The Red Bulletin April 2017 - ZA

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BEYOND THE ORDINARY

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THE MIKE HORN ADVENTURE RULE BOOK

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CONTRIBUTORS

EDITORIAL

Alberto Van Stokkum

Chris Brinlee Jr

While shooting the photographs for our Mike Horn feature (and front cover), Brinlee Jr got an assist from Mother Nature. “Once we hit 60-70 degrees of latitude, the ‘golden hour’ lasted eight hours because the sun stayed so low in the sky,” says the Los Angeles-based snapper and budding adventurer. The roiling seas were less accommodating, however, and he spent most of his first day on Horn’s ship, Pangaea, bent over a sick bucket. SEE PAGE 28

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Follow your own path The personalities in this month’s Red Bulletin may be reaching for the top in vastly different fields, but they have one thing in common: they’re all taking on big challenges and doing it their way.

Our cover star, Mike Horn, currently midway through an epic pole-to-pole quest, encapsulates this ethos with a simple belief: “I don’t believe that the easiest way is the best.” Meanwhile, fast-rising Swedish rapper Ängie’s uncompromising style and refusal to play by the usual music industry rules has caused controversy, but also brought success.

In Mexico, Joburg-born wrestler Adam Bridle competes in the country’s famed lucha libre arenas.

His path to the top has been an odd one, but after eight years he’s become a household name there.

Finally, Formula One champion-in-the-making Max Verstappen refuses to let criticism of his battling and bruising race style deflect him from the ultimate goal: championship glory. “You have to be ruthless if you want to achieve something in F1,” he says.

All come from different worlds, but all share the same vision: that the only truly satisfying way to reach your chosen destination is to steer your own course. Enjoy the issue.

THE RED BULLETIN

SEBASTIAN DEVENISH (COVER)

“Female characters feature a lot in my work,” says the Spanish photographer and filmmaker. “They’re what inspire me most.” It comes as no surprise, then, that Von Stokkum enjoyed the shoot with Swedish hip-hop enfant terrible Ängie.

And obviously the fascination was mutual, as Ängie agreed to pose outdoors in Stockholm on a freezing January morning, wearing only a pink nightgown. SEE PAGE 4 2

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CONTENTS April

FEATURES

28

Mike Horn

Setting sail with the South African explorer as he embarks on the greatest journey of his life, Pole2Pole

42 Ängie

The rude-girl rapper talks drugs, oral sex and Lou Reed

48 Max Verstappen

Fighting talk from the Red Bull Racing driver who, at just 19, is poised to be one of F1’s all-time greats

54 Stunt heroes

Taking punches and leaping through fire for Hollywood’s finest takes dedication – and a rock-hard fitness regime

64 Drama Park Lane

Behind the velvet rope of the London celebrity hangout

70

Ralph Hasenhüttl

72

Adam Bridle

The coach who took the Bundesliga's youngest squad and transformed them into potential champions Born in South Africa, made in Mexico: how one man conquered the world of lucha libre – no mask required

42 ÄNGIE

Look who's toking: The Red Bulletin meets the provocative rap princess behind the most risqué song of 2016

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BULLEVARD Life And Style Beyond The Ordinary 12 14 16 17 18 20 21 22 24 25 26

Steering F1 into the future Hollywood progeny Ireland Basinger-Baldwin cuts loose Room with a view-and-a-half Skills on demand? Actor Tom Payne has the technology Leroy Bellet: the surf snapper who gets closer to the action A bike fit for a McQueen The humanitarian side of Hollywood star Sean Penn LaFerrari Aperta: a rare beast Street food, Michelin class Top tips from a party pro How to sleep for success

GUIDE

Get it, Do it, See it 82 What’s on Red Bull TV

this month

86 Watches for tough times 88 Our diary of events that

you won’t want to miss

90 Active wear: essential kit

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for those on the move

96 Global team 98 BMX goes off the wall

DIRK COLLINS, ALBERTO VAN STOKKUM, PETER J FOX

MIKE HORN

When the extreme adventurer set off on his latest Antarctic quest, photographer Chris Brinlee Jr joined him to document his perilous endeavour

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MAX VERSTAPPEN

Formula One has a new hero. He’s Dutch, he’s 19, and motor racing is in his genes. Ready for Max power?

THE RED BULLETIN

09

BULLEVARD LIFE

&

STYLE

BEYOND

THE

ORDINARY

JEREMY JACKSON

CLEMENS STACHEL

The Walking Dead star talks about his latest movie, MindGamers

TOM PAYNE, JESUS AND THE DALAI LAMA: “I WOULD LOVE MORE PEOPLE TO FEEL EMPATHY” PAGE 17 11

BULLEVARD NEUTRAL A useful button for when a driver arrives in the box for a pit stop.

DIFFERENTIAL Allows

control over the differential that sends power to the rear wheels, regulating the speed of the wheel on one side in respect to the other side.

TEAM RADIO Puts the driver in radio contact with his team. For much of last season, this was heavily restricted, but it came back with a bang in late 2016.

DISPLAY SCREEN

This OLED information panel can display multiple pages of data on speed, lap time, difference to the leader, battery energy status, etc.

BRAKE BALANCE

Using these dials, the driver can shift the brake bias to either the front or the back. With modern F1 cars, harvesting energy from braking phases, balancing between the right feel for the driver yet still recovering enough energy for good lap times, is essential.

Hot wheel

Controlling a Formula One car involves a bit more than merely pointing it in the right direction. With its myriad buttons, dials and switches, today’s F1 steering wheel is a tech-head’s dream

WELCOME TO MISSION CONTROL 12

DRINK In extreme races

(eg, the heat of Singapore), drivers can experience fluid loss of up to 4kg. A two per cent loss in body weight can impair cognition, so getting fluid on board is crucial.

FUEL MIX

Need full-fat burn or fuelsaving leanness? You can set your preference – though the maximum fuel load is 105kg.

THE RED BULLETIN

SOFTWARE OPTIONS

These, on either side of the wheel, move the selection of the multifunctional rotary by increments of -10 (left button) and +1 (right button).

PIT LANE SPEED LIMITER Immediately

drops the car to the speed required by F1’s strict pit lane limits.

TORQUE ADJUSTMENT Allows

the driver to control torque delivery from the engine.

All Change

Formula One in 2017 will undergo its biggest set of regulation changes since the introduction of hybrid engines in 2014. This time, though, the emphasis has been shifted to chassis and aerodynamics. The bigger, more aggressive cars will be fitted with fatter tyres, which will increase grip and provide extra downforce. The front wing is also wider and more sharply raked to help drivers follow rivals. The rear wing is lower, while a larger diffuser will significantly increase downforce at the rear. It all means they’ll be faster, with lap times set to fall by 3-5 seconds. It also means they’ll be a lot more physical to drive, as the recent spate of Instagram pics of drivers working at muscle-busting training regimes attest. redbullracing.com

FAIL Puts all the car’s

RED BULL RACING

JUSTIN HYNES

systems into fail-safe mode.

TYRES The different tyre

types in use (dry, wet, etc) have varying characteristics.

This switch is used to set the car up accordingly.

CLUTCH SETTINGS

If it’s not engaging properly, the driver can adjust the clutch with this switch.

THE RED BULLETIN

ERS ACTIVATION

The modern F1 car has a suite of energy recovery systems – this deploys them.

ENGINE MODES

Allows the drivers to engage a particular set of engine performance parameters for different circumstances.

CLUTCH One of 2016’s

big changes was that drivers must control starts with a single clutch-pull paddle rather than using complex software. This led to more unpredictable starts and more position changes. But there are still two paddles for use when turning left or right.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL ROTARY Ask an F1

engineer what’s governed by such multifunctional switches and the silence is deafening. This mystery device governs a host of software changes that influence car behaviour. No one, however, will reveal just what those influences are.

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BULLEVARD

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hen you’re the daughter of a blonde bombshell and a blue-eyed charmer, then you’re likely to inherit some stunning attributes. For Ireland Basinger-Baldwin, whose parents are Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger and razor-tongued actor Alec Baldwin, her genetic traits are enviable: she’s a staggering 1.8m tall, with aquamarine eyes and the curves of a Bond girl.

But 21-year-old Ireland is also the product of her parents’ rocky divorce and a bitter battle for her custody, which left her with a fractured sense of identity.

After checking herself into rehab in 2015 for “emotional trauma”, Ireland emerged from the darkness with a stronger outlook on life and a closer relationship with her family. With a healthier head and heart, she immersed herself in her modelling career and embraced a new sense of self-confidence thanks to the encouragement of those around her.

“I never looked in the mirror and thought, ‘You’re so hot,’” she said afterwards.

“It took a lot of other people to believe in me before I could believe in myself.”

And if her Instagram feed is any indication, her admirers clearly believe in what they see: a beautiful, poised young woman unafraid to enjoy life – and have a little fun.

Follow her @humancrouton

California girl

Long in the shadow of the break-up of her film-star parents, the model-turnedactress is ready to forge her own path

IRELAND BASINGERBALDWIN BREAKS OUT

Photography DOUG INGLISH

On her left arm, Basinger-Baldwin has a tattoo of one of her idols: David Bowie

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BULLEVARD

Edgy architecture

You’ll need both a head for heights and an extreme sense of entertainment to enjoy the Kanin Winter Cabin in Slovenia

HOW’S THIS FOR A REAL CLIFFHANGER?

T

hree agonising attempts were what it took the Slovenian army to lower this extraordinary shelter by helicopter and fix it in place at an altitude of more than 2,500m on Mount Kanin.

The weather at this exposed spot on the Italian border can be extreme, with hurricanestrength winds and torrential rainfall, and some winters bring 10m of snow. So, why would anyone want to place a hut here? First, because people love a challenge, and second, the 360° view from the surrounding mountains to the Adriatic when the sun shines is simply breathtaking.

JANEZ MARTINCIC

DANIEL KUDERNATSCH

The wood and aluminium hut, designed by Ljubljanabased architecture firm Ofis Arhitekti, is just 2.4m wide, 4.9m long, and accessible only by scaling the mountain on foot, or by helicopter. It can, however, sleep as many as nine people, so that party with a real edge is firmly within reach.

For more info, visit bovec.si

At Kanin Winter Cabin, you’ll sleep above a precipice in the mountains of Slovenia

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THE RED BULLETIN

BULLEVARD

Scientists will read the moods and emotions of filmgoers wearing MindGamers headbands at the movie’s premieres in New York and Los Angeles on March 28

JEREMY JACKSON

CLEMENS STACHEL

Cloud messiah

He breathed new life into The Walking Dead, playing Jesus. Now, in the movie MindGamers, actor Tom Payne takes on the role of a neuroscientist who can link human minds

DOWNLOAD A NEW TALENT THE RED BULLETIN

T

he red bulletin: MindGamers is about a computer that can transfer abilities from one human to another. Would you want to use one in real life? tom payne: Yeah, I would love to be able to paint and draw, so I’d love to download that. I’m constantly amazed at how talented some people are, and how they can interpret reality or just make something up. I’m so envious of people who can paint and draw.

If an online marketplace for skills did exist, what would you be able to offer for others to download?

I consider myself a person with a lot of empathy.

Sometimes I’m amazed when people don’t have that, and they can’t put themselves in someone else’s shoes and understand where that person is coming from. So I would love more people to feel empathy in the way I do. Yeah, that’s something I would probably upload.

Who did you identify with when you were getting started as an actor?

I didn’t have any heroes in the traditional sense. Actually, the first person I really had a reaction to was the Dalai Lama. When I was 19, I visited Australia on a trip, and I went to see him. The energy he exudes is really cool.

But don’t you have to be a bit selfish as an actor?

Yes, you do! On The Walking Dead, you have to look after yourself to a certain extent, and understand where the camera is at a certain time; that’s a skill in itself. It’s like that because the show has such a big cast. It can mean that I intentionally move into the frame or into the focus of a scene.

In The Walking Dead, you play Jesus, a character for whom solidarity and compassion are important.

Which of the show’s other characters could do with a hug every now and again?

Daryl, definitely. Daryl urgently needs a big hug. mindgamersmovie.com 17

LEROY BELLET/RED BULL ILLUME

ANDREAS ROTTENSCHLAGER

BULLEVARD

Multitasking

Leroy Bellet shoots pro surfers by shadowing them on his own board.

Great idea – except for the danger

CAN YOU SPOT THE HERO OF THIS PICTURE?*

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nyone hoping to showcase the savage beauty of surfing needs to get as close to the professionals as they can, while they’re on the waves,” says Australian photographer Leroy Bellet.

But then he would say that: this 18-year-old snapper has a particularly risky method of capturing top surfers in action.

