The City of Lyon, France first became an economic foothold throughout Europe in the 1400's, as it was revered for its' silk production under the rule of King Louis XI. This aristocratic boom of wealth and stature set forth an era of architecture and style that still stands in the streets today. Fast forward about 600 years and you find yourself in a place where desire meets design, street riding so good you nearly can't get enough!
The structure of a street jam is simple enough... set the date, map the spots and get as much of the BMX community together as possible. But what remains most important is the essence, the feeling of a session and not so much a contest. And I have to say, The Bros Bike Store owners, Lilian and Fabien definitely took this years' Street Station Jam to another level and curated that feeling. It was a welcome return for Street Station after a 3 year absence, and the hospitality, the spots, and the organization all weekend, was incredible – which made it easy for everyone to have a good time, all day and all night. The list of heavy hitters in town that weekend was massive, reflecting the respect and passion the community has for the brothers and the locals of Lyon. Hundreds of BMX bikes stormed the streets of Lyon for 3 days of organized chaos; with a checklist of 7 set-ups across the city, covering famous locations throughout Lyon... Built out with a few extra special touches, supported by Fiend, Cult, Eclat, KINK, WTP, Odyssey and Vans. The event ran flawlessly Friday to Sunday and the 2nd official Monster Energy 'CASH UP' Jam of 2025 was underway!
Day 1 - Friday
The weekend kicked off Friday afternoon with the Fiend BMX best trick jam at an auxiliary Bros Bike Store location. We had the street blocked off for the numerous ramps and rails set-up in the road, creating a frenzy of sorts as dozens of anxious bike riders weaved their way through each other trying to get their tricks landed before the rain washed us out. The likes of Nathan Williams, Alex Kennedy, Jordan Godwin, Brett Silva, Joe Foley, Edu Rodriguez and many others were in attendance making this first session of the weekend exciting and high-energy!
Friday was a hopeful and beautiful day outside but with a dash of looming dark clouds above. The riders were shredding regardless of the apparent threat of rain and everyone had their fingers crossed that the weather would stay dry for the weekend, as Lyon has been known to piss rain on a good time! Inside of the warehouse the beers were flowing alongside some signature Vans Waffles on a stick and the epic "Seated" BMX seat art show. 10 riders were selected and sent the same blank white seat as a unique canvas to artistically express themselves, which turned out to be a great display of art diversity in BMX.
Towards the end of the session on Friday the rain decided to drop in on us for about an hour, but that didn't put a damper on the situation for too long... We lucked out with this bit of rain being the only bad weather all weekend. The sun soon popped out again and the streets dried up for the session to continue and end with a bang! A couple of riders made it onto the roof, one of which was a young Jozef Nanista. After the other rider jumped to flat and exploded three times, Jozef sets up a landing to do a bar spin but Joe Jarvis wasn't allowing that at a street jam! Jarvis quickly removes the landing and the crowd roars to throw the bars! Jozef pulls it first try and wins the heart of Jarvis.
After the Cult curved rail session to warm things, hundreds of us pedaled 15 minutes through the City streets, dodging cars and causing a wee-bit of mayhem to finally arrive at the infamously well-known Lyon curved wall, ( a wildly epic spot to see in person). This location is named 'Place Charles De Gaulle', set in front of The National Orchestra Auditorium of Lyon, which is a highly exposed place to ride. This special architectural masterpiece has lasted through decades of time and generations of riders; keeping this spot alive is important to the locals of Lyon and a crucial piece of BMX history. So in a true conservational style, the Bros Lilian and Fabien negotiated with city officials to allow us to build the KINK Jersey quarter pipe, the Èclat rail/grind box and looked the other way when we began to thrash ourselves around the curved wall which was the WTP 'Ring the Bell' challenge!
Miki Fleck De Silva spent most of the weekend representing his new clothing and lifestyle brand called, V1DA. Miki and a bunch of the riders from BCN made the drive up to Lyon to join in on the madness and give a little back... As we all know when Miki decides to ride it's always a sight to behold; full speed everywhere and with a style all his own, Miki rips his favorite grind across the wobbly flat rail that was barely keeping it together after being thrashed by some of the industry's best.
Alright! We're headed towards the last location for Saturdays' activities, but the excitement was far from finished... On my way over there, I stopped to grab some much needed fuel for my belly, giving me a fashionably-late arrival to the session. Luckily, my late arrival gave me the opportunity to roll up on the crowded spot and experience the energy from the outside, feeling the roar as I grew closer and closer to the epicenter; people dripping from every surface.
I knew I was about to dive right into some crazy shit! The Odyssey Box Jump wasn't your ordinary design, the landing consisted of an additional ledge right in the middle of the landing. This design demanded precision and courage, given it was blind coming off the lip! And last but not least, the Lyon Hubba Ledge was beefed up by Vans with an added handrail and some banks on the stairs, giving riders a chance to reimagine the spot and get creative. Riders such as: Brett Silva, Murray Loubser, Filip Kosmidis, Antonio Smallwood, Joe Foley and Julian Molina stepped to the plate and really ended the day with some serious bike riding!
Brett Silva came out to Lyon for his first time, representing Odyssey and Sunday, his good nature and smiles are worth their weight in gold which always adds too any situation! Not only was he there for a good time, but Brett ended up leaving Lyon with a couple NBD's in his back pocket... In a city that has been ridden by nearly everyone in BMX over the years, too walk away with an NBD is one hell of an accomplishment.
Joe Foley is one hell of a madman and this final spot of Street Station was a great way to show everyone just how dialed he can be, even at a street jam! Wild precision and an attitude that keeps you laughing the whole time, Foley goes where most people wouldn't dare with their riding. The last spot of the jam was this refurbished Hubba with a gap to rail and Joe just does both tricks first try. Gap to ice to warm things up and to end it, he gaps to tire rides down the rail as smooth as you could possibly do it!
Another year of Street Station has come to a close, and I'll bet it won't be too long until we see the Bros in action again. The love and passion poured into this event doesn't fade so easily, what I felt throughout the entire weekend was refreshing and reassuring to say the least. This energy doesn't come along too easily but Lilian and Fabien know how to bring everyone together for a good time and if you're lucky enough, you can walk away with some cash and a bit of French glory... BMX is a special piece of our lives, the feelings and the experiences that come along with it are priceless, (No matter how much it costs us). Traveling to parts of the world you've never imagined, the tastes, the smells, the people and of course the spots are all apart of the journey and the best part is the BMX community is all around you. Keep riding and keep traveling, thanks to Bros Bike Store and the City of Lyon for everything!
