Events

The Best Cycling Stunts: Would You Dare?

By Christopher Ashley

Is there anything more stunning than the sight of a man flying 20 metres above the ground, desperately grabbing at the safety gear which is his best bet of landing safely? No need for parachutes when you’ve got a bike.

Scaled X tricks

The Nitro World Games are a never-ending stream of idiotic decisions that turn out good in the end. The tricks keep getting bigger but the bikes remain the same size. Sometimes the rider and the bike spin together but I love this video of a bike spinning with its rider following behind.

Jumps like these require a deft touch and the ability to bypass an unavoidable adrenaline surge that begs you to pull out or go too big. There are a lot of fun jumps in this clip – but please don’t try this at home unless you have adult supervision.

Jumping rope on rollers

Ruby Isaac was Trek-Segafredo’s youngest signing at just 10 years old. Oh, and she’s also a Specialized ambassador. If you’ve not heard of her, I suggest you get up to speed. Ruby’s can-do attitude is as impressive as it is infectious – but her roller demonstrations speak for themselves.

Ruby was 6 years old when her grandmother taught her to cycle, and she’s clearly got a few career paths open to her. As a fellow Brit, I’m hoping she brings us a few Olympic gold medals and maybe some grand tour victories. But, so long as she’s having fun, she’ll continue to bring joy to cycling.

Matt Macduff’s Loop of Doom

“Go big or go home” would be a fitting description of Macduff’s attitude to stunts. Doing a loop-the-loop in any vehicle, even a jet aeroplane, is impressive. It’s an odd human compulsion – but that didn’t stop Macduff and his team spending a month building a 40-foot-high wooden structure for bragging rights.

The video is sobering and the website explaining the fallout and recovery is testament to the fact that these stunts are, indeed, a huge risk. Which is what makes them so exhilarating. Whether it’s the thrilling risk or the satisfaction of achieving the seemingly impossible, we love cycling – and we love stunts.