Freight Worse Than Death? Slopestyle on a Train!

Prepare to see physics in action, and perhaps take a travel sickness pill. Dawid Godziek’s latest video has him riding a jump line on a moving train. The video doesn’t even have a clever/rad/high stoke title – it’s just ‘Riding A Bike On Top Of A Moving Train’. Surely a huge missed opportunity… go to the comments and provide your suggested titles!

‘Galilean Relativity? Figure You’d Have A Go?’… IGMC (Headline credit goes to Benji on this one!).

It’s all very impressive, but is it just me that is reminded of this?

Here’s the official PR from Red Bull:

Dawid Godziek, the 2024 Slopestyle World Champion, has achieved a historic milestone in mountain biking: riding his bike on a moving train. In a world-first feat, created in collaboration with Prada Linea Rossa, Godziek navigated an unprecedented mountain bike course built on a speeding train, mastering 10 carriages at a speed of 23 km/h while executing some of the sport’s most electrifying tricks, all captured in a spectacular “freeze frame” effect. 

The vision was clear – build the world’s first MTB track on a moving train. Turning this ambitious idea into reality, the Polish rider conquered the challenging course. With a 2.7-meter-wide track, potential wind gusts, and limited reference points, the technical demands were immense, but Godziek’s champion-level skills made the seemingly impossible, possible.

“At first, I practiced riding on the track while the train was parked. Once I felt confident, we set the train in motion and gradually increased the speed. 23 kilometers per hour was the right moving speed to match my riding speed to create the feeling of riding in one position. That impression of a frozen background is very strange. Navigating this course smoothly was much more challenging than it looks,” said Godziek.

To perfect this pioneering achievement, the rider made 15 attempts, ultimately realizing the intended “freeze frame” video effect that leaves viewers in awe.

“We are dealing with the principle of Galilean relativity here. When a train moves in one direction at a constant speed, and Dawid riding in the opposite direction maintains a similar speed, a camera positioned on the side keeps the rider in a static frame the entire time. It’s a bit like in old-school computer games where the background scrolls, and the player always stays in the central part of the screen,” explained Dawid Myśliwiec, the creator of popular science videos.

Godziek did not just ride the train – he dominated it. His run included spectacular tricks such as a double tailwhip, frontflip, and the world’s first-ever flat drop backflip to flat landing from stairs on the final carriage. Accompanying him on the shoot was his older brother, Szymon, an accomplished freestyle MTB rider and Red Bull Rampage podium finisher.

“Dawid is now at his peak performance level. In 2024 he stood atop the podium at the FMB World Tour in Cairns, Innsbruck, and Whistler. I am glad he still has the passion for doing unconventional things and pushing the boundaries, not only in official competitions. Red Bull Bike Express is a crazy and technically challenging project. I hope the video can inspire people to get into mountain biking,” commented Szymon.

The Red Bull Bike Express course was an engineering marvel, built on 10 train cars provided by Grupa Azoty Koltar. It featured 8 jumps, a roller, and a stair drop, all navigated on Godziek’s custom Specialized bike equipped with Continental tires. Filming took place in Upper Silesia with support from PKP Polish State Railways S.A., marking the first Polish sports project produced in collaboration with Prada Linea Rossa: the champion was equipped with clothes that allowed freedom of movement, bringing together comfort and high-performance function, in an ongoing partnership with Red Bull that supports demanding challenges and the athletes who dare to take them on.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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