Dan Lacey

If you’re familiar with BMX, then the name Dan Lacey will be familiar to you. If not, Dan is one of the best riders to come out of England over the past decades. A straight talking, straight shooting, street riding, Hastings residing legend. The world discovered Dan through a Federal Bikes’ video filmed at the Seventies Warehouse. It was a revelation, as he became an instant legend with his stylish riding and his unique mix of transition and street where he now focuses his efforts. His legacy continued through the years with legendary parts like Above Below and Federal FTS and more recently Endless. The Battle of Hastings - BMX event of year - is upon us, so we took the chance to give Dan a call to talk humble beginnings, London spots, the importance of taking care of yourself, the UK BMX scene and good Margaritas…

For those of us that don’t know you, can you give us a little background on yourself?

My name is Dan Lacey, I am 37 years old, originally from Rye in East Sussex, UK but I migrated to Hastings which is a Mecca for BMX and why I moved there.

Where are you right now?

I’m posting up at home, about to start a new video project. I had surgery back in April so I’ve been recovering from that, rehabbing and ready to get going again at 100%.

Talk us through your journey in BMX.

Where I grew up in Rye, we didn’t have a skate park or anything. We used to ride in a car park and build jumps out of dirt, the council would come in, level the jumps and throw away all of our spades. That used to happen so many times growing up we lost count. When we got a little older, there was a skate park in Hastings so we started getting the train over there as kids and over the years built relationships with the people there. I started working at Seventies BMX distribution in work experience at school, working in the warehouse. I used to work and ride the ramps after work, one day I got noticed by the boss and he said, “do you want to ride for federal” and it all went from there really. I’ve been on Federal bikes for 20 years now. Vans for, 15 years. It’s crazy, time flies. I remember getting my first Vans package at X Games 2010 and being so hyped. That was the beginning of my Vans journey, the team at the time was insane and full of really big names that I had looked up for years.

Back in the day I was a contest guy, I used to do a few big contests but since 2013 I’ve really been focused on video parts, that’s where my heart and passion lies. To create the vision with the filmers I work with, I find really rewarding.

Describe your local scene.

Hastings is a small seaside town but it’s been a massive hub for BMX since the nineties. The Backyard Jams were created here, it was a massive event back in the day that people came from all over the world to ride this crazy dirt jump, a giant death pit that people would huck over. Then that died off a little bit and freestyle became cooler in BMX. The Source opened ten years ago and that became the major hub here. The level of talent that has come up since then is really crazy. The younger generation coming up now are amazing. To be honest, Hastings is an amazing scene but it’s quite park based - as a street rider I mainly ride up in London, it’s a beautiful rich tapestry of spots. You could spend years and years searching for spots and not find everything that London has to offer. I filmed a lot up in London for the Endless video that came out last year, I filmed for four years for that – a lot of days back and forth. Luckily, it’s only an hour and twenty minutes on the train.

How does an average day shape up for you?

I’ve started to take care of myself in my later years way more than I used to. It’s like you have to sit  your younger self down and say “look mate, you need to take care of yourself.” Now, I take my time. Day starts, get to the gym for a couple of hours, do some physio, loosen up, come home, have a good breakfast. From there, get the train to London, meet up with the crew – shoot some stuff, shoot the sh*t, sometimes we’ll not even ride and just look for spots which is equally as rewarding. It takes your breath away with some of the spots you find, London’s like that, finding a new spot gives you the same buzz as getting a clip. Then we get some food, have a drink in the evening. Usually, you get home at 10 or 11 and you’re just done. Get some sleep, wake up the next day and repeat.

Give us the lo-down on zones to ride in London.

Honestly, anything in Zones 1 and 2 (central) is usually a bust. It’s a mental zone but so controlled and has been shot a lot. However, as soon as you start creeping out of central it’s amazing what you can find. As far out as Thamesmead or Lewisham, there’s so many spots it is insane. You meander back through the backstreets and there is gold on every corner. It does tend to be the outer zones that have my attention.

Favourite places to ride outside of the UK?

I had a really good time in Mallorca last year. Malaga is always a great place to go. New York stands out to me the most. It’s USA’s version of London. It’s not perfect like LA, it’s more raw, there’s more grit. I love that heavy east coast vibe. Other than that, Austin, Texas any day of the week. It’s always been a massive reference in BMX. I have a lot of good friends there, staying with them is always amazing. As well as outside of riding, it’s so vibrant – the music, the food, the people… It’s where I want to be.

How do you feel about the BMX scene in the UK?

I’m more optimistic about it than ever. There are more small crews dotted around the UK going out and filming videos. When I was younger it was like that but you had to wait until a VHS or DVD dropped and then we would all watch it round at my house, like 10 of us lads. Now with social media you can just see these crews everywhere, every day out there doing it. There’s so much of it, it’s amazing. When you mix the street riding with the other side, the Olympic scene and so on there’s an amazing talent pool right now in the UK. I think we hold our own on the world stage. When I was younger all of the major talent was coming out of the US and now, we are catching up. It’s solid.

How do you see the female BMX scene evolving?

It’s developing really well. There are so many girls with amazing style, seeing them in person is another level. I’m looking forward to seeing them push the boundaries even more at the Battle of Hastings.

With the Battle of Hastings here, what’s the cultural relevance of this event and your feelings going into it?

I’ve competed in seven out of the nine events and only missed the two due to injury. The crazy thing about this event its, as big as it is, it’s such a core event. It stands apart from all the events that are bound by red tape. It’s a community-based event that brings so many aspects of BMX together in one place. BMX needs more of this. It’s good to have the Olympics etc, but BMX needs to retain its core and the community aspect of the sport. The vibe is unparalleled. Every year there is always something new and crazy. So many amazing memories.

And outside of riding? What gets you fired up… What are your interests?

A good Margarita… Happy hour, gets me fired up big time.

Aside from that, seeing my friends excel at anything. At BMX, at golf, seeing my boys achieve greatness. Seeing people close to me do something they are buzzing on gets me really hyped.

How would you describe the vibe within the Vans BMX team?

It’s so broad, it’s great. You make a bunch of new friends from all over the world. Especially the European team is so diverse, we’re everywhere. There’s ton of girls on as well which is great to see them repping. It’s so laid back, the camaraderie is great. It’s really the essence of the Vans family. It’s a real thing. You can feel it.

Favourite Vans shoe to Ride in?

The Slip-On. Always. All day.

Any last words? A message for the internet? A message to your former self?

Stay true to yourself. There’s to many people trying to be someone else. Stay true to yourself.