What is the most on the edge, controlled, skillful and jaw-dropping bit of riding you have seen, in person or on the screen?

This has to be the one that sticks out for me:

Danny Hart 2011

I’ve not seen anyone ride with such control, given the conditions as well, it’s simply a heroic run.

The Danny Hart one on Video.

But the matter of fact riding that Jedi demo’d to me really opened my eyes to how limited my own mental and physical abilities are.

I hope one day to open a mental door which will release a flood of unrelenting bike related talent, any time soon would be good…

😀 You can’t help but grin watching and listening to that.

Amen, this thread is obviously an excuse to share it again

This, I really wasn’t expecting the second part of it when I first saw it

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLejkyXbJlc[/video]

The big breakthrough Danny MacAskill video or Joe Barnes on Ben Aan

+1 Danny Hart – Not content with that whip, he carries on pedalling mid-air.

Sends shivers down my spine watching it.

Danny Hart’s WC run has to be up there, just because he was head and shoulders above everyone else there!

Some of the trials stuff – Danny MacAskill and Martyn Ashton on the Dogma recently were bloody impressive.

Fabian Cancellara’s descending to get back onto the bunch after a flat in the yellow jersey in the Tour in 2009(?) was phenomenal, if only because the ramifications of it going wrong was so serious, and he nearly hit so many team cars!

Sean Kelly’s descent of the Poggio to catch Argenten, in Milan San Remo. He didn’t hold back that day.

2nd the Ben A’an Vid.
Bizet on Rampage was pretty heroic even if the judges placed him 2nd.

Best this week..
Martyn Ashton and

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbF6ZZqVMyk[/video]

Olly wilkins or jimmy pratt riding trails. No tricks, just loads of style.

doh.

best I’ve seen in person was the first Mayhem I did, must be 10 or 12 years ago. Tinker Juarez won the mens solo and the rain was biblical. It had a long, not steep but ridiculously muddy ‘Landrover’ climb in it. There were two sloppy ruts either side with a sticky, slippy central ridge about 18″ higher than the ruts. The string of riders walking up it looked like the retreat from Paschendaele.

Not only did Tinker ride it, he dropped down into the ruts and then bunnyhopped back up on to the ridge to overtake us all, and what’s more thanked and encouraged us all as he passed.

Wasn’t dangerous, or even massively beyond what a decent rider should be able to do but it was CLASSY.

Haha love that Danny Hart run. Always worth a watch before a muddy ride.

As above, Jedi ain’t too shabby. Following him over a 25 foot gap and him looking back to make eye contact is a bit unnerving…

Me yesterday morning when a mallard duck stepped in front of me at the last minute and me and my commuter flew 15 feet into the canal on my way to work. Anyone less skillful would have hit the duck and not lost their glasses and ruined their phone in the water 😀 If only a talent scout was there and not the female on a bike who simply thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen.

Aw tom – even on your birthday

Ah cheers guys 🙂

I caught a glimpse of my reflection as I was pinning it past the Skoda dealership yesterday and I thought I was Fabien Barel.. so maybe that..?

Danny Hart’s Championship win! Wow! Best I’ve ever seen and it gives me shivers!

Madison is not riding in that video, he’s flying. Does that count?

Sam Hill in 2007 when he is flying until he slid out close to the finish. Ended up about 2 seconds behind Steve Peat.

In person, it is actually someone locally; it was a few years ago now and it’s nothing you’d write a postcard on but he was on a 24″ wheel jump bike with beaten up forks and bald tyres. He floated down a super steep, rutted section of trail with such amazing speed, grace and flow I was just gobsmacked. It was one of those ‘that’s possible?’ moments.

Another Hart vid. Not the most gnarly riding, but damn it is smooth as silk:

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/148712/

Arron Gwin in 3 minute gaps. I’d seen an edit of him in a previous CP film that blew me away, but this is on another level……..

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNNhFvgWlq0[/video]

In person, Ash from Trail Addiction and his switchback endo turns in La Plagne this summer. It looked easy, so I tried to repeat. Once I picked myself of the floor and dusted myself down I realised what he’d done. I mean, I can do endo turns but not like THAT.

And any Trials riding in the flesh blows me away.

Luvin that Rob H…Classic. 😆

I’ve been fortunate enough to witness and follow close at hand, close enough for me to mimic what they do subconsciously which was the only way i could ever learn stuff until i met Jedi.

The first kid was Geoff Gulevich, I followed him down ‘crank it up’ and did stuff there’s no way i’d have even contemplated nor would ever had again until i went on one of Jedi’s courses, both totally different riders, one just young and intuitive the other a seasoned practised born in the saddle riding genius.

Either way, riding with experts is the ony way to learn, you can watch videos or from the sidelines all day long, it does nothing for me, but being there alongside or best, just behind them…

Top of glen tilt, rode it 2 times on fully loaded bike packing bike would love to try it with no luggage. Proper singletrack with a huge penalty if you go off to the left. Stunning.

SITS 2006, second man out on our team, and second lap overall. I was in the best biking shape I’ve ever been in, and was blasting out the lap, no-one had overtaken me and I was picking off numerous riders.

Then Nick Craig came past, sitting down whilst going uphill, when I was honking out the saddle. He was having a chat with another one of the elite riders, who was pedalling alongside. Effortless. I may as well have been stood off the bike and watching. They were on their third team lap, I was about halfway around our second, and the race had only been going about an hour.

I always benchmark that incident as the very definition of having my arse handed to me on a plate. When I thought I was good at something, and someone who’s actually good at it showed me up for being an imposter.

Riding with Nick Craig is always impressive. I thought I was going pretty quick down some doubletrack, then he floated past down some singletrack I’d not seen at the side, as if he wasn’t even touching the ground. His son Tom’s not far off the pace, which is scary considering he’s 15.

There’s a vid of NIcolas Vouilloz pinning it which I can’t find right now. Always impressed me.

Dorp to falt!

I know there’s newer ‘names’ out there but Dan Cowan is still great to watch in a WTF kind of way.

The Cancellara video mentioned above is this one:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxXqQqAc2pA[/video]

Chase back into the bunch after a flat tyre. SO smooth. The driver of the following moto camera bike deserves a medal as well for some very impressive piloting skills in keeping up!

Matt Priest, last week’s edit from The Source. Awesome goofy footed BMXer who we’ve ridden with on and off since he was 14/15. Not sure how to embed:
http://vimeo.com/51594164

But this was the piece of riding altered the course of my life completely. I wish I was joking!

Taj Mihelich, 1997, Austin Texas. Power & style for miles..

I may as well have been stood off the bike and watching. They were on their third team lap, I was about halfway around our second, and the race had only been going about an hour.

I always benchmark that incident as the very definition of having my arse handed to me on a plate.

Not the best I’ve seen but this reminded me ^^, I was out on the road bike last week and went past a guy in team GB kit, on a white Pinarello. I looked twice (becuase of the kit) and I recognised him I think as as Ian Stannard – not inconcievable as he’s from around these parts (Essex). Anyway, he was donning a rain jacket as I went past with the obligatory “OK?” and wave which he acknowledged. 10 mins later I was standing on what I now know to be a cat4 climb, when said rider came cruising past me sitting down at a pace so quick I hardly heard him say “morning again, keep at it…” 😮