AF: S1 Ep 1: Foster aka 'Bullet': "To be a champion is not easy. You must commit to your training and there are sacrifices as well"

We join Foster - aka  Bullet, at Legon University Campus in Accra, Ghana. His roots trace back to Volta Region in Ghana and is of Ewe heritage.

A rising triathlete, Bullet is a two-time national cycling champion and recent winner at the Triathlon Keta Series. He shares his cycling journey, attending a UCI camp and life as an Under-23 athlete balancing three demanding sports. A grounded conversation on passion, progress, and perseverance.

Follow Bullet @triathlete_foster_doevi

Jingle - Mapa Travel

Transcript

Rose:

It is so good—I'm so glad, I'm so happy to be back in Ghana! We met, obviously, when I was out here in April 2023. Yes, when we came out with a group to do a charity ride, and you were one of the ride leaders who helped us get through riding in the African sun. So, we’re grateful—it was a great time!

Now I’m back again, and obviously, a lot has changed since we were last together. You’ve been away, you’ve gone to camp, you’ve done some crazy adventures and training! I don’t even know where to start. But first, I want to introduce you guys to Bullet.

So first of all, Bullet, just tell us a little bit about your sporting journey—where it all started.

Bullet:

Okay, yeah—my name is Foster, but I'm popularly known as Bullet. I'm a national athlete and also a student.

My story is short and simple. I joined sports because I really love it. I always saw how people put in the effort, and sports to me is a commitment—it’s a lifestyle. Sometimes it comes with challenges, but if you overcome those challenges, sports becomes easier. Nothing comes easy in sports. Training is a big example—being a champion is not easy. You have to always commit to your training and make sacrifices as well.

Rose:

Okay, so did you grow up in a sporty background? Was your family into sports? Or did you just start at school and fall in love with it?

Bullet:

Okay, in my family, my father used to ride a bike to work. Bike was a means of transport for him—moving from one place to another. Even though we saw it just as transport, it was also a daily exercise.

At that time, I wasn’t totally into sports. I started in JSS2, when I was called to take part in one of our inter-school sports activities. I didn’t want to do it, but there was no one to represent the school, so I committed myself. My first event was the 1,500m run—and I came second, even though it was raining that day! From that moment, I decided to dedicate myself to sports.

At the time, I was also cycling, but not seriously—it wasn’t something I took as work. But when I committed myself to sports, I was happy to discover new games like cycling and swimming. That’s how I became a triathlete.

Rose:

Wow! So you do swimming, running, and cycling. You mentioned that your first triathlon, you came second?

Bullet:

Yes, I did! That made me want to fully commit to the sport. Sometimes I also represent Ghana in individual events like swimming or cycling. I'm still learning every day.

Rose:

That’s amazing. How do you find time for all three disciplines? How do you decide what to train each day?

Bullet:

It’s about commitment—and mindset. Once you know this is your daily life, you plan your timetable well. If you organize your activities properly and stay committed, it works.

Rose:

I’ve always wondered—do triathletes have a different bag for each sport?

Bullet:

Yes—for those who can afford it. I personally don’t have the money for that, so I just use one bag—maybe a school bag—that can hold everything I need. I make it work.

Rose:

I can imagine—like turning up to swimming with your helmet!

Bullet:

Yes! Sometimes it happens—it’s a lot to think about. Even during competitions, when transitioning from cycling to running, some people forget they’re still wearing their helmet and get penalized. It depends, and it’s often about time. If you rush, that’s when mistakes happen.

Rose:

So let’s talk about camp. You went to South Africa—tell us about that!

Bullet:

First of all, a big thanks to Gladiator Cycling Club. I’m so grateful to be part of this family. Through them and the good people around me, I’ve come far.

South Africa was my first time flying. My family was so happy. I once told someone at the airport, “This is my first time here—I’ve never even traveled before!”

At the training camp, they taught us how to maintain our bikes, position ourselves properly, what kind of food to eat—especially not relying only on energy bars, but using local natural foods like vegetables and crops which helps the body to build well instead of relying only on supplements. They taught us how to race, how to ride a track bike—which was scary at first because there are no brakes—but it was also fun! During the track events  there are other events that when you are serious you can participate in the Olympics because road cycling is limited but track is open to a lot of points and a lot of things so I am happy that I also learned how to ride a track bike and be on the track.