Instead of swimming into the water and waiting for the surfers, as many of his counterparts do, Bellet has a jet-ski launch him into the same wave so that he can chase down his targets on his own board, Nikon D810 at the ready. “I’m surfing while I’m composing the picture,” he explains. “So there’s a high risk the shot will go wrong.”

It took Bellet four months to get this shot of surfer Scott Dennis, photographed off the coast of New South Wales.

“I kept coming off the board,” he reveals. “I wrecked two of them, and I ended up in hospital three times.”

So why does he keep at it? “Surfing beats getting stuck doing paperwork.

I’m not a fan of office jobs.” leroybelletphoto.com

*It’s the man behind the camera: fearless 18-year-old wave-rider Leroy Bellet (above)

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BULLEVARD

The desert racer

The movie legend and motorsport fanatic called the custom Metisse MK3 “the best-handling bike I’ve ever owned”.

He should know – he built it

teve McQueen rarely needed his stunt double.

But Bud Ekins was good for two things – McQueen’s motorcycle fence jump in 1963’s The Great Escape, and introducing the star to the Metisse MK3, the first dedicated motocross bike, which McQueen customised for the Baja 1000 desert race.

Half a century later, Gerry Lisi, Metisse’s current owner, got a call. A one-off replica of the McQueen Desert Racer he’d built for a London shop window was generating buzz.

“Three times a day, someone wants to buy this bike,” said the shop manager. It spurred

Lisi has the frame number of the original. “If anyone has that, it’s worth a lot”

Lisi to build a limited run of 300 – authenticating the machine from family footage supplied by McQueen’s son, Chad, and endorsed with the King of Cool’s signature.

So far 100 have been sold, including to an oil tycoon, and former Secretary General of FIFA, Jérôme Valcke. metisse-motorcycles.com

METISSE

TOM GUISE

THIS STEVE MCQUEEN BIKE IS THE REBIRTH OF COOL

S

The frames are built from scratch and fitted with reconditioned Triumph 6T engines

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THE RED BULLETIN

BULLEVARD Don’t just stand there, do something: Sean Penn gets his hands dirty in Haiti

GETTY IMAGES

RÜDIGER STURM

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he red bulletin: You’re well known for your humanitarian activities, and last year you made a film, The Last Face, about aid workers. Are you trying to save the world? sean penn: If there ever was a moment in time when I thought I could do that, I’m now old enough not to be able to remember it.

But you’ve done an enormous amount of relief work in regions that have been struck by catastrophe, such as Haiti, southern Pakistan and New Orleans.

What qualities do you need to get involved in that sort of thing?

I just think of myself as a facilitator, meaning I look for proactive people who have the talent required to do something for their fellow human beings.

And even though you’re a Hollywood star, you’re

THE RED BULLETIN

Sean Penn happy to play second fiddle in instances like these?

I’ve worked in the past with Clint Eastwood, who is also a jazz man. With jazz, you have four or five people jamming onstage, creating something magical. But if one of them says, “I can do that better than you,” then he screws it up for everyone else because you can’t make any more joint discoveries that way. You’ve got to be a team player.

What’s the biggest obstacle?

People aren’t as keen to show their love now as they might have been in the past. We have a generation where everyone wants to make their own mark rather than just live. The only solution to this is compromise.

Just saying “me, me, me” all the time doesn’t work. jphro.org

The actor and filmmaker tells us where relief operations, jazz and the wisdom of legendary Hollywood gunslingers overlap

HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD THE CLINT WAY 21

BULLEVARD

LaFerrari Aperta

Only the super-rich can get their hands on this supercar, right? Nope, not if you know the right people...

TREASURE HUNTING

22

market. Ferrari makes buyers [of these cars] sign a document stating that if you sell it within 18 months you won’t get another – you’ll be blacklisted. I don’t expect to find an Aperta for sale before 2018. When I do, I hope to be the first broker to trade one.”

And he won’t be short of takers. Two clients are each offering €6m.

“No one will sell it for that,” Tom grins. “It’s

already worth three times what it cost off the production line – €7m.”

For €7m, Hartley Jr can help stick an Aperta on your driveway, but only in 2018. Want it sooner?

You’d better hope an owner either dies or has a bust-up with Ferrari, or that one of the lucky 200 decides they hate the car.

The last option seems somewhat unlikely. auto.ferrari.com

FERRARI

ore than just a fighter jet for the road, Ferrari’s LaFerrari Aperta was built to celebrate the marque’s 70th birthday, making it a 350kph, 949bhp instant museum piece. Price of entry: €2.3m. Chances of getting your hands on one: nil. Before the roof-off version had even made its debut in September, all 200 had been sold, to an ultra-exclusive band of collectors. Unless you got an invitation, ownership is out of the question – no matter how rich or famous you are. Unless…

Enter Tom Hartley Jr. The 33-year-old Englishman has his showroom in rural Derbyshire in the UK, but deals in supercars across the globe. Having left school when he was just 11 to join his father trading in sportscars, he’s sold more supercars than probably anyone on the planet. Biggest result to date: a 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa at nearly €39m.

“There are consequences to selling your car early to take advantage of the massive premiums on offer,” he says. “Not a single Aperta has come on the

ADAM HAY-NICHOLLS

M

Black beauty: the LaFerrari Aperta reaches 200kph in seven seconds

BULLEVARD

Street food

For 35 years Chan Hong Meng ran a popular but unheralded food stall in Singapore. Then he got a call from the world’s most famous restaurant guide

hinatown, Singapore. There are dozens of people cooking up a storm on every corner here. It’s a culinary voyage of the senses: Malay, Chinese, Tamil. It’s what every guidebook tells you about the vibrancy of the city state’s street food scene and a plate of food here will set you back about two Singapore dollars (£1.20).

In the midst of the panoply, though, one stall stands out, it’s difference marked by the queue snaking its way past neighbouring stalls. The line leads to the inconspicuous shop front of Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle.

This does exactly what it says on the tin. The owner, Chan Hong Meng, has run the place for 35 years and cooks Chinese style, in honour of the man who taught him how to work a kitchen.

Two dishes are served: Cantonese chicken in soy sauce or crispy barbecued pork and the simple ingenuity he brings to the first won over testers from the Michelin guide and in 2016, they awarded Chan a coveted star.

At the awards ceremony, Chan, who initially thought the call from the guide was a prank, stood on stage next to fêted French chef Joël Robuchon, who was picking up a third star for his nearby Resorts World Sentosa outlet where dinner starts at 500 Singapore dollars.

So has the fame changed Chan? Not a bit of it. He’s still in the kitchen 17 hours a day with his two assistants, cooking 180 chickens (30 more than before the award).

The queues may be longer but Chan Hong Meng is still serene in his apron, working wonders with his knife at the stall in a corner of Singapore’s biggest food court.

Chan Hong Meng in his takeaway, serving Michelin-starred chicken and pork

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ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/PICTUREDESK.COM

ROBERT SPERL

A MICHELIN STAR TO GO

C

BULLEVARD

Professional showgirl: Kaite Estaba performs for DJ Skrillex and at NYC’s biggest clubs

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NICHOLAS RHODES/NICKYDIGITAL.COM

ANDREAS ROTTENSCHLAGER

1. Be a detective

“So you want to get on the guest list at your favourite club? Find out the name of the party promoter and write them a polite, amusing email. You’d be surprised how often it works.”

2. Get there early

“The rule of thumb is that the action only really gets started halfway through a club night.

The main DJs play between midnight and 4am, but if you’re in the club before then, you can discover some new and exciting acts.”

3. Drink with style

“Barkeepers and promoters know where the best afterparties are. But if you’re so drunk that you can no longer speak, the chances are you won’t be invited.”

THE RED BULLETIN

Club code 4. Sound it out

“You can tell a good club by the quality of its sound system.

If you can still talk to your friends even though the DJ is playing at regular volume, you know the sound system is top quality. If your head hurts, then it probably isn’t.”

5. Think analogue

“Technology, gadgets and apps are having an effect on party culture, too; there are plans afoot for holographic go-go dancers and virtualreality parties. My tip is: leave your phone in your pocket.

Look people in the eye, and have fun in the here and now.”

For more on Kaite’s club nights, go to instagram.com/ teamkittykoalition

Kaite Estaba is a New York nightlife top cat with her go-go crew Team Kitty Koalition. Here are her tips for a great night out

PERFECTING THE ART OF PARTIES 25

BULLEVARD

The perfect drink before that nap: an espresso

Turn over

For the sleep coach, there is only one proper position to sleep in and that’s on the side opposite the hand you write with. “The reason goes back to our primeval instincts. I’m right-handed, so if I sleep on my left side, I’m better able to protect myself in case of a surprise attack.” The position signals to your brain that you’re safe and helps you enter the sleep phase.

Nick Littlehales

has trained football teams such as Real Madrid and Manchester United to sleep right. Here are three simple tips for the perfect recovery

26

Napping has a bad reputation, which is unsubstantiated, says Littlehales. Before the light bulb was invented people would sleep a shorter period at night, but also around noon or early evening. Hence he recommends controlled recovery periods between 1-3pm and again between 5-7pm. Tip: drink an espresso before you nap. Its effect only kicks in after 20 minutes and it’ll give you an energy boost when you wake up.

THE RED BULLETIN

ROBERT SPERL

Drink coffee

What should you do if you’re a top sportsperson and can’t sleep the night before a big game? Littlehales’ tip is surprising: don’t sleep. Don’t put pressure on yourself.

Meditate. He also tells his athletes to watch footage of their great achievements, anything that relaxes them, because you can regenerate even when semi-conscious and still produce your best.

But, he stresses, it’s important to catch up on any missed sleep as soon as you can.

Find more tips in Littlehales’ new book, Sleep (Penguin Life); sportsleepcoach.com

GETTY IMAGES

SLEEP LIKE A PRO FOOTBALLER

Don’t sleep

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LAST OF HIS KIND Explorer MIKE HORN’s voyages to the planet’s most extreme regions have inspired many. Among his fans is photographer CHRIS BRINLEE JR, a budding adventurer who sailed with Horn to Antarctica and discovered that overcoming the impossible requires nothing more than taking the first step

Words: Andreas Tzortzis Photography: Chris Brinlee Jr 28

South African-born Horn moved to Switzerland in his mid-20s and set his sights on a life of adventure.

Twenty-five years later, he has no plans to stop

Two years ago, Chris Brinlee Jr had a desk job at an advertising agency in Santa Monica, and would dream of another life – a life like Mike Horn’s, in fact. The South African explorer had built a career out of adventure, accomplishing feats like swimming the Amazon and circumnavigating the Arctic Circle by foot and sail.

All of Horn’s expeditions keep sustainability and conservation in mind. On his trip to Antarctica, he planned to collect ice samples for researchers. His sailing boat, Pangaea, featured an all-star international crew, including Poland’s Jacek Proniewicz (inset), the engineer responsible for keeping it all running

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Brinlee Jr hadn’t yet met Horn.

In fact, he hadn’t even heard of him. All he knew was that the day job wasn’t going to cut it any more.

So he sold all his belongings, moved out of his loft in downtown LA, and went backpacking in northern Europe, then climbing in the Himalayas, followed by mountaineering trips throughout the country. Pretty soon, he was making a living on the road with little more than a camera and a savvy Instagram strategy.

“I think a lot of people – especially millennials, which is my generation – feel trapped and under this pressure where they have ideas of things they want to do, but not necessarily the courage and know-how to go out and get them,” he says. “Even taking little steps, anything that pushes you out of your comfort zone, can give you the courage to do more.”

Those little steps eventually led Brinlee Jr to an ice-climbing expedition in Alberta, Canada

with Horn, courtesy of a local tourism board. Six months later, he flew to Cape Town to meet Horn, and tagged along for the explorer’s three-week voyage to Antarctica – where he would attempt to be the first man to cross the continent unassisted.

“Pole2Pole is simply everything I’ve done in my life as an explorer, in one expedition,” says Horn. “To rewrite history in polar exploration was maybe the main idea. I always wanted to cross Antarctica solo and without support. And to do that as just part of a massive expedition where you’re not only crossing Antarctica but crossing the North Pole, crossing deserts in Namibia, in Botswana… I'd like to look into a mirror and see what I’m doing now. That’s important in life; when you really feel that you’re doing something that you want to see, it makes it natural. And when it’s natural, it becomes easy to do and the obstacles just fall away.”

Horn grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa and spent much of his youth outdoors; he later joined the military and followed this with a sports science course at university. However, at the age of 24, bored with what was shaping up to be too conventional a life, he decamped to Switzerland, where he learned to ski and paraglide and committed to a life of adventure.

