Lamide Aranmolate on living life in sprints and cycles.

For #WorldBicycleDay, we had a quick chat with Spleet’s resident cyclist and Product Manager, Lamide Aranmolate about his love for wheels, his longest ride and his dream bike.

What is your role at Spleet?

I manage the product development cycle at Spleet. In my spare time, I party with my friends and I cycle.

When did you start to cycle?

I started cycling about a year ago. It’s bit of a funny story; I was going to refill my cooking gas when I bought my first bike. I drove past this shop that sold bikes and I stopped to make the vendor an offer. We agreed on a price and that's how I started cycling.

Why do you cycle?

Cycling fulfills a lot of needs for me. On some days, it's a nice break from life as I know it. On other days, it's well-needed exercise. Some days, I cycle because I want a nice breakfast and I don't want to take a cab there so I enjoy the ride to the restaurant, enjoy the food and I enjoy the ride back home. So it's a lot of things on different days

How often do you cycle?

Initially, I used to try for three times a week but we (Spleet) are a hybrid team and I have to miss group rides on weekdays. Now I only ride on weekends.

Tell us about your cycling club.

It's called the Mabogs Mainland Cycling Club. I’m also a member of some club spin-offs like the “Cycling Pro Max” and the “Lazy Bastids” group. We're a bunch of people from different walks of life connected by the love that we share for the sport. Every now and then, we plan long rides, too. If there's a reason to get on a bike, the guys in my club will find it and invite everybody. Nobody loves public holidays like the Lagos cycling community.

What's the longest you've cycled?

Lagos to Abeokuta (we were less than 25km away). I only managed about 101km of the entire thing.

What kind of bike do you ride?

I currently ride a Cannondale. It’s a great bike and I’m constantly upgrading parts for better performance as I go.

Speaking of upgrades, what is your dream bike?

My dream bike used to be the Pinarello Dogma F12 with the Ultegra Di2 groupset. But after riding a friend's, I realized I might not like it as much, plus it is pretty expensive and I’m not rich. Now my dream bike is the Specialized Tarmac SL7. I think it's a more forgiving bike on our roads than the Pinarello.  Of course, it has to come with the Ultegra Di2 groupset and Zipp 303 S wheels.

Are there any cycling tournaments you would love to participate in? Any events you hope to attend?

I wanted to do #RideLondon. I'd saved up for it but life happened. If I had my way, it would definitely be the Cape Argus in South Africa next year.  It would be nice to go to the Tour of Flanders as a spectator next year too or maybe spend a couple of days at the Tour de France this year. If you are led to fund my trip, please reach out to me. #GetLamideToTdF

What is something you can say as a product manager and as a cyclist?

Great sprint.

Follow Lamide on TikTok for cycling content @lamide_a.