Watch What Toni Bou Can Do With Two Minutes And A Honda Africa Twin

It's all about balance.

02:13

Janaki Jitchotvisut

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Jun 10, 2021 at 4:48pm ET

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In April, 2021, the world got a taste of 28-time trials champion Toni Bou offering a masterclass in fine motor(cycle) control aboard his Honda Africa Twin CRF 1100L. With that many championships under his belt, Bou was already well-known for his seemingly inimitable prowess with a trials bike. However, even though the Africa Twin is certainly no lightweight trials bike, Bou quickly got to grips with exactly how to handle it anyway.

That was April. At the beginning of May, 2021, Bou had a training accident that resulted in a broken leg. He underwent successful surgery to give him the best and fastest path to healing, because he needed to get back to training ASAP for the new trials season starting in June. Later that same month, Bou posted the video you now see before you, showcasing slightly over two minutes of what he can really do with that Africa Twin.

From aggressive, near-vertical straight-up dirt cliff climbs, to gently feathering the controls so the Africa Twin practically lands on a dime, Bou is a balance technician who can do it all. At one point, he uses the skid plate on the Africa Twin as a sort of pivot, shifting weight around on the bike in order to maneuver up and over a series of big boulders he needs to surmount. It’s utterly enthralling to watch.

What do you think?

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On June 5, 2021, Bou effectively threw down a gauntlet on TikTok, boldly announcing his return to being trials-fit. It involved tossing away his crutches and then climbing some boulders on his trials bike like a two-wheeled mountain goat, and it’s honestly exactly the sort of energy we need in 2021. Bou’s skills are incredibly out of this world, and it’s difficult to imagine ever getting anywhere near as good as he is if you can’t spend every waking minute on your bike. Maybe not even then, because we’re not certain the man didn’t start climbing the walls and making it look easy mere minutes after being born. He’s just that good.

At any rate, watch, be amazed, be inspired, and go out and ride.