Hans Rey and Steve Peat: On the Most Terrifying Mountain Bike Trail On Earth [VIDEO]

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Dawn was about to break. Conditions were inclement, damp and misty, more like the hangover of a storm. There was no margin for error. You need nerves of steel to ride over a narrow rocky ledge hanging over a sheer 600 foot dropping down to the waiting rocks and pounding waves of the Atlantic.

  

Photo: Victor Lucas via Hans Rey

When Hans Rey ventured on a road trip with fellow mountain biking star Steve Peat, the plan was “to ride all the cool biking trails and spots in Ireland and to visit a few pubs along the way.” Yet the Swiss trials rider and multiple World Champion had long had his sights on the Emerald Isle’s legendary Cliffs of Moher.

The problem was that they hadn’t foreseen the Cliffs being quite such a tourist trap by day, nor that the weather would be as adverse as it was. So they postponed their plans until early the next morning, though not without misgivings. “We were well aware of stories of the dangerous upward drafts, strong winds that would sweep the cliffs, and as stories have it, pulled several people down over the years,” said Hans.

Photo: Victor Lucas via Hans Rey

 “Even though it was a stormy day, the winds were calm right on the edge of the cliffs. We got more and more daring. We rode ledges that were only about 4 inches wide and even jumped over 4 foot gaps.” !!!

 Photo: Victor Lucas via Hans Rey

 “The dangerous part riding the ledge was not to ride too close to the hillside, since we didn't want to catch a pedal on the rocks and high-side down the cliff.” Obviously it takes superlative skill to pull off a stunt like this, and the riders completed their spectacular trail without mishap.

Photo: Victor Lucas via Hans Rey

Of course, the local authorities knew nothing about what was going down on the Cliffs of Moher that cold Irish winter morning. Just for the record, there were no parachutes in their backpacks. Hans concludes. "Mind over matter and the mercy of Mother Nature.”

  Surprisigly the Highlands were once covered with trees. Now only about 1% of the forest remains.

 Scotland trip around Torridon and Skye with Scotland’s mountain bike holiday experts, Highlands and Islands Adventures.

  

Hans Rey riding a tight bend at the Quiraing, Skye.

Source: Environmentalgraffiti and more info with pics at 1, 2, 3

A documentary style VIDEO showing the state of mountain biking and the people that are helping to define the sport. Watch it.

VIDEO: Danny MacAskill discovers Livigno with bike trial legend Hans Rey, in the heart of the Alps.

Well, after seeing and reading about them, I can surely ask myself, Do the helmets make sense ??!!

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River over River in Germany: The Magdeburg Water Bridge [VIDEO]

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The Magdeburg Water Bridge in Germany deserves a special mention. Opened in October 2003 and part of the Magdeburg crossing of waterways, it connects the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittellandkanal, crossing over the Elbe River. With a total length of 3,012 feet or 918 meters, it’s the longest navigable aqueduct in the world.

The Elbe–Havel Canal and Mittelland Canal canals had previously met near Magdeburg but on opposite sides of the Elbe, which was at a significantly lower elevation than the two canals. Ships moving between the two had to make a 12-kilometre detour, descending from the Mittelland Canal through the Rothensee boat lift into the Elbe, then sailing downstream on the river, before ascending to the Elbe-Havel Canal through Niegripp lock. Low water levels in the Elbe often prevented fully laden canal barges from making this crossing, requiring time-consuming off-loading of cargo.

The reunification of Germany and establishment of major water transport routes made the Water Bridge a priority again. Work started in 1997, with construction taking six years and costing €500 million. The water bridge now connects Berlin’s inland harbour network with the ports along the Rhine river.

 

More visuals here in the VIDEO below. Check out.

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Aerogel or frozen smoke: The lightest solid material on the planet. [VIDEO]

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Aerogel is a synthetic porous ultralight material derived from a gel, in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas. The result is a solid with extremely low density and thermal conductivity. It is nicknamed frozen smoke, solid smoke, solid air or blue smoke owing to its translucent nature; however, it feels like expanded polystyrene (styrofoam) to the touch.

Peter Tsou with a sample of aerogel at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.

