Amazing skill

[Wahine]

This video is super human. The sad part is that Martyn Ashton has since suffered a severe spinal injury from a fall while doing a stunt. It makes me wonder about the motivation to do these tricks. The risk seems so very high. Would people do this kind of thing just for the fun of it if we weren't all watching them on youtube? Is the intrinsic drive enough to push people to this kind of risk? Or is it a byproduct of the human quest for fame? Probably both.

Meanwhile, this video is most definitely worth a watch just for the pure athleticism of the riders.

[thekarens]

I think some people are natural risk takers/adrenaline junkies, though I'm sure the fame is also a driving factor.

[ny biker]

I know someone who was seriously injured recently from a jump-gone-bad while mountain biking, and he wasn't doing it for youtube. Some people do just enjoy the challenge and the thrill. I can also see how peer pressure could play into it, and the possibility of making a viral video probably does drive some people.

[OakLeaf]

I hadn't heard that about Martyn Ashton. That's a shame.

OTOH, there's Aaron Fotheringham:




And it's commonly understood that starting to race karts was super important to Wayne Rainey's rehabilitation after his spinal cord injury.

So maybe we will see Ashton out there again, just in/on a slightly different vehicle.

[TigerMom]

Thanks for letting me know of Road Bike Party 2. He is AMAZING!!! Sad to hear about his injury though

[smilingcat]

They do it just for the same reason I did probably. The rush, the high, euphoria of cheating death so to speak. When you are young you don't think too much of the consequences and when you do get hurt or banged up pretty bad (I've egg beater some many times on my skis I have no clue the number of times), you learn to deal with the pain of injury. You never get used to the pain, you just learn to deal with it.

I also did it to prove to the guys that I can be just as "dumb".

[OakLeaf]

Everyone has her own risk tolerance. We all know people who think riding a road bike is crazy. I know plenty of roadies who think riding a mountain bike is crazy. What I think is crazy, is making a conscious choice not to live one's life, in hopes that by reducing its scope, one can increase its duration.

Which is not to say that my personal risk tolerance is as high as any of the three individuals I've mentioned. It isn't. Only that if I decide I want to try something, IMO "it's dangerous" is not a valid reason to pass it up.

[rebeccaC]

Personally I think it’s about wanting an acute level of awareness and the emotion that adrenaline feeds in to being a heightened sense of being alive. When it gets to a point that someone NEEDS that kind of rush by pushing themselves to a serious injury edge then perhaps they need to reevaluate the need to push to such higher goals.

Sorry to hear of anyone injuring themselves badly in pursuing an athletic type goal…..

[Wahine]

Everyone has her own risk tolerance. We all know people who think riding a road bike is crazy. I know plenty of roadies who think riding a mountain bike is crazy. What I think is crazy, is making a conscious choice not to live one's life, in hopes that by reducing its scope, one can increase its duration.

Which is not to say that my personal risk tolerance is as high as any of the three individuals I've mentioned. It isn't. Only that if I decide I want to try something, IMO "it's dangerous" is not a valid reason to pass it up.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. And if the reason for doing this kind of thing is intrinsic, well that's a good reason.

[pll]

Guys like Martyn Ashton are professionals, so while they may have started with some thrill seeking, I don't think thrill is all there is to it. At some level, they may have to out-do themselves to keep their professional gig running. Amazing control of a bike. If I had 10% of that skill, I'd be a very happy camper.

[Melalvai]

Isn't Martyn Ashton a type of car?

[Blueberry]

Isn't Martyn Ashton a type of car?

Aston Martin, I think