The Red Bulletin September 2013 – UK

a beyond the ordinary magazine

everest skydive

YOUR NEXT HOLIDAY SORTED

THE DRACULA RALLY MOTOCROSS’S SCARIEST RACE

rush

F1 GOES TO THE MOVIES

world’s best

ACTION SHOTS

17-page photo Special

september 2013

kevin phelan IRISH GOLF’S NEXT MAJOR TALEnt

“... the blindness and paralysis remain but the fear has gone ... I’m not scared anymore, just keen to continue exploring the boundaries of what is possible.”

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n July 2010 blind adventure athlete Mark Pollock fell from a second story window. He cracked his skull, his chest and torso filled with blood and his back was broken in three places. He had no feeling from the waist down.

For 6 months after the accident Mark lay in hospital. As his mind battled to accept reality and find positivity his body was further hit with recurring infections.

In a hell of IV drips, fluids, antibiotics, fevers, blood clots and vomiting, Mark lost three stone and with it he almost lost the will to go on. But he was not beaten. From hospital he blogged his intention to fight: “The last 6 months have been truly torturous and until now I have been unable or unwilling to look to the future. I spent 12 years filling my life with experiences that would sweep the blindness to the side. And I know if I don’t do the same with this paralysis then it will dominate me.”

Mark’s supporters created the Mark Pollock Trust and Run in the Dark to fund his ambition to walk again. Now Mark is using his body for research as he walks in Ekso robotic legs and follows an aggressive physical therapy programme.

Mark Pollock Trust and Wings for Life, the global spinal injury research charity, will benefit directly from each Run in the Dark entry.

RUN DARK IN THE

WEDS • 13TH NOV 2013 • 7.30PM • 5k and 10k DUBLIN•CORK•BELFAST•LONDON•MANCHESTER •POP-UP EVENTS WORLDWIDE•

THE WORLD OF RED BULL

September 26

the dracula rally

Four days and 600km across Transylvania for the world’s hardest off-road enduro motorcycle race

Welcome

Franz Ferdinand say hi: page 94

You probably haven’t been in an outrigger canoe.

They look like a cross between a kayak and half a catamaran, and cut across the ocean at tremendous speed. Every year, at the Olamau Race around Hawaii’s Big Island, the world’s best oarsmen and women push these boats, and themselves, to the limit. Our gripping story of the race is just one of the highlights of this month’s issue. Most eye-catching is our portfolio of winning images from the Red Bull Illume action and adventure photography contest. We’ve also got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Rush, the movie that retells one of the all-time great sporting rivalries: “ Kanye West came to our James Hunt v Niki Lauda for the 1976 F1 title. All shows and said he was a fan. that, plus future stars of sport and music, and Now we’re fans of his and his much more. We hope you enjoy the issue. tweets are amazing as well” 06

the red bulletin

THE WORLD OF RED BULL

at a glance Bullevard 10 news Sport and culture on the quick 14 Where’s your head at? Stephen King 18 me and my body Manu Vatuvei 20 kit evolution Microphones 22 winning formula The science behind a sprinter’s acceleration 24 lucky numbers Global stat attack

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Features 26 Red Bull Romaniacs

WAVE WArriors

Across Transylvania in the world’s hardest enduro motorcycle race

It’s not all about the surfers in the waters off the coast of Hawaii.

Outrigger canoeists take their turn for a punishing, pulsating race

36 Leap Of Faith

How aspiring cliff diver Matt Cowen became the new kid off the rock

39 Shots Of Adrenalin Cover Photography: sean lee/Red Bull Illume. Photography: Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Content Pool, Andy Knowles, Chris Baldwin, Brian Smith, Getty Images, Zak Noyle/Red Bull Illume, ATP Bildagentur Muenchen

The 2013 Red Bull Illume action and adventure sports photo contest

56 Heroic Survivor

Matt Damon on carving out a career and saving the world

62 Driving Forward

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get the gear

on location in sao paulo

American wakeboarder Parks Bonifay reveals how his bespoke kit allows him to innovate and exceed expectations

Brazilian supermodel Viviane Orth leads the way through her top five home-city haunts – including its best burger joint

Irish golf hot shot Kevin Phelan prepares to play with the pros

66 Strings Attached Orchestral-electro band Halves 68 F1 At The Movies

Exclusive interview with Ron Howard, director of Hunt-v-Lauda film Rush

74 Dire Straits

The perils and pain of a four-day canoe race around the coast of Hawaii

Action

39 world’s best images

From backflips in the surf to airtime with the birds: the incredible winning entries in the 2013 Red Bull Illume photo contest the red bulletin

68 Rush: first great F1 Movie?

Niki Lauda’s epic battle with James Hunt for the 1976 F1 title hits the big screen, with Ron Howard in the director’s chair

86 87 88 89 92 94 96 98

get the gear A wakeboarder’s kit party Lesser-known Amsterdam travel Skydiving off Mount Everest training Get fit for pit stops My City A supermodel’s Sao Paulo Playlist Franz Ferdinand save the Date Events for your diary time warp Waterskiing in the ’60s

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contributors Who’s on board this issue

The Red Bulletin United Kingdom, 2308-5894

Robert anasi

Sean Lee This month’s cover shot, of British mountain biker Luke Ball cutting up the course in Mundaring, Australia, is a finalist in the Red Bull Illume action photo competition. A very grand total of 28,257 shots, taken by 6,417 lensmen and women, vied for glory in the largest contest of its kind in the world. Australian snapper Lee should be very proud that his excellent eye took him into the top 250. See the winning images, starting on page 39.

rüdiger sturm So, Mr Sturm, in the 11 years since you first interviewed the Hollywood star Matt Damon, is there anything that hasn’t changed about him? “Only three things: openness, that great, self-deprecating attitude and his boyish face.” That first meeting took place at the Cannes Film Festival, and afterwards Damon gifted the German a bottle of rosé.

