Kenny Belaey, World Trial Bike Champion, Helps the Victims of the Pakistan Floods
The Pakistani floods were one of the most devastating natural disasters to happen to the country since the 2005 earthquake. The floods have killed scores of people all over the country and have displaced over 20 million Pakistanis since the flood first hit.
Many countries and individuals have come together to donate their time and money to help alleviate the suffering of the people in the worst hit areas. A large number of sports stars got together as well and donated their time and money to help. The latest
athlete who is trying to help is Kenny Belaey, the Belgian Trial Bike Champion.
Trial biking is a form of mountain bike riding in which the contestant has to complete an obstacle course and jump onto and over various objects without touching the ground. The sport was adapted from motorcycle trials in which the same thing takes place
but a motorcycle is used instead of a bicycle. Special mountain bikes are used for the purpose and they consist of wide handlebars, upgraded brakes, lightweight parts, low tire pressure and lack of a seat.
The sport is primarily a European one at the moment with numerous trials taking place all over the continent but it is slowly gaining in popularity in other parts of the world. Even though the worldwide following is small at the moment, the exciting nature
and thrilling viewing experience make it an ideal candidate for world domination soon. One place where it is seeing a small following is in parts of Asia such as Japan. It will take some time but this interesting sport looks all set to become popular wherever
people like to ride bicycles.
Kenny Belaey is an extreme cyclist and a champion at trial biking. He has won the world championship of the sport nine times in the past and is now spreading the sport to a worldwide audience. He started riding mountain bikes as a young boy and he was initially
inspired by his father who was a huge fan of motorcycle trials. He started participating in the sport in 1992 and soon developed a natural talent at doing tricks and stunts on his mountain bike. He made his Belgium debut in 1994 and his first international
championship was two years later in 1996. He managed to get 3rd place in the Belgium competition but he came in fifth in the international one.
Kenny’s first win came in 1998 when he won his first cadet junior championship and wowed the crowd with his array of tricks and ability to stay off the ground. In 2000 he won the World Junior Championships in both the 20” and 26” categories and subsequently
created history. He won more titles in 2005 and 2006 and in 2007 he won the World Cup and managed to do a 180 degree rotation on his bike. In 2009 he was declared the overall winner in the World Cup and cemented his place in the history of this burgeoning
sport. His ability to do the most amazing and gravity defying tricks has earned him the nickname ‘The Magician’ among his fans and followers.
Kenny has travelled to numerous countries to promote the sport he loves. He has been to the US, Poland, Spain, Cyprus, France, the UK, Lebanon, Cyprus, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and now Pakistan. He is currently in the country as part
of his ‘Kenny Belaey Tour of Pakistan.’ He was recently spotted in a local school where he performed in front of mesmerised children and it was all filmed for a programme he is currently producing. The athlete is sponsored by Red Bull and many other companies
and he is trying to raise awareness towards the plight of the people affected by the floods. He is doing it by bringing a smile to their faces and he should be applauded for that.
It is hoped that this talented athlete and amazing human being will start a trend of other athletes and sports teams coming to the flood ravaged country, not only to raise awareness of the issue at hand but also to help the sports programmes in the country
flourish again. If this can happen, then people will have something to look forward to despite the painful natural disaster that has destroyed their livelihoods.
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