The list of Horn’s subsequent accomplishments is simply jawdropping. It includes travelling the length of the Amazon – a distance of almost 7,000km – in 1997, fishing and surviving off the environment, with only a glassfibre flotation device known as a hydrospeed, or riverboard, to cling onto; and then there was that 20,000km solo circumnavigation of the Arctic Circle five years later, dragging a sled and using a kite to propel him forward. He has also trekked to the North Pole with a Norwegian explorer, using nothing more than skis in the deep heart

“POLE2POLE IS SIMPLY EVERYTHING I’VE DONE IN MY LIFE AS AN EXPLORER, IN ONE EXPEDITION”

“THERE’S A CHANCE OF FAILURE, AND THAT EXCITES ME. IT’S THAT UNKNOWN of the Arctic winter; completed in 2006, that was a first.

Horn is a living, breathing motivational speech, possessed of a bounding energy and death-grip handshake that makes younger men wilt. He’s a survivalist who can draw on a deep well of experience in the most extreme conditions – like the time he barked like a dog in his tent in the middle of the North Pole to discourage a curious polar bear.

Most revealing, however, is what his expeditions have taught him about the impossible. Namely, that it might not exist – at least not in the context of exploration.

“My philosophy in life is that once I have an idea, I plan it,” says Horn. “And once I’ve done the planning of the expedition, I go out and do it. And once you go out and do it, that creates the momentum and inspires people. You can just start planning something and then get on and start doing it.”

Once people are inspired, the sponsors come on board, and the financing of it becomes easier.

32

Mercedes-Benz has been a big supporter of Horn, as has the watch company Panerai. The financing culminated in his most ambitious venture: Pangaea, a 35m-long, ice-floe-proof sailing boat that he likes to refer to as the SUV of the oceans. To build it, he employed around 200 tradesmen in a São Paolo slum, a method that was not only cost-effective, but entirely gratifying to a man who wants others to share in his passion for pioneering.

Which brings us to Cape Town on November 19, when Brinlee Jr joined Horn and a crew of 10 others to document part of the explorer’s Pole2Pole trek. One of the burning questions Brinlee Jr had was: why not just fly there?

“I wanted to get to the Antarctic like [Ernest] Shackleton did, like [Robert Falcon] Scott, like [Roald] Amundsen,” explains Horn. “That makes expeditions risky – not just because you can’t get to where you want to go, but because other people’s lives are involved. I don’t always think the easiest road is

the best road for me. I think that through overcoming obstacles, you gather knowledge, and through this knowledge you gather, you have the power of decision.”

The crew spent the next three weeks sailing through the Roaring Forties, the Furious Fifties and the Screaming Sixties (the numbers refer to degrees of latitude). Every marker more than earned its name, with squalls and 6m-high swells buffeting the boat. Brinlee Jr, who had never been on a sailing boat before, spent the first day or so puking into a bucket. Crucial parts like hydraulic pistons and rudders failed, requiring repair and maintenance. They eventually hit ice – a lot earlier than planned.

“We would come up to the ice floes and the boat would smash into them and just vibrate through

The passage between Cape Town and Erskine Bay brought swells of up to 10m and winds touching 100kph. The conditions took their toll on the boat, which was beset with maintenance problems such as a hole punched through the hull (right) by the retractable rudder as it was jostled around while ice-breaking THE RED BULLETIN

THAT WE’RE AFRAID OF. AND IT’S THE UNKNOWN THAT MOTIVATES ME”

THE RED BULLETIN

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In the engine room of Pangaea, Felix Hsu keeps a close eye on the two 550hp Mercedes BlueTec engines powering the vessel through ice floes. Maintenance is part of every boat journey, but especially so when you’re breaking through ice

34  

“WE’RE GOING OUT THERE TO FIND A SOLUTION. WE’RE NOT GOING TO WAIT FOR IT”

Standing 35m high, Pangaea’s mast offers the best perspective when navigating your way through tricky ice fields

“ONCE I HAVE AN IDEA, I GO OUT AND DO IT. AND THAT CREATES THE MOMENTUM AND INSPIRES PEOPLE” the whole ship,” says Brinlee Jr. “I had the foremost cabin and the bow would raise up to 3m and shake as we were trying to sleep.”

One thousand miles off the Antarctic continent, Horn and the crew began the slow, tortuous process of navigating the heaving, cacophonous floes that squeezed and rolled around the boat. They would use a pike to hack ice off vital systems such as the rudder.

This got Horn thinking.

“You often wonder, ‘What am I doing here? Why don’t I just wait?’ You can’t just wait your whole life,” he says. “That’s why we can do what we want to do – because we’re going out there to find the solution. We’re not waiting for the solution to come to us.”

Horn’s travels in the Arctic have brought him first-hand experience of global warming, from a battle that erupted when a grizzly bear encroached on polar bear territory – possibly driven there by warming temperatures – to chunks of glacier ice breaking off in the North Pole.

Among his goals in Antarctica will

Top: Proniewicz scouts a path through the ice in the dinghy. There were issues with both the rudder – the hydraulic arms of which (above) were damaged during ice-breaking – and the hole in the hull caused by the rudder (below). Repairs cost the crew half a day

be to collect water and ice samples for researchers. Before setting off for the South Pole, Horn and his Young Explorers – a programme he hosts on Pangaea – sailed around, tagging sharks.

“In 25 years of exploring, I’ve seen a lot of change,” says Horn, the father of two daughters, who serve as part of his expedition support team from their home in Switzerland. “And that’s a short amount of time. That’s why it’s important to do plankton tests, to take water samples while we go around the world to places where a lot of people can’t go.”

After 21 days, Pangaea reached the continental shelf, and a euphoric crew began preparations to send Horn on his way. He experimented with the kite that would drag him and his sled across the glacier, THE RED BULLETIN

37

“I WANTED TO GET TO ANTARCTICA THE WAY SHACKLETON DID...

THAT MAKES EXPEDITIONS RISKY“

Horn’s predecessors in his polar journey also serve as his role models.

Ernest Shackleton’s attempt to cross the Antarctic from sea to sea failed in 1914 when his ship, Endurance, was trapped and destroyed by ice. The British explorer led a heroic rescue of all 28 men aboard

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The hull of Pangaea is constructed from aluminium, making it less susceptible to tearing than one made of steel. Horn uses the weight of the hull to press down and break through the ice

“I DON’T ALWAYS THINK THE EASIEST ROAD IS THE BEST ROAD” Horn at the very beginning of his 5,000km journey across the Antarctic, powered by skis and a kite. He took enough provisions with him to last three months

FROM POLE2POLE

1. MONACO, FRANCE MAY 8, 2016

Horn will take approximately two years to travel – by land and by sea – almost 40,000km from the South Pole to Greenland, across six continents. The purpose of the journey is both educational and environmental, highlighting the issues facing our changing planet and collecting research samples at some of his more hard-to-reach destinations

3. BOTSWANA JULY 15 – AUGUST 15, 2016

Horn leaves Monaco on his sailing boat, Pangaea, and heads for Namibia

2. NAMIBIA JUNE 1 – JULY 15, 2016

1

Arrives in Walvis Bay before embarking on a trek across one of the world’s oldest deserts – the Namib – on foot

Walks across the Okavango swamps on a constant hunt for food and fresh water as he navigates a long-forgotten route

3

2

4. CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA AUGUST 15 – NOVEMBER 2016

4

As he prepares for Pangaea’s Southern Ocean passage, Horn spends some time on a sharktagging mission

5. ANTARCTICA DECEMBER 2016 –FEBRUARY 2017

5

Crosses the Antarctic continent solo by ski, via the South Pole, following a route pioneered by the explorer Amundsen.

Races to finish before winter sets in

6

6. NEW ZEALAND MARCH – MAY 2017

7. AUSTRALIA MAY – JUNE 2017 Plans another sharktagging venture, in addition to studying coral and highlighting its degradation, before making his way through Papua New Guinea

Exploring Fiordland, home to the southernmost fjords on the planet

8

7

8. INDIA SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER 2017

Intends to scale some of the 8,000m ‘virgin’ peaks the Indian government recently opened up to be climbed for the first time. Then it’s on to Borneo and Indonesia

THE RED BULLETIN

9. ARCTIC OCEAN & GREENLAND MAY – AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER 2018 Plans to undertake a solo crossing of Greenland, before hopping aboard Pangaea for the trip home

9

and Brinlee Jr and the crew staged a taste-test evening to help Horn pick out the food he’d take along.

By the time you read this, he will have completed his solo, kitepowered crossing of the Antarctic – a distance of around 5,000km – all the while dragging a sled stocked with enough food and fuel for three months. And he’ll be the only person ever to have accomplished that feat.

Then it’ll be off to Greenland via a route that takes him through New Zealand, India and past Indonesia. All the way, he’ll be guided by a drive that recalls another age, one of wild curiosity fuelling enormous risk-taking.

“There’s a chance of failure… that’s what excites me,” he says.

“It’s that unknown that we’re all afraid of. And it’s the unknown that motivates me.”

Before Horn set off on skis, he told Brinlee Jr about an icecap in Patagonia, and another in Greenland that would provide the photographer with a good starting point if he began training for a similar expedition. The 28-year-old lensman took notes. “I put myself in his shoes,” he says. “And it galvanised what I want to achieve, and the type of experiences I want to continue to push myself to do.”

In the coming months, Brinlee Jr plans to traverse, by ski, Denali National Park in Alaska, before climbing Mount Denali – North America’s highest peak at 6,190m – in spring. But he also aims to slow down a life of travel and adventure that has included around 200 flights in the last few years.

“There’s the actual unknown, where people have never been before, and then there is the inner unknown, which is what one discovers when venturing into these experiences,” he says.

“I think that, for the average person, they don’t have to venture to the South Pole to discover the experiences, because they can discover them internally if they push themselves out of their comfort zone. That’s something Mike is very adamant about, and something I can relate to in my daily life, too.”

For the video series on Horn’s crossing, head to redbulletin.com 41

ÄNGIE IS EVERY POP TALENT SHOW’S WORST NIGHTMARE: A PROVOCATEUR WHO THRIVES ON CONFLICT AND COULDN’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE RULES. AND THAT’S WHY THE YOUNG SWEDE’S CAREER IS ON A DIZZYING UPWARD TRAJECTORY

“I’M NOT GONNA BE BARBIE” WORDS: FLORIAN OBKIRCHER PHOTOGRAPHY: ALBERTO VAN STOKKUM STYLING: SOO-HI SONG 42

“THERE’S NOTHING MORE BORING THAN PERFECTION“

ngie has fan clubs in Brazil and Russia, even though her music isn’t given airtime there. British newspapers, from The Sun to The Guardian, have carried reports on the 21-year-old Swede, even though she has only released two songs.

So how does that work? Simple: Ängie does all the things a young, up-andcoming pop star isn’t meant to do; she confounds expectations and doesn’t take the business all that seriously.

The Stockholm-based rapper began making music professionally two years ago after she sent a local producer a video she shot of herself in the bath, spitting nonsensical rhymes. Soon, she was recording her debut single, Smoke Weed Eat Pussy, in the studio of charttopping producer and DJ Avicii, and signing a record deal with industry giant Universal Music. The salacious, expletive-laced track was just too hot for some radio stations to handle, but it was still a hit thanks to YouTube and the British press, who declared it the most risqué song of 2016.

It was an unusual start to a career, and yet that suited Ängie down to the ground. Because, as she reveals, if you want to be successful, you have to make demands of your audience. the red bulletin: How does one become the most controversial pop star of the year? ängie: In my case, it was very simple.

I just sing about the things I most enjoy.

So is your recording debut, Smoke Weed Eat Pussy, something of an autobiographical statement?

It was at the time I wrote that song. My girlfriend had just left me, and I had 44

a lot of time on my hands; I was very active sexually at that point.

There have always been lyrics about sex and drugs in the music business.

Why do you think your song in particular proved so inflammatory?

Because I’m a girl who’s into flowers and pink clothes, and girls who are into flowers and pink clothes don’t normally sing about weed and oral sex.

Your music videos are full of that kind of contradiction. In one scene, you’re a princess in pastel-coloured dresses, and in the next you’re showing off your tattoos and smoking. Do you like playing around with stereotypes?

Totally. Because there’s nothing more boring in life than perfection.

Imperfections are perfect! You’ve got to surprise people to be successful in life. You have to create contrasts.

Don’t such erratic antics unsettle your audience?

On the contrary; I think that’s how you arouse people’s curiosity. Take Rihanna: she only really got cool when she started letting her inner thug shine through.

She stopped being this typical girl. And I’m not gonna be a Barbie doll, either.

People should see me as I am – with all the stripes I have on my ass.

Er, what?

I recently posted a picture of my stretch marks on Instagram. This girl saw it and wrote to me, saying, “I’m so happy that you show that on Instagram, because I feel so bad about mine.” And I was like, THE RED BULLETIN

“LISTENING TO MY MUSIC IS NOT THE BEST IDEA IF YOU LIVE A VERY CONSTRICTED LIFE“ “Girl! Every other girl has them – just wear them with pride!” I want to give young women self-confidence like that.

