You run out of superlatives for the talent and riding skills of Danny MacAskill, I have had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing him several times and can honestly say he's one of the nicest and coolest people I've ever met. With today being Danny's birthday, to celebrate, we had a look back at the edit that thrust Danny into the limelight.
Shot around the streets of Edinburgh in 2009 'Inspired Bicycles' to date, has had over 39 million views and around 28,000 comments. Thirteen years on 'Inspired Bicycles' is still one of the best street trials videos out there and a source of inspiration for riders around the world.
I spoke to Danny earlier this month as he promoted his latest edit 'Postcards from San Francisco' where he once again raised the bar and put his body on the line to create another epic around the streets of San Francisco.
He spoke of how he used 'Inspired Bicycles' as inspiration for the postcards edit, "I thought it would be cool to make a real street riding film again and my thinking was, I'm 31-32 and my health and fitness might not always be as good and now was the time to do it".
Ironically, he broke a kneecap on the first day of filming and put the whole project on hold for almost five years before returning to deliver arguably one of his best to date.
Looking back at his first film now, shot by his flatmate, compared to today's standards it has an 'amateur' feel but the rawness of the footage makes it even more authentic. The soundtrack featuring The Funeral by Band of Horses is an inspired choice, Danny has told me in the past, how song choice is almost as important to the finished article as the tricks and locations.
With 2024 being the fifteenth anniversary of his original and in some ways the best edit Danny has done, it would be amazing to see a remake of 'Inspired Bicycles'. With most of the locations in Edinburgh remaining intact, a trick-for-trick reshoot with all the production that his Red Bull team could bring, would be an interesting and exciting comparison to how Danny has improved over the years.
I'll have to suggest that next time we speak and bag myself an invite to the shoot. While we wait for that, enjoy the original 'Inspired Bicycles' and Happy Birthday Danny!
