Taken BMX takes BMX to the next level. An interview with Vasilis Antoniou

May 07, 2025

Written by Bart de Jong

Read 588 times

Name: Vasilis Antoniou
Age: 39
Hometown: Plc, Athens, Greece

Can you explain what Taken BMX is and what Taken BMX does?
Vasilis: It all started 9 years ago that we first came in the business as a retailer. We wanted a quick promo for our new shop so we first set our streetjam series for promotional purposes. Given that we were active riders for more than 20 years back then, the word spred quickly so we got requests from other Greek cities to bring the streetjams there.

So we ended up being a retailer and handling that BMX street series yearly and that's what Takenbmx mostly does till now.

Were you inspired by the Cash Up jams, or are your street jams set up differently?
Vasilis: Streetjams structure was always the same so we kept that laid back approach most of them have. To be honest, the inspiration was more by the Dub Jam Series, more of chilling at the spots rather than really competitive riding. The only competitive part of the SundayCruise series is the Athens stop that takes place every year in support of BMXDAY that has cash awards etc. All the rest are more of a street session rather than a contest.

Do you focus on ride-outs in the street, or do you also hit up dirt, bowls and ramp spots?
Vasilis: In most of the cases street riding is what's mostly going down during our jams although it depends on what the local scene is mostly riding. For example there's a stop in Larisa a city in Greece that has been traditionally more of a park riding place as they have one of the few concrete parks (Shout out @Laparko) where the biggest part of the jam goes down at the local skatepark. We're down for anything, good times is what it's all about.

Going to Sofia, Bulgaria must have been a bit of a mission, correct?
Vasilis: Well in my head mostly, because in reality everything was super smooth, thanks to the locals. In Sofia there's a bunch of dudes that are awesome riders and really focus on keeping the scene alive. They also run one of the few (if there are some left) BMX shoe companies; Skilldash BMX shoes and a wheel brand named Able BMX. With all that being said you can understand how many things they were willing to handle so everything went super smooth as for the jam and our stay there. Words can't describe how thankful I am for being linked with these guys there, anyone that wants anything BMX related info about Sofia you should hit up Hristo Iliev, Boyan Stoev or Anthony Jelev, they are the homies there, one love!

How many riders turned up at the jam there?
Vasilis: Typically everyone riding BMX in Sofia was there. Some dudes also traveled from other close countries, we had dudes from Macedonia and also Slovakia which made me super happy about how the jam ended up. Meeting up with more scenes and new riders is what it's all about.

Who impressed you the most and what did he do?
Vasilis: The local heroes I already mentioned have been homies for a long time now we've ridden so many times together so I kind of knew how amazing riders they are. I was mostly impressed by the youngest riders as there were a bunch of 15 year olds that did some crazy stuff on the spots, but I think the highlight of the jam was that dude from Slovakia Jozef Nanista, riding also for the national BMX team, who killed the big 3 setup throwing lots of tricks, with the tailwhip being the banger of the jam. Keep an eye on this dude, riders like him are making the future of BMX a lot brighter.

What in your eyes does BMX do for the community?
Vasilis: BMX is us, so as long as we keep pushing it, the community has nothing to fear. On our end we have to do our best promoting BMX and pushing it even harder.

Is BMX the same wherever you go?
Vasilis: From a riding aspect no. Levels and involvement in it varies from place to place. But keeping the already established communities active and strengthening the newest ones are the main reason SundayCruiseBmx Series is all about.

Is BMX for you more a community and culture than a sport?
Vasilis: Has to be a combination of both. Culture is where we come from, we as older riders have lived BMX in a way that we need to pass this idea to the younger generations. But I feel that the evolution of it would be more of a sport approach.

Do you have companies backing up your ideas of putting on jams and promoting BMX everywhere?
Vasilis: Yes, without them it wouldn't even be possible to do so. RedBull Greece backs us up with every possible way so we're more than thankful for them believing in the project and getting it from Greece out to the world. Besides that Skilldash BMX also supports the idea as we share pretty much the same passion with these dudes. Last but not least AfterSlumber, a local streetwear brand also supports us in various ways so we can keep doing what we do.

What is on the program next for Taken BMX?
Vasilis: Busy SundayCruise schedule as we're hitting Larisa (GR) sometime in June and then off to Skopje (MKD) early July. Then, we are already planning our Athens BMXDAY in July this year, it's gonna be crazier than ever!

Thanks to: Redbull Greece, Redbull Bulgaria, SkilldashBMX, After Slumber, FATBMX, Boyan Stoev, Hristo Iliev, Marios Kollias

Pics by: David Kirilov