Gee Atherton's biggest crash ever

[TheoG]

12 hours ago, justinafrika said:

Nuts + crazy + stupid I'd say Theo. I've had two ribs fractured (rugby), L1 and L2 compression fracture (rugby), and a comminuted ankle fracture, but none were as a result of taking such an outrageous risk.

Worthwhile risk? I just don't see it. The extended pain, the long schlep to recover, scheduling med appointments every/every other day, the potential long-term consequences of orthotic insertions (speak to Gee in a decade's time). Nuts + crazy + stupid.

Yea I only broke my ankle a few months ago during normal riding, Its not worth the injuries for sure, pulling those stunts, when he pull it off its awesome, but if he dont .... ????

Edited July 21, 2021 by TheoG

[Steady Spin]

Where do we draw the line between age and stunts? 

For example at age 40 I started dirt jumping again...

[ChrisF]

3 minutes ago, Steady Spin said:

Where do we draw the line between age and stunts? 

For example at age 40 I started dirt jumping again...

 

It seems as long as you pull it off, AND post the best choreographed videos, well then you are a super star ....

 

Slip up and fall .... and you are a "moron" (insert any derogatory word) .....

 

[Meezo]

1 hour ago, Thermophage said:

Pretty simple really...because you want to ride it and try.

The world, thankfully, is full of people like Gee who show us what's possible beyond the realms of your average dirt roadie.

Gravel biking bru

[DieselnDust]

Bravery and stupidity are only separated by a thin line called Outcome

[gemmerbal]

3 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Bravery and stupidity are only separated by a thin line called Outcome

This reminds me of Martin Ashton who ended up paying (almost) the ultimate price. These guys are nuts, but that’s who they are. Think Jeb Corless/Alex Honnold. Would i do it? Hell no. Do i enjoy their videos when they pull it off? Yes. Does it freak me out? Absolutely!

Edited July 21, 2021 by gemmerbal

[Robbie Stewart]

Some interesting perspectives being raised on both sides of the divide. Those for and those against. 

I have also started riding some trails that are putting me in the higher risk category for my age. These are calculated risks I take seeing as I get some level of enjoyment from doing them. Can I get hurt? Sure. Do do it to impress others? No. 

But on the flip side to that coin, Gee is being paid by Red Bull to put himself in harms way to entertain. Same could be said of most of the sports RB sponsor. Point in case the F1 race of last weekend. Max Verstappen too could so easily have been killed in that crash. Why does he do it? For the title and handsome pay checks sure, but why does F1 exist? To entertain.

I guess the question is if entertainment is worth the risks to the entertainers?

[MTBeer]

 

4 hours ago, stefmeister said:

100%

I'm not into these extreme edits. The athletes continuously have to out do their previous acts or the peers, all this to create social media content for likes/follows etc.

Viewers/fans get desensitized eventually, also demanding more, and if it's not gnarlier than the previous video, they lose interest. Yet, the same people can't even bunny hop a side walk. 
It reminds me of when Tony Hawk PS game came out, and these nobodies would expect you to also do a double backflip out of a crooked nose grind landing with a double kick flip. 

no they don't. there is a thing called freedom of choice

Edited July 21, 2021 by MTBeer

[The Ouzo]

8 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Some interesting perspectives being raised on both sides of the divide. Those for and those against. 

I have also started riding some trails that are putting me in the higher risk category for my age. These are calculated risks I take seeing as I get some level of enjoyment from doing them. Can I get hurt? Sure. Do do it to impress others? No. 
 

Every single one of us that gets on a bike weighs up the risk. The risk obviously differs depending on what kind of riding you are doing and where, but there is always a risk.

[Headshot]

That line looked more dangerous than Rampage and Hardline to me. You can't see how much of a build was done on it but it looked pretty raw , as if he was riding it as is. No foam pads like they have in Hardline where there is a high risk drop off next to the trail. In Rampage, they spend hours making their lines at least ridable to some extent. This felt to me like he was taking things a bit beyond what was sensible even for someone as brave and skilled as him.

[stefmeister]

3 hours ago, MTBeer said:

 

no they don't. there is a thing called freedom of choice

Well yes, if we're going to be pedantic about the literal sense of the word.

 

You also don't have to get up in the cold and go to work tomorrow morning, but who's going to pay your bills. 

It's just a bit different when your income depends on generating views/clicks/likes etc.

 

[Mountain Bru]

4 hours ago, gemmerbal said:

This reminds me of Martin Ashton who ended up paying (almost) the ultimate price. These guys are nuts, but that’s who they are. Think Jeb Corless/Alex Honnold. Would i do it? Hell no. Do i enjoy their videos when they pull it off? Yes. Does it freak me out? Absolutely!

Wouldn't quite put Alex Honnold in the same category. If risk is probability x consequence, his risk is probably much lower than you think. He said in an interview once that he thinks mountain bikers are nuts for doing what they do. For him, the consequence of it going wrong is massive, but the probability is small (by his standards) considering he spent 2 years learning every hold and maneuver on El Cap with a rope before he free soloed it. Like the equivalent of Atherton riding that line for 2 years except the entire mountain is made of foam and can't hurt him, and then doing it once on the real thing once he's nailed every section 100 times. 
In Honnold's eyes, mountain bikers have a higher probability of falling and hurting themselves, but the injuries are less severe than falling off a mountain. So in his eyes, mountain biking is a higher risk than free soloing EL Cap.

(They're all a bit cooked upstairs in my opinion though) 

[eddy]

11 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

 

These guys are forced to ride more and more gnarly things in order to stay relevant otherwise the same crowd who slam him for riding dumb terrain slam him for just riding and filming the same boring trails as everyone else and call for his retirement etc etc

 

I read a while ago a interview with one of the high profile Red Bull Rampage  riders. His view was that the routes are becoming increasingly extreme but there is no way he can choose not to ride as there will always be those who haven't made it yet, who are prepared to risk it all. As soon as he says "this is too dangerous" his career is over.

 

 

[Mamil]

He and froome are about the same age I think. Healing from a list of injuries like that is one thing at 22. Late 30s is a little different. 

And whether he crashes or pulls off the incredible edit, we're all tapping our screens and sharing the video.