by Matthew Cobb
This popped up in my Tw*tter feed yesterday, from experimental evolution ace Richard Lenski (@RELenski). It’s not new, but it is scary. Here’s the picture Richard re-tweeted:
And yes it is real. In 2006, mountain bikers Hans Rey and Steve Peat decided to ride their bikes along a narrow ledge of the cliffs of Moher in Ireland. These massive cliffs have a sheer drop of 600ft down into the pounding Atlantic – they featured in David Lean’s epic film (did he make any other kind?) Ryan’s Daughter. There’s more detail of the trip, along with some pics, here. I’ve reproduced a few, plus a nausea-inducing video.
And remember folks, DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!
+1 Flogging Molly.
Another one worth checking out if you like this sort of thing is “Danny MacAskill”, biking over rooftops and in beautiful scenery on Isle of Skye. Good music included, too.
http://youtu.be/Cj6ho1-G6tw
That’s amazing! It’s like parkour with a bicycle. Beautiful cinematography, also.
I wish I were young enough to learn to ride like that. When I was young we thought we were radical on skateboards, bikes, motorcycles etc. And actually we were! But we weren’t even dreaming about what they do these days. The only thing I can keep up with the youngsters on, and often take them to school, is GP type motorcycle road racing. Once you pass a certain age though, the body just doesn’t rebound like it use to.
Holy moly! And I thought jumping out of airplanes was dangerous.
I don’t have such cliffs at home.
+1
I had to remove mine to keep my insurance rates low.
Boy, am I glad that I don’t have the Cliffs of Moher at home!
I have stood on kjeragbolten, the famous rock stuk in a gully atop a cliff so this is nothing! 😉
http://tinyurl.com/q68ua7t
Well one couple appear to have combined cycling and kjeragbolten…: https://www.online.no/Images/fjordene-620x350_tcm48-93245.jpg
The crazy guys who bike at the edge of the cliffs wear helmets. I repeat, they are wearing helmets. Remember that next time you want to leave your bike helmet at home!
I mean, it makes sense. You want your remains to look not too gruesome during the ceremony…
And this proves – that helmet wearers are suicidally crazy lunatics? That a helmet will save you when you hit the deck at 120 mph? I’m reminded of Jeremy Clarkson’s railway crossing safety message – “Always wear a high-vis jacket”.
Oh f$@% it imbedded. Forgot. Sorry 🙁
Did you notice they were wearing helmets? These guys are wusses.
If they want it to get into the mags, particularly in the UK, then its pretty much a requirement.
Dunno why but its something which kicked in for mountain bikers since about the start but not for roadies.
I was at the cliffs of moher once, but I forgot to take my bike – doh. Well, next time…
These wimps chose not to go into Devil’s Washbowl: Kayaking Middle Fork Kings River. Conversely, they did portage kayaks over Bishop Pass (11572′)!
Guinness: Consider the consequences.
Hey guys, let me explain about these Darwin awards … you don’t actually want to win one.
Whenever you hear “Hey watch this!” — you may soon be seeing evolution in action.
Not as soon as its close cousin: “Here, hold my beer while I give it a try!”
b&
I’ve been there, and that’s an extremely unwise thing to do! Even standing on the edge is risky as gusts of wind come along every now and then. Plus pieces of the cliff occasionally crack off.
I was told by a friend there that someone falls off and plummets to their death on a semi-regular basis. Not sure how true that is, but on a bike, you hit one stray rock the wrong way with your wheel, and……
Those two arent exactly average riders though, both have acquired world championship titles in various mountain biking disciplines.
About as safe for them to ride it as for someone normal to walk it, they really are that good.
No, it’s not really safe. What do they do when the piece they’re cycling on lets go and falls? No amount of expertise will help in that situation.
One of the accounts in “Death in Yosemite” (a catalog of all deaths known to have occurred in Yosemite National Park) mentions a rock climber going up one of the big granite cliffs there. He put out a hand to balance a little, touching a big (and seemingly stable) slab of granite – and it instantly fell away.
Something similar could easily happen at the cliffs of Moher. To say nothing of gusting wind.
And, if you do try it, don’t do it in the middle of a pub crawl….
b&
A parachute might improve their chances if they have an accident.
You have no idea how relieved I am that my son is not into mountain climbing, biking on cliff sides and all other dangerous extreme sports.
On the other hand, I absolutely love this video:
I was thinking Venn diagrams. There are people who are into mountain biking along trails and even off-trail, and then there are people who are into extreme sports like base jumping. The latter can feel ill if they are not risking their lives. These two are in the intersection.
You probably don’t want to try this, either. (or watch this if you suffer from a vestibular disorder… or have eaten recently, etc.)
When I see people do those crazy things, which would make every cell in my body scream “run away” rather than “Hell ya, let’s do this!” it seems apparent there is something different about their brains vs mine.
Apparently some people have physiological brain structures that tend to register less fear. (I think that’s one of the difference found in psychopaths or something like that?…not to cast such aspersions on those cyclists. They may be crazy but…)
Vaal
Age is a factor. I did some fairly dangerous things fifty years ago, but now, in my dotage, I’m much more cautious.
Whether this change is due to increased timidity or to increased knowledge of risks, I do not know.
Well, it would be very difficult for me to to do this at home in Houston with our rugged terrain. But if I should ever again hoist myself onto a bicycle, it would probably be a great deal riskier to ride in our traffic. But their view is a lot better.
In their defense, I don’t think they were trying it at home either.
I’ve been to the cliffs and that is CRAZY!
I see a pair of future Darwin Award winners.
Do not tempt natural selection. There is no forgiveness.