I want to show the world you can be beautiful with your imperfections.

Where does a 21-year-old get the confidence to stick her middle finger up at show business and reject its perception of beauty?

I learned that from this guy [she points to a tattoo on her right arm: the name ‘Lou Reed’ encircled by a heart]. He was an ingenious songwriter and the coolest guy ever. Lou Reed didn’t give a damn about anything. And he just loved giving journalists hell in interviews. I hope he would be proud of me.

How proud are your parents of their daughter’s career?

My father doesn’t like me singing about drugs. But my mother is my biggest fan.

Recently, and without my knowledge, she had a T-shirt printed with my pink hemp-leaf logo on the front.

While we’re on the subject of weed, why has it featured in both your songs

to date [Smoke Smoke Weed Eat Pussy and the follow-up, Housewife Spliffin’]?

I suffered from a severe attention deficit disorder when I was a teenager. Doctors prescribed tablets, but I don’t trust chemical stuff. Smoking helped me out of my depression. It also helps me creatively.

If it weren’t for weed, I would probably never have started writing songs.

Why is that?

It sends my brain into a spin.

Most people would probably take that as a reason not to indulge…

Let me put it another way: it opens up the parts of my brain I can’t open myself.

It’s like you’re exposed to things you don’t want to feel, but that you need to feel in order to find yourself. It’s weird.

And what about the other main topic of your songs?

Do you mean oral sex? It’s an important subject. It’s totally undervalued.

How do you mean?

Men pay too little attention to a woman’s pleasure during sex.

What’s the reason for that? Is it because men are insecure?

Oh, please! We’re all insecure. And the only thing that helps you get over your insecurity is gaining experience.

So, would it be appropriate to ask you for some tips?

It’s very simple. Speak to your girlfriend.

Switch off macho mode. Ask her what it is she likes. And, just as importantly, don’t think that your technique will work on every woman.

Most young musicians are very cautious as they go about establishing their career, because they don’t want to blow their chances with radio stations.

But then you go and release singles with lyrics that are too racy, even for the night-time slot…

There’s nothing I could possibly care less about than radio.

But isn’t radio airplay the cornerstone of every music career?

That used to be the case. But now people are discovering new music on YouTube.

That’s why the most important part of my artistic work is making super-cool videos and playing with visual ideas as much as I possibly can.

But there are comments on your own YouTube channel from people who think you take things too far. What do you say to them?

I’m with Lou Reed on that one, too.

He once said, “Maybe listening to my music is not the best idea if you live a very constricted life.” Ängie’s new single, Spun, is out now; facebook.com/lilweedhoe 47

THE BOY WHO WOULD BE KING

At just 19 years old, Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen already has one Grand Prix win and several podium finishes to his credit, and many are tipping him to become one of Formula One‘s greats. But just what is it that makes him so special?

WORDS: JUSTIN HYNES

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VLADIMIR RYS

of Formula One’s finest drivers there are often standout moments that serve to either rubber stamp greatness or to push a young driver from the category marked ‘one to watch’ to that labelled ‘champion-in-waiting’.

Think Jackie Stewart’s 1968 German Grand Prix win in the wet, a staggering four minutes clear of his nearest rival; Ayrton Senna’s first-lap rise from fifth to the lead in the rain in the European GP at Donington in 1993, which served as a mesmerising reminder of the Brazilian’s skills, or Michael Schumacher’s blistering qualifying performance to claim seventh on his debut for the lowly Jordan team at Spa-Francorchamps in 1991.

For those who last year stood trackside in the pouring rain at São Paulo’s Interlagos circuit, such a moment arrived almost three hours into a Brazilian GP repeatedly neutralised by safety-car periods and stoppages.

With 16 laps remaining, Red Bull Racing’s 19-year-old driver, Max Verstappen, pitted for wet weather tyres and dropped to 14th place. However, over the course of the remaining laps, the Dutchman scythed through the pack as if he had found a dry line where none existed. Within five laps he was seventh, and by the time the flag was waved on lap 71 he had risen to third behind Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg and race winner Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen’s Brazil performance was a signal moment, the point at which the sport’s youngest-ever driver arrived. “We witnessed something very special,” Verstappen’s team boss Christian Horner said. “It stands out to me like Ayrton Senna in Monaco.”

Three-time champion Niki Lauda added: “Verstappen was outstanding. I knew the guy is good, but he proved to everybody what he can do.”

Six months earlier, the young Dutchman had announced himself loudly, with a jaw-dropping maiden win on his first outing with Red Bull Racing, in Spain, but his performance in São Paulo perhaps said more, for it not only came at the end of a tough race, but it closed out an intensely difficult period for the youngster.

In the weeks running up to the race, his aggressive, no-holds barred driving had seen him criticised by many rivals – veteran Kimi Räikkönen lambasted him in Belgium and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel called him “a bastard” in Mexico. His style had caused the sport’s governing body to issue new guidelines on defensive driving. And he had been vilified by the media as an accident waiting to happen. Brazil blew the criticism out of the water.

So much so that Senna’s own teammate, 10-time grand prix winner Gerhard Berger, likened the youngster to the legendary Brazilian.

“When I see Max, Senna comes to my mind,” said Berger after the race at Interlagos. “This is the first time I say something like this, because I was really close to Ayrton and I think he was the greatest. I’ve always respected that and so I avoided comparisons, but with Max it’s hard not to.”

This month Verstappen heads into his third season in Formula One, his first full campaign with putative front-runners Red Bull Racing. The regulations for 2017 are changed hugely, moving the pendulum away from engine and back towards the traditional chassis and aerodynamics strengths of Verstappen’s team.

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VLADIMIR RYS

IN THE CAREERS

Max attack: "When you're young you try to get the best result all the time. You've got a lot of fire inside"

Your father, Jos, gave you that guidance. As an F1 driver he had the reputation of being very singleminded. Was he a hard taskmaster?

Sometimes he was quite hard on me, but I’m happy he was because it brought me to where I am now. He was not all “you have to win”, or “you have to be this way or that”. It was about preparation, making sure I was putting in the effort and not just seeing it as a fun thing. At one point, it becomes your profession and you need to go for it. But in terms of results, he was never pushy.

There’s an old adage in F1 that says if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

Do you think you would have benefited from a year of GP2 or GP3 before F1?

No. I think it would even make it more difficult. You need a bit of luck [to get into F1] and if you’re not at the right team at the right time… maybe you have a bad season and then people think different of you. I was pretty happy with how I did it. It was a risk to jump in that early, but I was confident I could do it.

Ahead of a season in which he might turn breakthrough into achievement at the highest level, The Red Bulletin caught up with the Dutchman to analyse his rise and where it might take him in the future…

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Verstappen has a chance to reach F1's peak in 2017

“I COULD EASILY HAVE BECOME A FOOTBALLER, BUT VERY EARLY ON I REALISED G0-KARTING WAS THE WAY TO GO”

THE RED BULLETIN

DAVID CLERIHEW/RED BULL RACING, VLADIMIR RYS

the red bulletin: Let’s go back to your earliest memories of driving. You first sat in a go-kart aged four.

Was racing something you were programmed to do? max verstappen: I had a choice, because it’s your decision to tell your parents that you want to race or not. I could easily have become a footballer, but very early on in my career I realised that go-karting was the way to go and that’s what I liked. My father never pushed me. I remember when I was four years old, I called him and said: “I want to start driving go-karts.”

His first answer was “No, we have to wait until you are at least six years old.” But I kept pushing and two or three weeks later I got my go-kart.

Your father was a Formula One driver and your mother, Sophie Kumpen, was a champion karter.

Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers: The Story of Success, posits the idea that great sportsmanship is learned, that 10,000 hours of practice make up the “magic number of greatness”. Is that true?

Is it nurture rather than nature?

That sounds a bit too easy. First you need the talent. If you don’t have talent then it will never work. You can do a million hours of practice; you still won’t get there.

Of course I’ve been lucky with my parents and you need the right guidance around you with the right people.

They need to teach you from a very young age and guide you in the right direction, but you have to have a talent. Just repeating the same task over and over again won’t get you all the way there.

“YOU NEED TO BE RUTHLESS IF YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING IN FORMULA ONE. IT DOESN’T COME JUST BY ITSELF“

Pass Master

Four overtaking moves that mark Verstappen out as a future F1 great 1. Vs Marcus Ericsson – Chinese Grand Prix 2015 In just his third GP, Verstappen made his name as a no-holdsbarred racer, closing hard on the Swede before launching a do-ordie move under braking into the chicane. They banged wheels, but Verstappen emerged ahead.

2. Vs Felipe Nasr – Belgian Grand Prix 2015 At Spa, Verstappen chased down Sauber’s Felipe Nasr and made a move around the outside at the high-speed Blanchimont corner.

He clattered over the kerbs, ran alongside Nasr all the way up to the Bus Stop chicane and then blasted past down the inside.

3. Vs Nico Rosberg – Brazilian Grand Prix 2016 In torrential rain, Verstappen found grip where no other driver could. As Rosberg hugged the inside line through Turn 3, Verstappen dived out of the spray and powered around the outside of the German. Jaw-dropping.

4. Vs Sergio Perez – Brazilian Grand Prix 2016 To claim a podium place he needed to pass Perez. He tried to overtake the Mexican around the outside of Turn 10 and despite skidding across the kerbs, held on. He then ran side-by-side with Perez to eventually pass the Force India man through Turn 12.

THE RED BULLETIN

After your first season, at Toro Rosso, you were last year drafted into Red Bull Racing just before the Spanish Grand Prix. In doing so, you displaced Russian driver Daniil Kvyat. Those were momentous career moves for both of you. Is Formula One a cruel sport?

With all the experiences my dad had, he always told me that you have to be prepared, that it can be a hard world. But at the end of the day, you have to do the best job for yourself as a driver; you have to get the best opportunities for yourself.

So yeah, it is cruel, but many drivers have experienced those kinds of things.

You won on your first outing with Red Bull Racing, took seven podiums, scored 204 points and finished fifth in the Drivers’ Championship last year.

Where did you improve last season?

I think just the experience you get from race to race. It’s not one single thing where you say I really learned this or that, because I think everything is already at 95 per cent, and every time you improve one per cent on one small element and then another one per cent somewhere else. You try to get to 100 per cent. You don’t know when that will happen, but it’s about working slowly towards that.

It wasn’t all wine and roses last year.

You came in for a lot of criticism as well. Were you surprised at some of the things people said about you?

It didn’t matter to me. Everybody can have his or her opinion.

It reached the point where at the driver’s briefing in Austin your rivals took you to task. How did that feel? Did you want to stand up and walk out?

Yeah, but I’m pretty relaxed. They can say what they want. I will not change my driving style. They just have to deal with it.

You wouldn’t feel pressure to change?

I don’t think you can. It’s like with a footballer: if you’re a striker you can’t suddenly become a defender. Your nature is to be a striker and even if you were told that you had to become a defender, the striker in you would come out. That’s just how it is. So, no, I won’t change for anyone.

Does it sow any seeds of doubt, though, and how do you banish those thoughts?

I never had that issue. You have to look to yourself and not listen to other people, just to the people you trust. After that, you have your own confidence, so why

would you change? As for doubt, it’s pretty simple.

I just do what I like, and that’s driving a racing car.

The most important thing is still driving the racing car.

F1 has a pretty short memory and in Brazil you were hailed at the next Ayrton Senna. Was there any feeling of revenge?

No, because that’s F1: you’re only as good as your last race. One race they talk really positively and the next race it’s really negative. That’s why it’s better to not read any media. I’m not on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

In São Paulo you were finding lines nobody else could. How did you do that?

It’s just common sense. It’s something you learn in go-karting. You always try different lines and my dad taught me especially to do that in the rain – the location of the grip can change very quickly. Once you have the confidence that you’ve found the grip, you brake later, brake harder; you generate more temperature. The temperature goes from the disc into the rim, heats up the tyre and it gets just better and better.

So why wasn’t anybody else doing that?

I think a lot of the older guys maybe just forgot, through not doing a lot of karting and not practising a lot in the wet. Maybe they were thinking about more complex ways to become faster, when in fact it’s pretty basic.

Let’s talk about those older guys. The criticisms levelled at you came from drivers such as Vettel and Räikkönen, yet when they came into F1, the same criticisms were levelled against them, with older rivals saying they took too many risks and needed to calm down. Have they forgotten the fire of youth?

I think when you get older you do tend to get a bit more conservative. That’s pretty normal. I think when I’m like 65 I’ll be the same! When you’re younger you try to get the best result all the time, you’ve got a lot of fire inside and maybe when you get older that’s less and less the case.

