If you think Cancellara has got some skills when the road points down, have a gander at this video of professional downhill skateboarders Byron Essert and Alex Tongue ripping up an Alpine descent. Anyone recognise it?
With no brakes to slow them down the only way to scrub off speed is to get sideways and use the friction of the wheels to slow their descent. It's amazing stuff, and we reckon there was some prize expressions on the faces of the riders they passed on the way down. Byron and Alex were staying at a hotel on the climb itself, and the dash across the car park to get to the hotel – at what, 50mph? – is properly scary stuff.
Anyway, enjoy. If you can watch…
27 thoughts on “Video: skateboards vs bikes in the Alps”
Awesome! In the 80s Powell
Awesome! In the 80s Powell Peralta videos used to have some downhill action and also weaving in and out of cones very quickly, them were good times.
From my days on 4 wheels a stone had an unfortunate breaking effect on your forward progress so that road would have to be very clean otherwise major wipe out.
I presume the camera man was
I presume the camera man was on a skateboard too?
Spend over a grand on a bike
Spend over a grand on a bike a get over taken by skateboarders :)) :))
Looks like they had a really good time, would like to see a race between a cyclist and a skateboarder.
A bit optimistic saying
A bit optimistic saying “skateboarders racing cyclists”. The cyclists looked to be freewheeling slowly and not in any hurry. Still, a good video and I’ll bet the cyclists were surprised to be overtaken by skateboarders.
‘Looks like they had a really
‘Looks like they had a really good time, would like to see a race between a cyclist and a skateboarder’ Yeah me too, the uphill bits would be interesting as well!
I laugh out loud every time I
I laugh out loud every time I watch this. Superb. Pure joy.
Kinda reckless, but kinda
Kinda reckless, but kinda cool.
Huge talent, truly
Huge talent, truly spectacular. The young have no imagination at all.
Beaufort wrote:Huge talent,
I love that comment
I was really stupid as a kid. Bikea skateboards jumpunf off the pier, off bridges. When my son was 7 I took him skiing. I was giving him the chat about turbs and speed and he just went for it. . Straight down the mountain. Flat out. I couldn’t catch him. We got to the bottom of the run. My adrenaline was through the roof. He couldn’t see the problem. No trees to hit at 40+ mph. No sides of the piste to fall off. Just simple fun. Saw no danger. Had no fear. No f**king imagination whatsoever.
That’s what dad’s are for.
talent, balls,no scrap that
talent, balls,no scrap that fucking massive balls!
best video i have ever seen on the internet
im gobsmacked!
Very impressive but the bikes
Very impressive but the bikes weren’t trying. Maybe it was a skateboard sportive ;-):-o:-P
As an ex skateboarder and now
As an ex skateboarder and now a roadie, I can tell you these fella’s have it down. It may look reckless but they are in full control of their speed. Great video!
Fantastic- remember this
Fantastic- remember this guy?
paddyirish wrote:Fantastic-
Blimey, that’s a new one for me – how much fun does THAT look ?
Cheers for the link !
paddyirish wrote:Fantastic-
Oh my god it’s like ironman with added wheels. Love how he tucks his arms back to go ‘full aero’. I’d like to what the other road users said to each other after that passed!
Thanks for sharing!
As an ex skateboarder and now
As an ex skateboarder and now a roadie, I can tell you these fella’s have it down. It may look reckless but they are in full control of their speed. Great video!
Niiiiiiiiiiiice.
Niiiiiiiiiiiice.
Very impressive, what thrill
Very impressive, what thrill all or nothing just how it should be
😉
Yoof of today eh!
Those
Yoof of today eh! =D>
Those cyclists weren’t trying. I’d like to see the skate boarders race Spartacus down the Tourmalet.
Yeah. They weren’t cycling. I
Yeah. They weren’t cycling. I didn’t see any pedal action. I don’t really understand that though…..
I can’t believe their wheels
I can’t believe their wheels aren’t ground down to nubs with all those “handbrake turns”!
Wheels do get worn down
Wheels do get worn down pretty quickly actually. My younger boy is into this, not quite at this level, although he did win the u18s comp at the Redbridge cycle centre. Interestingly there is a real culture of “wear your helmet” in long boarding.
Look up “Liam Morgan raw run” if you have 2 mins to spare and enjoyed this…
Skillz!
Skillz!
At times of feeling
At times of feeling motivationally compromised, in breach of Rule #5, I google “people are awesome and red bull” and awe….
Quote:
I presume the camera
I don’t think so.. if you look at the way the skateboarders were moving their position about to turn and slow down, the picture is too steady to be held by a skateboarder – my money is on the camera being fixed to a bike.
I mastered the “Scandinavian
I mastered the “Scandinavian flick” years ago on 4 wheels,
but these guys take the biscuit … completely sideways …. !!!!!
chapeau 🙂
My nephew does this, down
My nephew does this, down some very steep roads indeed, flat out. He came off last year coming down a hill and hit a roadside sign at maybe 50mph. His knee was almost completely severed, only one tendon remaining. After nearly a year of reconstruction surgery, he’s still into it but also gone back to higher education and is growing up fast!