Stunt biker releases new video to inspire next generation

Renowned biker Danny MacAskill hopes his new stunt film inspires the next generation to get on their bikes and try something daring.

The 35-year-old YouTube sensation, from the Isle of Skye, collaborated with fellow Scot and BMX expert Kriss Kyle in footage that sees them negotiate natural hurdles on woodland trails and concrete obstacles on the Blackpool seafront.

The feature video, titled This and That, sees the pair switch between mountain and street bikes, perfectly executing complex tricks – and failing the odd few as well.

MacAskill, whose exploits have garnered him hundreds of millions of online views, said he had planned to create a video with international riders but due to the pandemic he and Kyle, 29, had to stay in the UK.

The six-minute film was shot in Nesscliffe in Shropshire and in Blackpool.

MacAskill said: “We filmed for around five days and it was a lot of fun, collaborating with Kriss was great, he is a very creative rider with amazing ability.

“Nesscliffe provided a really good area, near an old sandstone quarry with natural obstacles and jumps to work with, while Blackpool has some interesting obstacles, but the wind made it very challenging.”

In one tense clip, MacAskill expertly balances both wheels across the length of a link-chain in Blackpool, which he says took several attempts.

He said: “I struggled with it, before I managed to sneak my way across.

“The part that feels the worst is going from the wall down onto the chain, front wheel on the chain, back wheel on the wall.

“It’s quite a vague feeling, so you have to cross your fingers and try and go in a straight line.

“You can get away with a bit more crashing on the dirt than on concrete.”

The film was sponsored by Scotland-based cycle kit maker Endura, which makes items like helmets, jerseys and protective padding.

It features several wipe-outs and crashes as the pair attempt high-level acrobatics, which MacAskill says contributes to its relaxed, off-the-cuff feel and shows other riders the realities of biking.

Kriss Kyle performs a stunt in Blackpool (Dave Mackison/PA)

He added: “I’m a trial veteran and Kriss is BMX but we’ve got into mountain biking in the past couple of years so it’s mix and match, or this and that even.

“It’s quite challenging to do tricks on mountain bikes, they don’t particularly like going backwards, but these days they are so good and light and strong.

“We’ve just tried to produce a fun, entertaining video.

“Hopefully some younger riders watching this get inspired to go out on their bikes – and as they will see from the bloopers the other message is wear your helmets and pads.”