Rose:

No brakes! No brakes!

Bullet

I met other people from other parts of Africa like Uganda,  people from South Africa, people from Kenya and other parts of Africa as well.

Rose:

So just putting some context there,  this is the UCI hub in South Africa 

Bullet:

Yes, that’s right.

Rose:

 People go there, athletes from across the world I believe and they do some training there under the coaches. So there are coaches there? 

Bullet:

The coaches were really good. They were patient and helped us a lot. My target is to one day represent Ghana in the Olympics  level and also be part of the UCI World Championship

Rose: 

Brilliant! Excellent! How do you think that's helped you in terms of exposure going out to South Africa, how do you think that's helped you in terms of your dreams,  your outlook - any positives?

Bullet:

 I felt great!  because to be called by the UCI is not easy due to your training efforts and your inputs you do as well.  So that is also another opportunity for me. Through this UCI camping I learned a lot. My mindset and cycling have really changed because of that experience.

Rose: 

Oh that's so good to hear about that experience and  it's great that you enjoyed it so much.

Bullet:

 I hope maybe that one day I will be called again but this depends on performance. I was introduced to a lot of things which really helped me but their weather was so cold and there was a lot of hills. They taught us whenever you want to climb a hill you shouldn't always be using the soft gears, try the hard ones because on race day you won’t use soft gears. So be used to the hard ones. Even though it is not easy but you have to put all your effort. The coaches are kind and they are have so much patience for everyone and care for everyone.

Rose:

Wow.....what an experience. So what’s next?

Bullet:

Next year Tour du Faso I have to be on the stage. I want to win the under-23 jersey for my country and represent my country in other international events, to make my country proud, to make Africa proud.  I want to raise the flag of Ghana and show that we Africans, we Blacks—we are strong too and we can also take our county and Africa far. 

Rose:

Excellent, thank you so much Bullet and you know I loved riding with you today.  Thank you. Just quickly we can stand here, just a couple of quick-fire questions

So just a couple of questions just things I have observed. So we talked about you being a triathlete. On triathlon day when you've got to swim, you've got to cycle and then you've got to run, when you start the day how do you focus your mind knowing that I've got to swim but later on today I've got to run and I've got to cycle —how do you mentally prepare, how do you get ready for that?

Bullet:

It’s all mindset and commitment. If you’re not mentally strong, you won’t make it. People might look down on you, but you have to stay focused on your future and your vision.

Even the night before, I’m not comfortable because I'm thinking about what to do on the race day—I go to bed late, wake up early. I’m nervous, but I’m also excited because it’s something I’ve trained for. I am used to it, on the race day I am not somehow stranded.

But it's race, it's sports, sometimes things go wrong—like getting a flat tyre after swimming—but I try to stay calm and fix it if I can. It’s not easy, but I love the sport.

I love triathlon and it's a very good game and through sports I have met a lot of people, great people like you and other people as well and due to the sports I'm doing I'm also open to a lot of people as well and I'm so grateful to meet such people like Bahati, Kings and Queens Rules Together and their CEO yes I'm so grateful for that and I have to always thank Gladiators as well and madam Kuki as well because without them I'm not sure I'll make it to up to this level.  

Rose: 

Honestly, one big community and I love it. You mentioned people out in America there you mentioned people here in Ghana.

Bullet:

I’m so grateful for that as well

Rose:

Amazing. And lastly—for someone new to triathlon, what advice would you give to them in terms of breaking down the activities?

Bullet:

First, do research and learn about the sport. Plan your training timetable. Train with people stronger than you—it will make you better—but know your limits.

If you're not self-motivated, you might give up, especially if you feel like you're always being left behind. But if you commit, you will improve. Nothing comes easy, especially with triathlon—it’s three sports in one!

But I’ll be happy to see more people join the sport.

Rose:

Wow. That’s real words of wisdom. We’re so excited to see what happens next in your journey 

Bullet:

Yes Yes….Next year will be a great year I believe next year is my year due to my experience at the camp. I am not sleeping I am still working hard for more opportunities to come so that I can raise the flag of Ghana one day on the international level.

Rose: 

Oh brilliant—thank you so much, Bullet. You really are the Cyclist Next Door who’s just gone out there and you are doing your thing no matter what. You're just pushing and we love to see it!

Bullet:

Thank you so much as well. I'm grateful.