So would you say that your style at the moment is one of acceptable risk or over the line?

The first one. I think I am on that at the moment – acceptable risk.

Do you have a ruthless streak, the instinct needed to be a champion?

I think so, yeah. You have to have that instinct if you want to achieve something in Formula One. It doesn’t come just by itself. You have to work for it and fight for it on track and off track.

You’ve got a tough opponent in teammate Daniel Ricciardo. That relationship between drivers is always easier when the team isn’t battling for major honours. How will it be if there is a title in the offing?

You have to respect each other on and off track and I think we are doing that really well. Even when you start fighting for a world championship, I think it will always be there because respect is the most important thing between drivers. From there, you just have to find out on track who is the fastest, but in a fair way, and I’m pretty sure that between me and Daniel that will be the case.

You’re 19 now. You’ve won a Grand Prix, finished fifth in just your second season, you’re mentioned alongside F1’s greats and you could be doing this for another 20 years. Where does the talent end?

I don’t know. Hopefully it ends when I retire. Hopefully until then I’ll just keep improving. redbullracing.com 53

THE

REAL STARS

ACTION

Words: NORA O’DONNELL Photography: DAVID HARRY STEWART Talent liaison: XAVIER QUIMBO

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Stunt performer Matt Mullins takes a hit from his wife, Alicia Vela-Bailey, who doubles for Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman

D!

TH U

Behind the scenes of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, there are the stunt performers who spend long, hard hours on set, ready to execute fantastic feats of physical power at a moment’s notice. They are chameleons of fitness, capable of making the impossible possible. But as each performer reveals, there’s no magic involved in how they stay in shape.

The secret is finding what works best for you

THE GRACEFUL WARRIOR

VITAL STATS Name: ALICIA VELA-BAILEY Age: 34 Height: 1.75m Weight: 54kg Next: Doubling for Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman

When Wonder Woman finally appears at the end of 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, she manages to steal the scene from two of the greatest superheroes of all time. In short, she’s a badass demigoddess with enough fierceness to upstage the boys, who have spent the past two and a half hours doing a lot of moping and not a lot of fighting or life saving.

But not only is Wonder Woman strong and fierce, she’s also extremely lithe and graceful, just like Alicia Vela-Bailey, the woman performing her stunts. While Vela-Bailey attributes her strength to her gymnastics background, she says her grace comes from years of training as a dancer. “I never did martial arts while growing up,” she says, “but the dancing helped me to pick up fight choreography really fast.” She endorses taking any basic dance class – from hip-hop and jazz to ballet and ballroom – as a great way to improve your fighting stance and rhythm.

Vela-Bailey doesn’t train with weights to achieve her strong but lean look; instead, she uses her own body weight, doing pull-ups, push-ups and v-ups. And like many of her fellow stunt performers, she incorporates stretching into her workouts. “I hate the pike stretch, but I make myself do it for at least 30 seconds 56

to a minute. Otherwise, you’re not getting the full benefit of the stretch.”

She also has a workout partner close at hand: her husband and fellow stunt performer Matt Mullins, whom she first met on the set of Divergent, where the two were working on fight scenes. “We love to help motivate each other. If someone is having a sluggish day, it’s like, ‘Oh, come on! You can do it!’ It gives you that extra push, and you want to do your best.”

And at the end of a long day on set or at the gym, Vela-Bailey makes a point of relaxing by taking a bath with Epsom salts, or getting a massage, even if it’s just at the local shopping mall. “When it’s time to relax,” she says, “just take it easy and take care of yourself.”

THE STREET FIGHTER

VITAL STATS Name: MATT MULLINS Age: 36 Height: 1.85m Weight: 91kg Next: Stunt co-ordinator for Netflix’s The Defenders

When video games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat made their debut almost 30 years ago, they served as inspiration for the emergence of an extreme style of martial arts, one that incorporated extraordinary acrobatics and a healthy dose of showmanship.

One of the leaders in the development of this style is Matt Mullins, a champion martial artist, stunt performer and fight choreographer who is currently creating all the action sequences for Netflix series

A M K S !

The Defenders. “Those moves you see in video games?” he says. “They didn’t exist back then. So we were like, ‘Why can’t we just do those on our own?’ ” Today, the fingerprints of extreme martial arts are all over Hollywood blockbusters. “I like to think that the moves we perform are like what you see in a Jackie Chan movie – but without all the wires,” says Mullins. “We’re able to do moves that don’t require visual effects.”

Although it can take years of training to get to his advanced level, Mullins says there’s a style out there for everyone.

“It’s important to try different styles to see what works for you, and find what inspires you to go to the gym,” he advises.

“Maybe it’s learning basic kicks and punches in karate, or something more relaxing like tai chi.”

Beyond maintaining his martial arts skills and picking up new ones, Mullins likes to stay fit by creating ‘supersets’, supplementing weights exercises with others that utilise his entire body. “If I’m doing lat pull-downs, I’ll supplement them with pull-ups and burpees, because I want to challenge my core and do those movements to failure,” he says. “That’s how I get stronger.”

THE WIDOWMAKER

VITAL STATS Name: HEIDI MONEYMAKER Age: 39 Height: 1.6m Weight: 51kg Next: Doubling for Ruby Rose (John Wick 2), Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious 8)

In the Marvel film franchise, Black Widow can climb her opponent like a spider monkey, wrap her thighs round his neck and bring him down with a thud in a matter of seconds. These fighting skills are brought to life thanks to veteran stuntwoman Heidi Moneymaker.

The former gymnastics champion has been a fitness nut her entire life, but to become a stunt performer she had to develop the strength, agility and endurance to perform challenging fight scenes for eight to 10 hours straight.

“There are times when it’s all you, all day long, and it’s exhausting,” she says. “Over the years, I’ve had to figure out the right way to train myself and be prepared for almost anything.”

One of the first things a stunt performer has to learn, Moneymaker says, is how to

fall. “For that, take judo classes,” she recommends. “Your body starts to get used to hitting the ground. It kind of hurts at first, but as you do it more often, you get numb to the shock of it.”

For building strength, Moneymaker believes in adding plyometrics – explosive exercises such as box jumps, lunge jumps, high knees, burpees and power jacks (“like a jumping jack with a little bit of pepper”) – to her cardio routines. “Adding a plyometrics portion to your workout can improve your reaction time,” she says.

“You become more consciously aware of your body, so you can make your muscles fire when you want them to.”

Recently, Moneymaker decided to use the training techniques she’s developed over the course of her career to create her own fitness programme, Fierce Lotus. The workout routines combine high-energy plyometrics with fight choreography where participants punch and kick imaginary opponents.

“We’re creating a fantasy that’s not unlike the fantasy you feel when you go to see an action movie,” she says.

“But now, instead of sitting in your chair, eating popcorn and watching somebody else do it, you become the superhero.”

Matt Mullins is currently studying jiujitsu as a “hobby”. “When I started, I got my ass kicked,” he says

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THE RED BULLETIN

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HWAK

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“THERE ARE TIMES WHEN IT’S ALL YOU, ALL DAY LONG, AND IT’S EXHAUSTING. I’VE HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BE PREPARED FOR ALMOST ANYTHING” For Heidi Moneymaker and Chris Brewster, perfect timing and knowing how to fall are essential to this move

“IF YOU WANT TO GET BIG AND STRONG, PICK UP HEAVY THINGS AND EAT STEAK AND POTATOES” Cale Schultz says the basics of his training are the same as what your grandfather would have told you. Here, he uses his extra mass to absorb a kick from Heidi Moneymaker

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RAASH!

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO FALL? “TAKE JUDO CLASSES. IT HURTS, BUT YOU GET NUMB TO THE SHOCK OF IT” Shall we dance? Heidi Moneymaker and Cale Schultz demonstrate a choreographed lift you’ll never see at the ballet

“I DON’T GO A SINGLE DAY WITHOUT STRETCHING” Chris Brewster stays loose by using a foam roller: “If my body gets tight, it’s more likely to get hurt,” he says

THE RESILIENT NINJA

VITAL STATS Name: CHRIS BREWSTER Age: 34 Height: 1.79m Weight: 82kg Next: Doubling for Charlie Cox in The Defenders

Early in the first season of Daredevil, the eponymous hero takes on almost a dozen men with a combination of boxing and martial arts, with some tricking and parkour thrown in for good measure.

These impressive, acrobatic twists are a trademark of stunt performer Chris Brewster, a former martial arts competitor with black belts in karate, taekwondo and kong soo do.

Although Brewster is a martial arts master, he admits there’s no way he could ever be an expert in everything. “The only way you can look like an expert at everything,” he says, “is to be very fit, mentally aware, and ready to learn something at the drop of a hat. And then be able to perform and look like you’ve mastered it for several years.”

To maintain peak fitness, Brewster practises two forms of endurance training: short-term anaerobic and long-term aerobic. To build his explosive, short-term THE RED BULLETIN

energy, he turns to CrossFit workouts such as the ‘Murph’, which involves completing the following in the fastest possible time: a one-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, then another one-mile run.

For his aerobic training, Brewster goes on a long run (five to 12 miles) three times a week. He also weight-trains five days a week, on top of any specific preparation he might be doing for work. “I look at stunts as a full-time job,” he says.

At the end of the day, perhaps the most important part of his training is the time he spends on his mobility. “I don’t go a single day without spending half an hour on a foam roller and stretching,” he says.

“I’ve always been extremely quick to heal, and that’s helped me a lot in my career.”

THE STRONGMAN

VITAL STATS Name: CALE SCHULTZ Age: 38 Height: 1.93m Weight: 109kg Next: Performing stunts in Logan and The Coldest City

Stuntmen are generally not supposed to be noticeable, especially when they’re doubling an actor. But directors looking for large, imposing, evil-henchman types call on guys like Cale Schultz.

Stunt veteran Schultz is director of operations at 87eleven Action Design, a team of stunt performers – including Heidi Moneymaker – who create blockbuster fight choreography from the ground up, and that includes whipping idle actors and actresses into superhero shape. Schultz focuses on strength and endurance training, teaching them the same exercises he uses to stay fit.

“I keep it very basic,” he says. “I have them do heavier compound movements that focus on core stability and loading the spine. That means a lot of deadlifts, overhead presses and heavy squats – with some biceps curls and triceps extensions thrown in to build up a physique that looks good on camera.”

Schultz is also a fan of the weight sled, which is, he says, “great for building muscular endurance and explosive power”.

The track at 87eleven is about 30m long, and he gets trainees to push a sled loaded up with half their bodyweight, down and back as hard and as fast as they can.

They then repeat the exercise five more times in two-minute intervals. The whole exercise only takes around 12 minutes.

“But in that time,” Schultz jokes, “you are trying not to die. You think it’s not that big of a deal until you start pushing that damn thing as hard as you can.”

For more top stunt performers, follow the Taurus Awards this May: taurusworldstuntawards.com 63

King of clubs How can you tell you’re at a top-flight club?

Sei Moon, director of upscale London nightclub Drama Park Lane, is a man who knows – stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Usain Bolt and Rihanna pull all-nighters at his celebrity haunt Words: Florian Obkircher Photography: Alex de Mora

Hot dancers, plenty of celebs and hip-hop beats: London club Drama Park Lane has the recipe for success

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The DJ decks at DPL are often ambushed by stars. Usain Bolt once played hip-hop tracks here

“Idris Elba grabs the mic. Rita Ora dances at the decks. That sort of thing happens here all the time�

What makes a club world-class?

These eight things, according to Sei Moon…

The dancers show off their twerking skills every hour on the hour at the decks and on the glass balcony

1. Brand awareness “What makes a really good club different from a merely good club? The merely good club will find you with huge billboards and advertising, but the really good club you have to seek out yourself. High visibility doesn’t necessarily attract the best people, and you can’t have a great night out without good company. There’s no neon sign at the entrance to Drama Park Lane, which is the opposite of glamorous. And look at our entrance; you have to go through a car park to get into the club. We learned this reserved approach to outward appearance from [legendary NYC club] Studio 54. They were one of the first ones who didn't do much promotion of their club. It was word of mouth.”

2. The best DJ line-ups “Anyone can book a star DJ, especially big clubs with thousands of revellers. But you can tell a top club by the popularity of its DJs in relation to its capacity. In 2016, we had big names like Guy Gerber and Major Lazer [whose Lean On is the second most-streamed song on Spotify with around 900 million hits] for a crowd of 300. That way, you know artists are enjoying their gigs at a given club. When Major Lazer’s Diplo played here, he spent the entire night – in between DJing – Snapchatting our performers. And having someone like him, who has seen pretty much everything, doing that speaks for itself.”

The gilded back room of the club has been hired out by stars such as Drake.

