Maak kennis met het team: SOULCYCLE – AMSTERDAM, NEDERLAND
"We zijn er trots op dat er allerlei soorten fietsers in onze gemeenschap zitten"
Meet The Owner: Koen de Groot
Can you give us a brief history of your store?
It was 1999 and I had already been riding BMX for some years with my friends. The scarcity and quality of BMX bikes that were on offer made me and a friend of mine, Michiel Verberg, decide to take things into our own hands. Fast forward a few months later we started our own BMX shop, called Soulcycle BMX shop. We ran the shop from the basement of a student house along one of the Amsterdam canals. With only three bikes, some inner tubes, a spoke wrench and a vision, the shop grew out into a fully packed basement, with BMX bikes, parts and flyers for local contests in every corner. Aside from running a successful shop, we also started organizing events from 2000 onwards to promote freestyle BMX all over the Netherlands.
What type of riders are part of your community and what makes your community so special?
We are proud to have all types of riders in our community. On August 27th and 28th, 2022 we organized the Best of MarniX at the Marnixbowl & Bountyhunters street jam in Amsterdam - check both videos on DIG BMX.
These events and videos showcase our community really well. In the bowl contest we had young shredders 16-, the older kids in 16+, legends, girls and pros. The atmosphere was great thanks to the whole community showing up (and the music from the one and only DJ King Koen J that is me) and seeing everybody having fun and connecting together. It’s really cool to organize contests like this and show our nice and tight community to a bigger audience.
Meet The Crew: Denz van Lare
Age: 14
Years riding: 10
What’s your favourite BMX video?
Chase Hawk x Oakley // Austin, Texas - a typical BMX day for one of my favourite riders.
Who is your favourite BMX filmer?
Tom Lammerse makes good stuff!
Tell us what’s good about your local scene:
Good vibes and fun sessions the whole year round, indoor and outdoor. @bmxamsterdam @houseofurbansports
What’s your favourite BMX page on Instagram? @fatbmx
What’s your Instagram? @denzbmx
Meet The Crew: Hannah Louwrier
Age: 14
Years riding: 5
What’s your favourite BMX video?
Fast and Loose, Pull Back or Die. My favourite BMX riders are in it.
Who is your favourite BMX filmer?
I don’t know!
Tell us what’s good about your local scene:
Amsterdam is a nice city to bike. You can ride dirt, street, and park. You can go to the Marnix Bowl and BMX Amsterdam. You can make new friends and bike together.
What’s your favourite BMX page on Instagram? @thebloombmx
What’s your Instagram? @hannahlbmx
Meet The Crew: Oran Farag
Age: 37
Years riding: 19
What’s your favourite BMX video?
Before riding BMX: Burns Sean Burns (ANTHEM II) to get pumped. After the session: Seamus McKeon "Moose" Frame Promo and Rich Forne videos to reflect on BMX riding.
Who is your favourite BMX filmer?
Janis Grandans.
Tell us what’s good about your local scene:
The people in my scene, they are truly the kindest. To know them is an honour.
What’s your favourite BMX page on Instagram? @emilebouwman
What’s your Instagram? @ WHO CARES
Meet The Crew: Stijn Hens
Age: 26
Years riding: 17
What’s your favourite BMX video?
Anthem 2 by Stew Johnson. Live fast ride faster!
Who is your favourite BMX filmer?
Flouz aka the CLUUT CEO. Amazing ninja fisheye handling, magical editing skills and a heart of gold.
Tell us what’s good about your local scene:
The OG Rachid, beers at the Atomium, gare Du Lux plaza spot, and all of the Cluuters who give a fuck!
What’s your favourite BMX page on Instagram? @early2000sbmx
What’s your Instagram? @thewheelsfalloff
Meet The Crew: Twan van Wijk
What’s your favourite BMX video?
It's always hard to just pick one video, especially since there are so many sick video parts lately, but if I had to pick just one it would be "Simone Barraco - 10%".
Simone's 10% video part is one of those video parts I had to keep watching on repeat, just to understand what was happening. I just loved the spot usage and was amazed by the creativity in the riding. Besides, I'm a fan of how the video was edited, it has a really different feel from other video parts, which made it stand out even more to me.
Who is your favorite BMX filmer?
I really like Flouz - his filming and editing. He's the CEO of Cluut crew from Brussels and the way he makes a video feel is so sick.
I feel like his style of video is different from other filmers and very recognizable, his videos are always super dynamic and packed with chaos, which makes them fascinating to watch.
Tell us what’s good about your local scene:
There are so many different riding styles here in Amsterdam and everybody hangs out with each other. The diversity in styles makes it so that there is a lot to learn from different riders. We’ve got insane dirt riders at our local trails (BMX Amsterdam), crazy park riders at the indoor skatepark (House of Urbansports), stylish bowl riders at the Marnix Bowl and a sick group of street riders that are up for exploring Amsterdam looking for the best spots. Besides these local groups of riders, there are also frequently riders visiting from different parts of the Netherlands to come and explore the streets. Different riders visiting the city give a fresh perspective to old spots, which makes you look at stuff differently.
What’s your favourite BMX page on Instagram?
I'm not much into Instagram, but I'm a fan of @kimovanhulst & @sketchy.kevin. These two dutch riders are always on top of their game. For a more general BMX page, I would say @digbmx, since they always post the craziest riding clips.
What’s your Instagram? @twanvanwijk
Meet The Filmers: 1 - Tom Lammerse
Age: 28
Years riding: 17
What’s your favourite BMX video?
Mutiny Bikes Web Video. Legendary.
Who is your favourite BMX filmer?
Spike Jonze. Legend.
Tell us what’s good about your local scene:
It’s just been a tight and amazing scene since forever.
What’s your favourite BMX page on Instagram? @early2000sbmx
What’s your Instagram? @tom.lammerse
Meet The Filmers: 2 -Bart Gijsbers
Age: 28
Years riding: 0, Skateboarding 18
What’s your favourite Skate video?
A Love Supreme
Who is your favourite Skate filmer? Greg Hunt
Tell us what’s good about your local scene:
Ajax
What’s your favourite page on Instagram? @monsterchildren
What’s your Instagram? @bartgijsbers
