Andreu Lacondeguy Nails Biggest Backflip Ever on a Mountain Bike

Andreu Lacondeguy has just nailed the world’s biggest backflip on his mountain bike.  Why?  Because, in his words,  “For the last two years, we have been jumping in BMX size jumps. We are riding mountain bikes! We can go bigger! The sport is going to suck if the competitions are not a challenge anymore”.

So Red Bull jumped on board and helped make it happen.  Here’s the scoop on the jump, Andreu and the video that this segment was shot for:

The Jump

Andreu has been riding mountain bike and FMX at the same time for a couple of years. So he simply took his FMX ramp, much longer and steeper than any other mountain bike ramp, and drove it to Flaça surroundings, a tiny village in Gerona’s countryside (Catalonia, Spain). With the help and advice from the experienced rider and jump builder Axel Juergens, they took advantage from a natural slope in the forest. But to reach even more speed, they had to build a scary 45ft. (15 m) long speed jump, which was even more complicated than the FMX ramp itself.

At full speed, Andreu faces the metallic ramp to fly around 35ft far (10m) and almost 25ft high (8m). Many seconds in the air to execute any trick at a never been seen amplitude. And a supersized dirt landing was waiting for him.

The Tricks

Any failed jump means a huge crash. And every tumble on the landing means enough to think twice about jumping again. So there was not much space to fail. That is why, after a couple of training days, Andreu landed every trick at first or second try. And he landed almost everything…

Double Backflip (huge, probably the biggest one ever made on a mountain bike, and at first try!), Backflip Tailwhip, Backflip Superman, Backflip Indian Air, Underflip, Double Tailwhip, 360 Flatspin Seatgrab Indian Air, Superman Seatgrab…

The photographer Sebas Romero was shooting and “Boston Joy Productions” filmed the session for the “We Are Family” DVD. The film, that will be released this spring, includes the best Spanish Freestyle riders in every discipline.

Catch this video and the regular webisode series on Lacondeguy on Watch26.tv.