I have a confession to make: I don’t like all those Red Bull extreme cycling videos. The reason for that is really simple: real people get hurt doing ever more extreme things, as marketing for a company.
Arms race
Think about it for a minute. You’re watching a Red Bull video showing someone doing a double backflip on a bicycle, and – because you’re human – in time you will adjust to such videos as normal. As a result, they will start losing their edginess over time. The only way to counter that, is to get someone to do a triple backflip, or perhaps a double backflip over a pit of crocodiles, while passing through a ring of flames. And once that becomes old hat, what’s the next level of escalation?
And who will suffer life-changing injuries, if something went wrong? Not Red Bull, that’s for sure. They’ll simply replace the injured riders with other riders, and move on.
The image above is a still from the official Red Bull Rampage 2025 video. Do go watch the video. Once the excitement wore off, ask yourself why there are are no mentions of the severe injuries suffered by Adolf Silva. He sustained paralysing spinal injuries after a double backflip crash, yet all the video tells you is that he’s alert, talking to his family, and being taken to hospital for further treatment. Also not a word about any of the other riders severely injured during the event. Can’t let very real broken human bodies interfere with the marketing hype, now can we?
Cycle tourers are sometimes guilty, too
Cycle touring can suffer from the same. Most cycle tourers , like Andrew Sykes, do it right. However, there are some that feel the need to be first. Now someone needs to be first, but if racing the clock is your primary motivation, then I absolutely guarantee you will miss out on so much along the way.
Machismo
There’s far too much machismo in cycling. One cycling club near me used to use the slogan of “No falls, no balls”, which pretty much sums up toxic masculinity.
Cyclists talk about “attacking” a climb, or “conquering” a mountain. Look, if you want to challenge yourself, by all means go for it. That can be quite healthy. But can you do so with less military phrasing? Cycling’s not supposed to be a war!
Ask your average female cyclist what she thinks of cycling clubs, then see if you can work out why so many women dislike male-dominated cycling clubs. Next, honestly examine your own behaviour, and truthfully evaluate where you fit it.
Sometimes, less is more
If you’re always going full speed, at hardest levels of effort, while staring at your computer, to check your heart rate, cadence and speed is where you want it to be, try doing something different.
Try going for a ride with your computer in a jersey pocket. Ignore what speed you’re going at, and instead focus on what’s around you. Did you see that young stoat in the hedge? Can you identify the smells along the way? What do those cloud shapes remind you of? And would the view be better if you stop at that gap in the hedge? And can you identify those crops in the field?
Sometimes, even Red Bull gets it right
Have you ever watched the Red Bull soapbox races? Ordinary people building all sorts of weird and wonderful soapbox cars, then test them down a downhill track filled with obstacles. While inevitably someone tries to be the winner, most probably just try and complete the course.
And suddenly, machismo disappears. People are smiling – competitors and onlookers alike – and enjoying themselves.
Your cycling can be similar. It’s entirely possible to ride to a café at a sedate pace, not because you’re incapable of going faster, but because you chose to slow down, and immerse yourself in the journey. Go try it. I suspect you’ll agree with me.