, we see that you are a true BMX champion. Tell us, how did you want to get started in this sport?
Sergio Layos.- The truth is that my beginnings in this sport were never with the intention of becoming a professional, but rather it was something that my brother and friends started doing and once I got into the world, I didn't I was able to leave it.
Y.- You started when you were only 11 years old. It's funny because at that age most children play soccer. What did your friends tell you?
S.L.- Well, before starting the bike I also played a few soccer games but I was greatly disappointed by the aggressiveness and lack of camaraderie of the other players and parents who attended the games. I ended up finding it a bit of a depressing sport.
Once outside of class hours, I didn't usually have much contact with school friends due to distance and the rest of my friends also rode a bike, skate or rollerblades, so in this situation the most normal thing for us was to practice a sport like that.
Y.- At 13 years old you were already participating in World Championships. Were the beginnings hard?
S.L.- I don't remember it being hard at all, since at that time everyone signed up for all the championships with the sole desire to have a good time. If you went to a championship you had to participate even if you had been riding for a month.
And.- You would have to combine your hobby with your studies... Did you have support at home?
S.L.-At home I had the best support I could have, my mother, who always supported me and advised me the best she could. But unfortunately, education in this country did not or does not usually support athletes who, due to travel and others, cannot attend a normal course like the rest of the students.
And.- Since this sport was not very widespread in Spain at that time, you had to pack your bags and move to Texas, USA. How do you remember that time?
S.L.- It was something very positive, since breaking away from all the obstacles and the lack of facilities where I could practice this sport at this level were frustrating me a lot. It was a pretty good option and it was something that suited me very well.
Y.- Since 1999 you have been competing internationally. How was the experience of standing on the podium for the first time?
S.L.- I don't have a very clear memory of being on the podium for the first time, for me the championships are to enjoy and, of course, finishing on the podium is something very gratifying, but I suppose that that first time would be more attentive to see when the ramps would be free to be able to ride again.
And.- Is it hard to make friends in the world of competition?
S.L.- Not at all, this is a quite atypical sport in every sense, since my best friends are many of the people who end up in the finals of any championship and many times we even end up leaving our own bikes or fixing the bike of the person you are competing against. Everything is usually done for fun rather than for the sake of winning.
And.- Is there a rider you admire and would like to be like?
S.L.- Since my beginnings I have always been a fan of the style and way of riding of Rubén Alcántara, for me he has an unparalleled way of riding. But I also really like the way Chase Hawk or Mike Aitken ride.
Y.- Do you practice other adventure sports in your free time?
S.L.- I try to practiceMtb, Motocross or surfing whenever travel and training allow me.
And.- What has been the hardest test you have had to face?
S.L.- I think the hardest test has been being able to overcome the process of riding again at the same level when I broke my tibia and fibula, since psychologically it was quite hard.
And.- Throughout your career, have you ever considered throwing in the towel?
S.L.- Always in a sporting career there are ups and downs in which many things go through your mind, but throwing in the towel has never been on my mind. I just hope that the body allows me to continue for many more years.
Y.- Always traveling from one place to another you will spend little time at home. What do you miss most?
S.L.- Many times I miss a routine, eating and sleeping for a few days in the same place, but above all I miss the family and my dog Note.
Y.- We know that you set up a restaurant with your mother and brother in your hometown, where you go when you are at home. Do you still maintain relationships with your childhood friends?
S.L.- I still have a lot of relationships with some childhood friends and especially with many from my last time studying. They are people who take me out of the bike routine and make me see another side of the world that when I'm traveling it's hard to remember, which is always great.
And.- What is the place in the world that you would return to whenever you could?
S.L.- Japan, without a doubt. I just arrived a few weeks ago and I would go again tomorrow, it is a wonderful country.
And.- Where have you found the best tests?
S.L.- For me the best events are usually here since all our friends meet and there is an unparalleled atmosphere. In the rest of the championships in the rest of the world in which we all know each other but each one always comes from a different part of the world... there is not that spark that we have here.
And.- What is the moment you remember when you experienced the most adrenaline?
S.L.- I think it may have been recently in the Red Bull Quarter Master where we went down a slope where we reached speeds of up to 63 km/h to be able to do a aerial in one of the largest Quarters that have been built in the world.
And.- If you were born again, would you dedicate yourself to BMX professionally again?
S.L.-If I could I wouldn't hesitate! I think I would change few things in my life if I were given the choice.
And.- What is your next challenge?
S.L.- Now we have just started a project to make another Etnies DVD, which we will be recording for more than a year each part of the video.
And.- And your most desired dream?
S.L.- Being able to reach 50 enjoying the bike as I have done until now!
*Photographs provided by Red Bull