The price: £25,000 for the night

3. A topnotch sound system “Don’t get too impressed by size: you can’t see a good sound system, you have to feel it. Test it on the dancefloor.

What does the sound feel like?

Do you have to roar in the ear of the person you’re dancing with? Both would be signs of poor sound. We have a fully immersive Funktion-One sound system, and because of our L-shaped layout, we have more speakers than most clubs.

What was important for us during its installation was that every point in the club would have top-end sound and you’d never hear any fluctuations.”

4. Elements of surprise “You work hard, stuck on your hamster wheel five days a week. What do you want on the weekend? You want to escape.

You want to be surprised. And that’s exactly what a top club should offer. It’s not unusual at Drama Park Lane for stars like Idris Elba to grab the microphone and start rapping.

Or for Rita Ora to be dancing at the decks. Or for Usain Bolt to decide to storm the decks all of a sudden and play some hip-hop tunes. Why do they do it? It’s not because they’re bound by any contract. It’s because, just like all the other people in our club, they’re enjoying that anything-ispossible party moment.”

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7. Incredible interiors

5. Length of the queue “No one wants to spend the night outside instead of on the dancefloor. That said, avoid any club without a queue. You wouldn’t eat in a restaurant with only one person inside, and it’s the same with a club.

To cut a long story short, if there’s no queue, it’s a pretty clear sign that people don’t actually want to be at the venue. My recommendation is that if you want to get into DPL, show up by 10.30 – half an hour before the doors open – as there’ll be 100-plus people in the queue by 11. The dress code is smart casual. If you look good, we’ll let you in.”

6. Location “In this fast-moving business, it’s often impossible to make conclusions about a club’s quality based on its history.

Our club is quite young; it’s only been going for a year and a half. So what to do if you’re a man about town?

Check out the club’s location, because a venue is usually a reflection of the area it’s in.

With regard to DPL, ours is the only club on Park Lane, the most expensive street on the Monopoly board. The club is right beside Hyde Park, in the basement of the London Hilton On Park Lane hotel. There’s not a lot more to be said about how exclusive DPL is.”

“There’s no single look that marks out a top club. But one thing that all world-class clubs have in common is the idea of being a work in progress, so regulars feel they’re having a brand new experience every time. When you enter DPL, it’s almost like walking into a gallery.

Every three months, we invite an artist, such as British pop-art icon Ben Levy, to change the club’s look with installations, as we believe art has a very viable and important connection to hospitality. Also, we have the coolest bathrooms you will ever see. They were designed by an artist named Doodle Man. It’s a fully immersive toilet-art experience!”

8. Size and intimacy “When people talk about top clubs, they often think of these massive venues in Ibiza that are full of thousands of people every night. But I believe that most millennials prefer to spend time in more intimate spaces than in these massmarket clubs. At the end of the day, club size is also the reason why celebrities such as Drake and Andy Murray have made repeat visits to DPL. It’s cosy here, and they feel at home.” dramaparklane.com

Dancing hours at this party paradise: 11pm to 3am, Thursday to Sunday

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DJ Hennie V is seen as the ‘President of Nightlife’ back home in Toronto, and his fans include Lady Gaga and Kid Rock

On Fridays, the party has a hotel theme with the bar staff dressed as chefs and the dancers playing maids

“Avoid any club that doesn’t have a queue outside. You wouldn’t eat in an empty restaurant, would you?”

FOR THE LOVE OF ERRORS

RALPH HASENHÜTTL, is the RB Leipzig coach who, with his aggressive pressing tactics, has made the youngest squad in the German top flight the most successful newly promoted team in the 50-year history of the Bundesliga. He talks being a reserve, selecting assholes and ponders the musings of established winners Words: Stefan Wagner

Photography: Oliver Jiszda

the red bulletin: There are quotes from huge icons of various sports hanging around the training ground at RB Leipzig. Which one of them speaks to you most? ralph hasenhüttl: The one from Michael Schumacher. “The flowers of victory belong in many vases.” Because it shores up the stance that even an individual sportsman, like Schumacher, can only achieve success as a member of a successful team and that you can’t be too full of yourself.

Are you a successful football manager because you’re not too full of yourself?

I live by that credo. If everyone does their job – the whole team, the manager, the physio, the press spokesman, everyone – then we’ll achieve success together and then that joint success will be mine, too.

You’ve got to turn the usual way of thinking on its head. It’s not “I’m important and things work thanks to me.” It’s “Everyone here is important and things 70

work thanks to all of them, too.” In my experience that’s exactly how success works.

Here are a couple more sayings. Maybe you can add them to the ones already up around the training ground. The first one is from Pep Guardiola. “Success is far more the result of doubt than it is the result of certainty.”

If we change doubt to scrutiny, then I can happily go along with that. Scrutinising is better than doubting.

The second saying is one of your own. “What’s the secret of my success? Not accepting when something doesn’t work.”

It’s my way of not being defeated by setbacks. The saying doesn’t rule out failure occurring, but what counts is your reaction to it, constructive defiance.

And now another one of your sayings. “Football is a game of errors.” By that you mean this extremely aggressive style of attacking play that your teams adopt when opponents are on the ball, which is, essentially, an attempt to get the opponent to make a mistake, right?

That falls short. It also covers how you deal with mistakes. I also want my team to deal with mistakes when they’ve repossessed the ball. I love it when a player loses the ball three times when he’s dribbling it, but gets through the fourth time. Only when a player knows that he can make mistakes will he take the risk – that makes us successful.

“You see how good you are on bad days”: Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager.

I wholeheartedly agree. When I see Bayern Munich and all the stuff they win on their off-days...

Some people say it’s Bayern luck.

And they’re wrong. Bayern’s basic level is extremely high. Others only get close on their really good days. So that already means it’s very unlikely that Bayern are going to lose.

“I would never sign an asshole just because he’s great at football.” That’s Klopp again.

Actually, he didn’t put it quite like that. What he said was, “I don’t know how good a player would have to be for me to accept his being an asshole.” I know because I’ve borrowed the expression myself in the past.

But they’re exactly the type of players who can make a team!

My system isn’t cut out for me to accept one player who has too big an ego in my squad.

But what would you do if that very player scored the winning goal in the 90th minute, even if he hadn’t run around like a madman for the rest of the game and hadn’t constantly attacked the opponents when they were on the ball?

He wouldn’t have scored the winning goal for any team of mine because he wouldn’t have been on the pitch.

THE RED BULLETIN

Ralph Hasenhüttl, 49, started playing professionally in 1985, in Austria. He began coaching in 2004 and joined RB Leipzig as manager in 2016

“BEING A SUB IS A TEST OF CHARACTER;

YOU HAVE TO PUT IN MORE, TRAIN EVEN HARDER, EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT PERCEIVED AS DOING SO” “As a coach, I would never have signed Hasenhüttl as a player...” ...that one’s got to be from me, even if only because Hasenhüttl the player would definitely never have been on the radar for Guardiola, Klopp or Ralf Rangnick.

But you played for eight different teams, won the league four times in Austria and were promoted to the top flight of the Bundesliga with FC Cologne.

I wouldn’t have signed him because he wouldn’t have suited my system physically. He wasn’t a good THE RED BULLETIN

enough runner. But I’d have taken on Hasenhüttl the guy straight away. I was the kind of player who could suppress his ego for the sake of the team. I could make sacrifices for the team.

You were the classic brawny centre-forward. It was your job to score goals. How can you make sacrifices for the team in that position?

By running into space you know the ball’s not going to come to, thus creating space for one of your teammates who might then get a chance to score a goal, or, if you’re on the bench, making your contribution to the team succeeding that way.

How can you contribute to success when you’re on the bench?

You can often do a lot more on the bench than you can when you’re on the pitch. You’re responsible for the overall level in the squad. You’re incredibly important for morale. Being a sub is a test of character; you have to put in more, train even harder, even if you might not be perceived as doing so at all. It isn’t at all easy, but it’s extremely important for any team.

Why are you a better manager than you were a player?

It’s definitely been a great advantage that everything wasn’t handed to me on a plate in my days as a player. I know how it feels to have to learn how to do something, to not know how to do something, to have to watch others to learn how to do something. That makes me feel like I might find it easier to help other players, that I might have more understanding and greater patience than others.

Hasenhüttl the manager is lucky that Hasenhüttl the player wasn’t over-endowed with talent.

This last quote is also one of yours. “If you’ve lost five games in a row, no player will believe a word you say to them.”

I can hardly imagine what that must be like. Telling players for five long weeks that everything they’re doing is great. And that all we’ve got to do is keep going and then the wins will start coming, and then to carry on losing. I seriously have a hard time imagining what that must be like.

What’s the worst spate of losses you’ve ever suffered as a manager?

Three games in a row. With FC Ingolstadt. After which I decided to leave the club.

Was your decision to leave the club pivotal to those three successive defeats?

When I look back, I think it was. Maybe I wasn’t quite as on the ball any more, not as utterly focused as I had been. I might have only been a couple of per cent off, but that’s all it takes in the Bundesliga. bundesliga.com 71

Reckon that lucha libre can’t really be all that violent? Think again. WWE this is most definitely not

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BEHIND THE

MASK South African wrestler Adam Bridle travelled to Mexico intending to stay for a few months. Eight years later, he’s still there. The reason? He knows that in the Mexican ring, the more you risk, the more you stand to gain­ Words: Alejandro Serrano­ Photography: Paolo Marchesi

“What I like the most are the aerial moves.

They were invented in Mexico” Adam Bridle ROPE TRICK Bridle pounces on his opponent, Argenis, with one of his trademark leaps

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he lighting manager at Mexico’s Arena Naucalpan, an indoor sports venue to the north-west of the capital, reckons he’s seen just about everything the technicolour world of Mexican wrestling – also known as lucha libre – can throw at a man.

“You see and hear all kinds of things,” grins Rey. This includes everything from butter-wouldn’tmelt Mexican families bellowing the foulest obscenities at fighters, to droplets of wrestlers’ blood falling onto the spectators, to flying fighters who crash into the crowd when they’re hurled out of the ring. “We have hundreds of damaged chairs, whole rows that have been crushed, and mangled tables back there,” says the man also known as El Virus.

“I’ve even had to shave someone’s head while they were unconscious,” he adds, without batting an eyelid. “In matches,

a masked wrestler fights an unmasked one. If the unmasked one loses and he has long hair… it’s goodbye to those locks.”

Getting an unexpected haircut is nothing, though, compared with a fighter being unmasked – a huge humiliation in a sport defined by the often extravagant mystery surrounding those taking part.

“People go crazy,” explains the fighter known as Argenis, “because they take everything away from [the unmasked fighter]. According to the rules, wrestlers who unmask their opponents are automatically disqualified. But the real loser is the unmasked fighter, because the mask represents his honour.”

For this reason, Argenis has never allowed himself to be photographed without his mask.

However, not all wrestlers are like this. Adam Bridle is one such fighter. But then, there’s plenty about Bridle that sets him apart from the steady stream of local fighters losing their hair and their teeth in a sport that, while designed to deliver maximum melodrama, can be every bit as physically demanding and traumatic as a bloody and bitter mixed martial arts match-up.

First, he’s not exactly a local.

In fact, the 29-year old hails from

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD The luchadores take big risks with their lives every time they step into the ring.

Here, a fighter finds time for reflection and a silent prayer before battle begins

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Walkerville, 30 minutes south of Johannesburg.

Second, unlike most luchadores, Bridle has no qualms about fighting unmasked. Third, Bridle is a well-known figure at Arena Naucalpan, has a lot of followers, and, after eight years of hard work under the ring name of Angélico, is getting results.

The South African belongs to the wrestling organisation Lucha Libre AAA, which, alongside the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) – or World Wrestling Council – has kept the sport alive in Mexico. In 1992, the late Antonio Peña, one of the most important bookers from the CMLL, founded Lucha Libre AAA with the aim of promoting the sport even further. Thanks to this initiative, wrestlers like Bridle and Argenis – his rival for our photoshoot – have been able to capture the attention of filmmakers such as Robert Rodríguez, who invited them to take part in the TV series Lucha Underground, aired by the El Rey Network in the US. But why would a South African leave his own country to learn to wrestle? Bridle explains that in the beginning he lived with a group of Japanese wrestlers who had a dojo above Arena Naucalpan. “It was the only place I knew in Mexico,” he says. “My Japanese housemates were very strict and would go to bed at 11pm.”

Gradually, he built a level of trust with the best fighters, who saw how the sport intrigued him and how determined he was to take part. Over time, he set his sights on the high-risk fighting style and learned as much as he could. the red bulletin: How did you first get a taste for wrestling?

When I was about six, my grandmother took me to a WWE wrestling show at Sun City. I can just remember something being awoken within me that day, and that feeling hasn’t left me.