 

A flower is sitting on a piece of aerogel which is suspended over a bunsen burner. Aerogel has excellent insulating properties, and the flower is protected from the flame. 

 

This photo illustrates the excellent insulating properties of aerogel. The crayons on top of the aerogel are protected from the flame underneath, and are not melting. 

A 2.5 kg brick is supported on top of a piece of aerogel weighing only 2 grams. 

Though with a ghostly appearance like an hologram, aerogel is very solid. It feels like hard styrofoam to the touch.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Alex Gash shows us some remarkable properties of this truly unique substance. Check out this interesting Video:

It is the lightest solid material on the planet. Aerogel insulates space suits, makes tennis rackets stronger and could be used one day to clean up oil spills.

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Kjeragbolten boulder: Afraid of heights? This will make your knees shudder [VIDEO]

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The Kjeragbolten boulder is a huge rock wedged more than 1000 meters up between two cliff faces. The boulder is situated in the Kjerag mountain, in Norway.

Rumours say that the rock got stuck there sometime during the last ice age. Today, it’s one of the most popular places to get your picture taken.  Even though the boulder hangs more than a kilometer above the water below, and there’s no hand rail or safety net, people walk (in some cases, crawl) out onto the rock for a photo shoot. Evidently the rock’s surface is flat enough that walking out onto it is relatively easy. Just mind your steps and don’t look down. If you get dizzy, you lose your balance and fall into the chasm below.

This area of Norway is absolutely gorgeous! Kjeragbolten is reachable from the Kjerag plateau, a peak that towers above all others in the Lysefjord area. The plateau has become a popular BASE jumping site. But several BASE jumping accidents happen here each year, and BASE jumping from the plateau may eventually become illegal. But if you don’t plan to jump from the plateau, you can simply take in an incredible view of the blue fjords below, the surrounding mountain cliffs, and, weather permitting, an azure sky. The climb to the plateau isn’t easy. The hike is a short 3.6 miles (6 kilometers), but it’s a vertical one; there’s an elevation change of 1,500 feet (500 meters) between start and finish.

To add to the intrigue of the Kjerag mountain, there’s a place near the summit where you’ll hear the sound of a pistol and even see smoke. It’s not a ghost shooting at you. It’s just the wind, blowing in from the east.

Source: Howstuffworks

These Base Jumpers are Amazingly Daring.. Check this VIDEO out. 

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Golden Puffer fish Puffed Up..!!

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Pufferfish are generally believed to be the second most poisonous vertebrates in the world, after the golden poison frog. Certain internal organs, such as liver, and sometimes the skin, are highly toxic to most animals when eaten; nevertheless, the meat of some species is considered a delicacy in Japan (known as fugu), when prepared by chefs who know which part is safe to eat and in what quantity.

Credits: Wikipedia

Pufferfish are poor swimmers, but can quickly ingest huge amounts of water to turn themselves into a virtually inedible ball several times their normal size.

Now, here's a disturbed Puffer for you ..!! [VIDEO]

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Man with the World’s Largest Biceps – Moustafa Ismail.. Can we say, real-life Popeye? [VIDEO]

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Some call him the real-life Popeye..!!

Moustafa Ismail, a man from Egypt is with the world’s largest biceps. The 24-year-old gas station attendant, "Big Mo" who has 79 cm (31 in) biceps confirmed that he will appear in the 2013, Guinness Book of Records. 

During the last ten years he has been practicing 6 hours a day in two separate training sessions, and his upper arms now have the same circumference as a grown man’s waist.

 'Big Mo' eats 3lbs of chicken and 1lb of meat or fish every day.
  Egyptian bodybuilder can lift 500 lbs.
  His 31 inch biceps are the biggest in the world.

Model, Jessica Jerrard gets a lift from Moustafa Ismail, who is visiting London to launch the new Guinness Book of Records.

VIDEO..  (c) Credits: ITN News

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Baby Polar Bear Plays In The Snow For The First Time

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Here are some of the pictures of 73-day-old Siku playing in the snow.
Siku is seen at Skandinavisk Dyrepark in Djursland, Denmark. Dec., 2011

Here is Siku, the adorable Danish polar bear. [Video]

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