Talented enduro riders like Kirian Mirabet Vidiella develop the kind of fine control mastery with their bikes that most mere mortals can only dream of. The Honda rider also maintains a growing YouTube presence, with new videos racking up thousands of views apiece. Humanity loves a spectacle, though—and Mirabet Vidiella knows it. While that’s probably not the only reason he decided to take his Honda Africa Twin and do a mid-air backflip on it, that fact certainly couldn’t have hurt.
Now, enduro riders have control etched into their muscle memory at an incredibly deep level. While we obviously can’t prove it, it’s probably in their bones somehow. While that’s an impressive skill-set, it’s a bit different from what’s needed to successfully accomplish a stunt like this. That’s why Mirabet Vidiella roped freestyle motocross rider Sebastian Westbergs into the mix. The Finnish MXer is a YouTube star in his own right, with a lively social media presence to match.
There is, of course, nothing like getting expert training from someone who knows what they’re doing. Once Kirian gets to the spot they’ve picked out to attempt this stunt, Seb takes him through a quick explanation of exactly what he needs to do and how he needs to position his body on the bike in order to achieve the goal.
When You Care Enough To Send The Very Best:
There is, of course, a ramp involved. Also, because jumping and flipping may actually be less tricky than landing the bike well after accomplishing this stunt, Mirabet Vidiella and his team have set up a big pit full of soft foam blocks to help break the Africa Twin’s landing. So basically, the stunt consists of number 38 flying up a ramp on his Africa Twin—with hard panniers, we might add—flipping mid-air, and then diving into a pit filled with foam blocks. Piece of cake, right?
With the combination of Kirian’s talent and fearlessness and Seb’s coaching, Kirian nails it. It’s not clear how many takes it took, or whether they got it right on the first try—but honestly, does it even matter? The fact that he got it down is more than most people could (or will) do. Taking his Africa Twin ice racing was one thing, but this is a whole other level.