You travelled to Japan, the US and Mexico to learn to wrestle. How did you end up staying in the latter? You’ve been here eight years… adam bridle: I think it was because of the style – I like the wrestling in Mexico best. It’s not as slow, and it focuses less on body mass, unlike in the US. It has always appealed to me more.

Which aspects in particular?

What I like most are the aerial moves, which are riskier. This practice is typically associated with lucha libre. In other parts of the world, they use aerial manoeuvres like front or backward rolls, and all these moves came from Mexico. When I watched wrestling as a child, I was drawn to that style the most, largely because it was high-risk.

Is there an artistic element to the Mexican style of fighting?

Of course there is. In fact, all four wrestling styles have it: European, American, Japanese and Mexican. I consider all four to be a unique art form. Each has a defined format, a way of telling a story, and its own way of interacting with people.

What story does lucha libre tell?

If you compare it to American wrestling, which tells the most simple story of good guys versus THE RED BULLETIN

Bridle, the South African luchadore who’s playing the Mexicans at their own game

“Argenis’ speciality is somersaulting from the ropes” Adam Bridle Unmask a fighter and he loses everything, even though it’s his opponent who’s disqualified.

Legendary Mexican wrestler El Santo only revealed his face at the end of his career

bad guys, lucha libre focuses more on a high-risk narrative: the more risks you take, the greater your chances of winning over the audience. It’s about which fighter makes the most dangerous moves to gain the fans’ respect. People like that, because you have to expose your body to win.

Are Mexican mentors different from those in other countries?

Of course. One hundred per cent. The way you’re taught to fight, and even to think about wrestling, is unique. In America, it’s all about the psychology of telling a story in a way that people will understand. In Mexico, they never teach you how to tell a story; what they care about is having wrestlers who dare to do somersaults and turns, who dodge their opponent, and who know how to move in general. It’s all about being as agile and as entertaining as possible.

So the audiences don’t care as much about the battle between ‘good and evil’. Would you say that lucha libre flows more smoothly?

In my opinion, lucha libre is like a circus version of professional wrestling. When you go to a match, you see the masks, the moves that you won’t have seen anywhere else before, exotic people, female wrestlers and even midget wrestlers, all in one show.

What’s the attitude of wrestlers in America?

It’s harder. People are used to trampling all over one another in order to get to the top.

So it’s more individualistic?

A lot more. Here in Mexico, they’re much more interested in helping you to go beyond your limits.

And if you compare it to Japan?

What story do they tell there?

The main story focuses on strength and your level of bravery.

The audience wants to see how much of a battering you can take before you give up. The training over there is the hardest and strictest of all; the Japanese are unrivalled in terms of discipline.

It’s very difficult to become a professional wrestler in Japan.

So if Japanese wrestling is the most difficult, why did you decide to stay in Mexico?

When I started here, my trainer, Negro Navarro – one of the world’s best-known trainers of wrestling holds – taught me an infinite number of holds; he had a book with about 400-500 different types. This was like an encyclopaedia of wrestling for me, which you can’t access anywhere else in the world. That’s one of the special things about lucha libre.

TRICKY TURNS Not only can you slip and break a bone, but if you perform this move incorrectly you can injure your neck for life. According to Bridle and Argenis, several wrestlers have died after falling badly.

You can end up unconscious with fractures and pulled muscles, or, more commonly, cracking your head open on the floor, or on the chairs that are thrown at you.

THE RED BULLETIN

So you realised that these guys had something special?

Yes, I had a feeling. I had trained in Europe and South Africa before that, but when I got to Mexico I felt there was a lot more history behind the sport. The trainers and masters have a different mentality when it comes to fighting; there’s more information and freedom.

I was lucky because I didn’t choose them, they chose me.

Really? And why do you think they chose you?

Perhaps because I wanted it more.

When I showed them how keen I was, it was clear I was desperate to open as many doors as I could into lucha libre. My mind was completely open to learning.

I would stay on for hours after the class had finished. I was always the last to leave, and I would spend the whole time asking questions. When they saw how determined I was, they became eager to train me.

It’s like they had a lot to share, but they weren’t willing to teach just anyone…

Yes, that’s how I feel, because the first three months of my training were very different from the months following that period.

It was almost as if I was on probation, and once they saw that I had goals, they liked that and they opened themselves up to me fully. They didn’t hold anything back; they constantly gave me more and more information.

But how did you persuade them to share their wisdom, especially with you being a foreigner?

If you show someone the respect they deserve – basically, they had been doing this for 23 years, while I had only been doing it for one – and if you’re humble and you come with an open mind and a willingness to learn, people see that. But it’s not just about that. I also learned a lot from them as people; I learned about their life experiences. They told me stories about how they had managed family life, fame, money… The relationship has to become very personal, and that only happened because they could see I wasn’t arrogant at all. I found a more shared way of thinking, and I liked that about Mexico. elreynetwork.com 79

guide Get It, Do It, See It

Go West

CHAD WADSWORTH/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

AMERICA, WE’RE COMING Berlin-based breakdance group The Flying Steps sell out venues all across Europe. Now the group want to break through in the US. Accompanied by Red Bull TV, they embark on their most important tour so far. See page 83

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GUIDE

See it

COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE

Motorcycle racing, rally driving, breakdancing – watch the best of the best take on the world on Red Bull TV this month

WATCH RED BULL TV ANYWHERE Red Bull TV is a global digital entertainment destination featuring programming that is beyond the ordinary and is available any time, anywhere.

Go online at redbull.tv, download the app, or connect via your Smart TV. To find out more, visit redbull.tv

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March/April

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THE RED BULLETIN

ORIGINAL PROGRAMME

READY TO RACE: KTM GOES MOTOGP

Follow the KTM team as they enter the top flight of motorcycle racing – MotoGP. Go behind the scenes and discover the interplay between man and technology. How will the Austrian team fare in this tough, highly technical and super-fast motorsport.

SEBAS ROMERO (2), VICTOR MICHAEL, @WORLD/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, CHAD WADSWORTH/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

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March

7 13

April

SERIES

WAY PAST MIDNIGHT

This new original series takes an unfiltered look at nocturnal subcultures around the world. Explore scenes and places you never knew existed, all through the eyes of the creative individuals who make it happen.

to 9 April

LIVE

WRC, STOP 4

See the world’s best drivers pitted against some of the toughest and most changeable conditions on the planet on the fourth stop of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The action takes place in the scenic surroundings of Corsica, France.

March

PREMIERE

FOLLOW THE STEPS

An all-access documentary series on the Flying Steps, one of the top B-Boy companies in the world. Vartan, leader and founder of the fourtime world breakdance champions, faces his ultimate challenge: a breakthrough in America.

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GUIDE Edited by Gisbert L Brunner

Get It The watch’s face bears the name of Mike Horn’s latest mission, Pole2Pole

ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL EXPLORER

Peak performance Mountaineer Ed Viesturs has scaled all 14 of the world’s ‘eightthousanders’ without bottled oxygen. But he did utilise this 39mm stainless-steel timepiece, guaranteed for five years of service at any height. rolex.com

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH There are tough-guy watches, and there’s a Panerai. In 1936, the watchmaker created the Radiomir for the Italian navy’s frogmen, using tech from the first true waterproof wristwatch: the Rolex Oyster with screwlocked crown. Over time, Panerai’s military timepieces grew in appeal among civilians and celebrities. After Sylvester Stallone’s Luminor survived the rigours of his 1996 film Daylight, he gave friends autographed editions. One such recipient was Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wore it in his movie Eraser, ensuring its hard-man pedigree.

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PANERAI LUMINOR SUBMERSIBLE 1950 3 DAYS GMT AUTOMATIC TITANIO

Strong armed Epic is a word too often overused, but it’s perfectly justified when describing our cover star, explorer Mike Horn. Arguably the most travelled man alive, Horn has solocircumnavigated the equator without powered transport, trekked to the North Pole in perpetual winter darkness without dogs or motors, travelled the length of the Amazon by riverboard, and lost fingertips to frostbite. But his most epic feat began last May: a two-year solo circumnavigation of the globe via both poles. This watch, built specially

by Panerai for Horn's voyage, has a 47mm titanium case, is waterresistant to 300m and houses a twin-barrel movement with a threeday power reserve. The run has been limited to 500 pieces; it’s unlikely the other 499 will endure quite the same thrashing. panerai.com

HAMILTON KHAKI AVIATION CHRONO WORLDTIMER

High flyer

In the dramatic opener of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship 2016, Nicolas Ivanoff triumphed.

His precision timing might be due to the steel-case quartz watch he designed with his team sponsor, Hamilton. hamiltonwatch.com

ORIS HAMMERHEAD

Hidden depths

In a bid to prevent their extinction, marine scientist Jérôme Delafosse has been fitting hammerhead sharks with trackers built by Oris.

The watchmaker has also made a timepiece – limited to 2,000 and water-resistant to 50m, naturally – to support his work. oris.ch

THE RED BULLETIN

GUIDE

2 Do it

March /April April Steel yourself Fancy a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride and a 42.2km marathon, with only 17 hours to complete it all? If the answer is no, there's always a second, more leisurely option: joining 80,00-plus spectators lining the streets of Port Elizabeth to watch other people do it at the Ironman African Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay. The mantra of Ironman is “Anything is possible,” and what its competitors achieve is nothing short of incredible.

Port Elizabeth; ironman.com

24 to 30 April

FEEL THE BURN AND HOWL AT THE MOON

Dust off the old tent, break out the water cans and dig out your most outrageous costumes: it’s time for the annual pilgrimage to Tankwa in the Karoo for Afrikaburn – Africa’s answer to Burning Man. Prepare for seven days of desert art, zany tunes, performances, and all manner of creative self-expression. At the heart of the festival is a spirit of community and self-reliance; the only thing you'll find on sale is ice, but the culture of gifting ensures everyone gets what they need.

Tankwa; afrikaburn.com

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Taking place at Cape Town’s International Convention Centre, the South African International Tattoo Convention is a massive showcase of not only this country's most talented tattoo artists, but also workers in ink from all around the world. Head along to see the best in action, or even get some work done yourself.

Cape Town; southafricantattoo convention.com

13

to 16 April Make a splash Set against the backdrop of the Drakensberg Mountains, the Splashy Fen Music Festival has, for almost three decades, drawn thousands of people at Easter for a long weekend of SA’s finest tunes. Highlights on the bill of this year’s 27th edition include GoodLuck, Jeremy Loops. Grassy Spark, Grimehouse, and Afropop veterans Mango Groove.

Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal; splashyfen.co.za

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to 29 April Geek heaven The Cape Town leg of rAge – SA's biggest expo for gaming, computers, technology and geek culture – gives techheads the perfect platform to see, touch and try a massive range of products before making a purchase. Prepare for three days of intense gaming, the latest gadgets, and lifestyle entertainment to please even the fussiest of nerds.

Cape Town; rageexpo.co.za

THE RED BULLETIN

CHRIS HITCHCOCK, TYRONE BRADLEY

24

to 26 March Inked to the max

RUNNING FOR THOSE WHO CAN‘T WHEREVER YOU ARE

WINGSFORLIFEWORLDRUN.COM ONLINE ENTRIES ONLY. LIMITED NUMBER OF ENTRIES.

ACTION APPAREL From the moment ancient man strapped animal skins to his feet, clothing has been engineered for performance. Here’s the ultimate evolution of our fitness fabrics

Jaybird X-3

Adidas

Z.N.E 90/10 Jacket

Gameday performance is 90 per cent mental and 10 per cent physical. It's a belief Adidas has woven into the fabric of this jacket, literally. The design – minimising distraction and increasing focus – has inspirational comments from athletes like Man United's Paul Pogba on its inner lining. adidas.com

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Finding great in-ear headphones for extreme physical activity can be more gruelling than the workout itself. These make the grade. Wireless, they won't get torn out of your ears by a random arm movement; superergonomic fins and tips lock them securely into your ear canal; and a hydrophobic nano coating and airtight seams ensure they can withstand any conditions you throw at them. And with eight hours play from a quick 15-minute charge, there's plenty of weather and workout time you can put them through. jaybirdsport.com

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GUIDE Quiksilver AG47 Division Remix Boardshorts The surf company with a logo of a giant wave knows a thing or two about boardshorts – they’ve been making them since 1969.

Stitched from recycled materials, these are made with ocean preservation in mind. boardriders.co.za

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ACTION APPAREL

Vans ISO 1.5 For the kinds of urban sports Vans caters to, comfort needs to be scientifically engineered. The cushioned heel, enhanced ankle cuff and increased outsole flexibility provide just that, with a minimum of structural elements to ensure the sneaker is as light as possible for increased dexterity. vans.com

Oakley Jawbreaker The outlandish design of these cycling sunglasses is guaranteed to turn a few heads, but one of them won't be yours, thanks to the incredible peripheral vision afforded by that massive wraparound visor. Designed in collaboration with pro sprint cyclist Mark Cavendish, they provide a 44 per cent greater field of view than regular sunnies, plus total eye protection and unrestricted airflow. The lenses can also be swapped out quickly and easily to cope with changing light conditions. oakley.com/jawbreaker

Adidas Tech Fit Tough Long Tights

Nike Tech Fleece Windrunner The chevroned jacket that propelled Nike beyond mere shoes when it debuted in 1978, this reinvention of the Windrunner is good for cooler weather, with curved seams and articulated arms for increased movement. nike.com

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A second skin that does a hell of a lot for your actual skin, starting with keeping it dry.

The hydrophilic synthetic/cotton fabric combo draws heat and sweat to its outer layer where it's quickly evaporated, while strategically placed, ultra-soft seams prevent chafing. This stretchy, supportive base layer even delivers UPF 50+ UV protection. adidas.com

The North Face Rapido Jacket A running jacket designed for performance and protection – lightweight with body-mapped ventilation, it repels water, wind and less natural hazards, thanks to 360-degree reflectivity for high visibility day or night. northface.com

THE RED BULLETIN

GUIDE

DC Shoes Throwback Star Raglan By the time the DC Shoe company debuted in 1994, the skate scene was already old school.

Now this tee, calling back to that momentous time, is doubly retro, and equally as timeless and cool as it was then. It's also as practical to wear as it ever was – stitched from 90 per cent cotton for comfort and mobility, with a logo that communicates total commitment to the cause. boardriders.co.za

Skullcandy

Crusher Wireless

Over-the-ear headphones with a powerful physical presence all of their own. Memory-foam pads shape and seal around your ear, while you can literally feel the bass as it thumps out of drivers that can be custom-tuned. Wireless and with 40 hours on a single charge, you can head out into the wilderness, while noise isolation means your surroundings won't distract. skullcandy.com

Nike

Reebok

Pro Hypercool 3/4Training Tights

InstaPump Fury

This 14 per cent Spandex base layer will make you look like Aquaman only a hell of a lot drier, thanks to the Dri-FIT fabric that wicks sweat away from your skin, with mesh ventilation down the side and back, and a breathable waistband to keep you cool. nike.com

THE RED BULLETIN

Rarely does something stay fresh, but Reebok's Pump shoes have remained punk since 1991, when NBA star Dee Brown inflated his footwear before slam-dunking a victory before a televised audience.

Today's shoe employs the same pump-up system for the perfect fit, combined with modern support technology like a shock-absorbing midsole and graphlite arch. You can also customise your own designs, and that is very fresh. reebok.com

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ACTION APPAREL

GUIDE

Adidas Primeknit Wool Tee This wool and synthetic blend fabric delivers optimum temperature management, while an almost seamless construction promises minimal chafing. adidas.com

Puma

Nike

Ignite Limitless Extreme Hi-Tech

This street-running shoe is designed for pavement pounding and parkour powering. The hightop design incorporates a thermoplastic polyurethane ankle support, the upper features a Kevlar-inspired mesh, and crystal rubber pods on the sole add extra traction, delivering uncompromising urban performance and cool street style. puma.com

Adidas Harden Vol. 1 Swag Champ Hoodie Created by NBA star James Harden, this sleeveless basketball hoodie is knitted from a breathable mesh for maximum airflow, while the hood sports faux leather for pure unabashed style. adidas.com

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Pro Hypercool About as cutting edge as T-shirt tech gets – mesh fabric for enhanced, targeted ventilation, raglan sleeves for increased range of movement, and flat stitching for added comfort against your skin. nike.com

Under Armour Threadborne Fitted ¼ Zip Born with one purpose in mind, to be the ultimate workout shirt – comfortable, cooling, loose yet supporting, letting you stay focused on the task at hand.

The unique antiodour fabric delivers compression without cling. It’s breathable, drawing sweat from the body without absorbing it, while demonstrating superfast drying properties. underarmour.com

Billabong Sundays X Riot Shorts That psychedelic ripple speaks of untamed oceans, but the stretchy fabric also micro-repels water so you don't bring the untamed ocean home with you. billabong.com/za

THE RED BULLETIN

GLOBAL TEAM

THE RED BULLETIN WORLDWIDE

Editorial Director Robert Sperl Editor-in-Chief Alexander Macheck Creative Director Erik Turek

NO HAY NADA Texto: Marco Payán Fotografia: Ramona Rosales Retoque: Carsten Steinhausen/ DesignCSC Estilismo: Juan de Dios Ramírez

100% GRATIS

The Red Bulletin is available in eight countries. This feature on Mexican actress Cecilia Suarez is in this month’s Mexican editon.

See all the editions at: redbulletin.com/ howtoget

61

Editor Louis Raubenheimer Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Davydd Chong

Art Directors Kasimir Reimann, Miles English

Country Project and Sales Management Andrew Gillett

Photo Director Fritz Schuster

Advertisement Sales Andrew Gillett, andrew.gillett@za.redbull.com Dustin Martin, dustin.martin@za.redbull.com

Production Editor Marion Wildmann

CECILIA SUÁREZ REFLEXIONA SOBRE LA SUERTE QUE TUVO, SUS MENTORES, PERO TAMBIÉN SOBRE EL VALOR DE ROMPERSE EL LOMO PARA LOGRAR EL ÉXITO

THE RED BULLETIN South Africa, ISSN 2079-4282

Managing Editor Daniel Kudernatsch Editors Stefan Wagner (Chief Copy Editor), Ulrich Corazza, Arek Piatek, Andreas Rottenschlager Web Kurt Vierthaler (Senior Web Editor), Christian Eberle, Vanda Gyuris, Inmaculada Sánchez Trejo, Andrew Swann, Christine Vitel Design Marco Arcangeli, Marion Bernert-Thomann, Martina de Carvalho-Hutter, Kevin Goll, Carita Najewitz Photo Editors Rudi Übelhör (Deputy Photo Director), Marion Batty, Susie Forman, Ellen Haas, Eva Kerschbaum, Tahira Mirza Illustrator Dietmar Kainrath

Printed by CTP Printers, Duminy Street, Parow-East, Cape Town 8000 Subscriptions Subscription price R250, for 12 issues/year, www.getredbulletin.com, subs@za.redbull.com Mailing Address PO Box 50303, Waterfront, 8002 South Africa Office South Wing, Granger Bay Court, Beach Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 8001 +27 (0) 21 431 2100

Publisher Franz Renkin

Country Management and Marketing Stefan Ebner (manager), Magdalena Bonecker, Thomas Dorer, Manuel Otto, Kristina Trefil, Sara Varming Marketing Design Peter Knehtl (manager), Simone Fischer, Alexandra Hundsdorfer, Mathias Schwarz Head of Production Michael Bergmeister Production Wolfgang Stecher (manager), Walter O Sádaba, Friedrich Indich, Michael Menitz (digital)

IT Systems Engineer Michael Thaler Subscriptions and Distribution Peter Schiffer (manager), Klaus Pleninger (distribution), Nicole Glaser (distribution), Yoldas Yarar (subscriptions) General Manager and Publisher Wolfgang Winter Global Editorial Office Heinrich-Collin-Strasse 1, A-1140 Vienna Phone +43 1 90221-28800 Fax +43 1 90221-28809 Web redbulletin.com Red Bull Media House GmbH Oberst-Lepperdinger-Straße 11–15, A-5071 Wals bei Salzburg, FN 297115i, Landesgericht Salzburg, ATU63611700 Directors Christopher Reindl, Andreas Gall

96

Proof Reading Hans Fleißner Product Management Natascha Djodat Advertisement Sales Martin Olesch, martin.olesch@de.redbulletin.com

THE RED BULLETIN Mexico, ISSN 2308-5924 Editor Luis Alejandro Serrano Associate Editors Marco Payán, Inmaculada Sánchez Trejo Proof Reading Alma Rosa Guerrero Country Project and Sales Management Helena Campos, Giovana Mollona Advertisement Sales Humberto Amaya Bernard, humberto.amayabernard@mx.redbull.com

THE RED BULLETIN Switzerland, ISSN 2308-5886 Editor Arek Piatek Proof Reading Hans Fleißner

Country Channel Management Melissa Stutz

THE RED BULLETIN Austria, ISSN 1995-8838 Editor Ulrich Corazza Proof Reading Hans Fleißner Country Project Management Thomas Dorer Advertisement Sales Alfred Vrej Minassian (manager), Thomas Hutterer, Corinna Laure, Bernhard Schmied, anzeigen@at.redbulletin.com

Repro Clemens Ragotzky (manager), Claudia Heis, Maximilian Kment, Karsten Lehmann Office Management Kristina Krizmanic, Petra Wassermann

Editor Andreas Rottenschlager

Advertisement Sales Marcel Bannwart, marcel.bannwart@ch.redbull.com

Advertising Placement Andrea Tamás-Loprais Creative Solutions Eva Locker (manager), Verena Schörkhuber

THE RED BULLETIN Germany, ISSN 2079-4258

THE RED BULLETIN United Kingdom, ISSN 2308-5894 Editor Justin Hynes Associate Editor Tom Guise Music Editor Florian Obkircher Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Davydd Chong

THE RED BULLETIN France, ISSN 2225-4722 Editor Pierre-Henri Camy Country Co-ordinator Christine Vitel Proof Reading Audrey Plaza Country Project and Sales Management Leila Domas

Partnership Management Yoann Aubry, yoann.aubry@fr.redbull.com

Country Channel Management Tom Reding Advertisement Sales Mark Bishop, mark.bishop@uk.redbull.com

THE RED BULLETIN USA, ISSN 2308-586X Editor Andreas Tzortzis Deputy Editor Nora O’Donnell Copy Chief David Caplan Country Project Management Melissa Thompson Advertisement Sales Los Angeles: Dave Szych, dave.szych@us.redbull.com New York: Regina Dvorin, reggie.dvorin@us.redbullmediahouse.com THE RED BULLETIN

PROMOTION

must-haves

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1 SPECIALIZED MOUNTAIN BANDIT

Uniquely designed to bolt directly under your SWAT compatible saddle featuring a simple, Velcro strap with individual compartments for tube, CO2, and tire lever. One rip of the strap and you’re in with easy to access everything you need to fix a flat in the middle of a race. R280. specialized.com

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2 CADENCE CLASSIC 3 PUMA IGNITE ENERGY GEL LIMITLESS Offers a scientifically validated formulation for maximum energy delivery - a combination of matodextrose and fructose. Additional sodium and potassium replace lost electrolytes, prevent hyponatraemia and may prevent cramping. Caffeine and taurine improve mental alertness, boost exercise performance and reduce muscle damage.

RRP R25.00. cadencenutrition.com

Is tailored to stand up to the stop-and-go of city living. The design began with streetwear influences then added performance and technologies.

Exaggerated proportions are bold yet sleek: bonded edges, matte and shine play, collar height, and large branding. IGNITE Limitless Hi Tech R3 699 and Extreme Hi Tech R3 999. puma.com

4 SOMA WOLVERINE

Sporty enough for allaround adventure and geometry stable for offroad. Made with Tange/ IRD Sliding Dropouts, you can turn it into a single-speed CX bike.

With a split seatstay, it is compatible with the Gates Carbon Belt Drive. Preorder price R9 500 (frame and fork). everyday cyclesupplyco.com

5 NEW BALANCE 247 CLASSIC

New Balance is excited to release the 247 Classic. Designed with the modern urban lifestyle in mind, classic New Balance quality and craftsmanship is fused with modern performance-inspired details for a contemporary new style. R1 299.99. newbalance.com

6 THULE 23L SUBTERRA

Designed for the modern traveller. It features a PowerPocket to manage cords, plus a padded laptop sleeve with SafeEdge construction - fits a 15î MacBook or 15.6î PC. The breathable perforated EVA straps and padded back panel allow for a comfy carry – also, the passthrough panel securely attaches to your rolling luggage. R2 499. thule.com

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GUIDE

Action highlight

In his new video, Walls, British BMX legend Sebastian Keep defies gravity. A prime example is Keep’s jump over the railing of a pedestrian bridge, landing on – yes, on – an exterior wall at the height of 9.7m, before dashing down a ramp into the street. How does the stunt end? Check out the video at redbull.com/bike

“It’s a whole new way to use your bike”

GEORGE MARSHALL/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Croydon, England

Makes you fly

Pro BMX rider Sebastian Keep, 34, lands his spectacular tricks on walls

The next issue of The Red Bulletin is out on April 11 98

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WHICH SIZE SUITS YOU?

WORLDTIMER SWISS MADE