No alcohol changed hands in the making of this new article, but the pair raised a proverbial glass to a host of topics: death, glory and all things between. It’s on page 56.

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The American writer’s book The Gloves: A Boxing Chronicle detailed his time as an amateur pugilist and earned him comparisons with Norman Mailer. His willingness to really get going when the going gets tough, and then to write about it brilliantly, made him the ideal man to document the Olamau Race for The Red Bulletin.

Anasi’s gripping report of the three-day, 101-mile canoe contest around the north tip of Hawaii’s Big Island, is on page 74.

Published by Red Bull Media House GmbH General Manager Wolfgang Winter Publisher Franz Renkin Editor-in-Chief Robert Sperl Deputy Editor-in-Chief Alexander Macheck UK & Ireland Editor Paul Wilson Creative Director Erik Turek Art Directors Kasimir Reimann, Miles English Chief Photo Editor Fritz Schuster Production Editor Marion Wildmann Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Joe Curran Assistant Editors Ruth Morgan, Ulrich Corazza, Werner Jessner, Florian Obkircher, Arek Pia˛tek, Andreas Rottenschlager, Daniel Kudernatsch (app), Christoph Rietner (app) Contributing Editor Stefan Wagner Design Martina de Carvalho-Hutter, Silvia Druml, Kevin Goll, Carita Najewitz, Esther Straganz Photo Editors Susie Forman (Creative Photo Editor), Ellen Haas, Eva Kerschbaum, Catherine Shaw, Rudi Übelhör Repro Managers Clemens Ragotzky (manager), Karsten Lehmann, Josef Mühlbacher Head of Production Michael Bergmeister Production Wolfgang Stecher (manager), Walter O Sádaba, Christian Graf-Simpson (app) Printed by Prinovis Liverpool Ltd www.prinovis.com Finance Siegmar Hofstetter, Simone Mihalits

HERBERT VöLKER To interview the director Ron Howard, on the occasion of his new film Rush, we could pick no one better than the venerable Völker. Rush tells the dramatic story of the climax to the 1976 Formula One season, in which James Hunt and Niki Lauda duelled for the title in once-ina-lifetime circumstances. One of sport’s most incredible tales, the Austrian writer has greater insight into it than most, having known Lauda for many years and ghostwritten Lauda’s brilliant autobiography, To Hell And Back.

He and Howard hit it off; the results are on page 68.

“ Matt Damon still has a great, self-deprecating attitude” Rüdiger sturm

Marketing & Country Management Stefan Ebner (manager), Stefan Hötschl, Elisabeth Salcher, Lukas Scharmbacher, Sara Varming Marketing Design Julia Schweikhardt, Peter Knethl Distribution Klaus Pleninger, Peter Schiffer Advertising Enquiries UK: Georgia Howie +44 (0) 203 117 2000, georgia.howie@uk.redbulletin.com Ireland: Deirdre Hughes 00 353 862488504, redbulletin@richmondmarketing.com

Advertising Placement Sabrina Schneider O∞ce Management Manuela Gesslbauer, Kristina Krizmanic, Anna Schober Distribution The Red Bulletin is published in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, UK and USA Website www.redbulletin.com Head office Red Bull Media House GmbH, Oberst-Lepperdinger-Strasse 11-15, A-5071 Wals bei Salzburg, FN 297115i, Landesgericht Salzburg, ATU63611700 UK office 155-171 Tooley Street, London SE1 2JP, +44 (0) 20 3117 2100 The Red Bulletin Ireland Richmond Marketing, 1st Floor Harmony Court, Harmony Row, Dublin 2, Ireland +35 386 8277993 Write to us: letters@redbulletin.com

the red bulletin

Bullevard Sport and culture on the quick

Attack!

There are more than 1,000 different martial arts, ranging from the oldest – wrestling in ancient Egypt – to today’s most widely practised, taekwon­do.

Four of the rarer varieties:

BOKATOR, Cambodia The clue to its toughness, to both study and endure it, is in the name, which means ‘pounding lions’.

DAMBE, West Africa Boxing with some kicks and holds, once only practised by butchers (of meat) due to their lowly status.

SHADOW MAKER One man creates 3D paintings just for the drill of it Andrew Myers takes a long look at his unpainted ‘canvases’ and then says to himself, “Screw it.” That’s because the 33-year-old artist, born in Germany, raised in Spain and now based in Laguna Beach, California makes portraits with paint, brush and a drill. He bores thousands of holes into plywood boards, which can measure 2ft square up to 4ft square (61cm to 1.2m) and are usually papered with pages from the phonebook. He then twists screws into the holes, at varying heights so as to create a 3D landscape of a face. Myers then paints the screwheads, adding shadows to augment real ones cast by the screws.

The face is so accurate that the blind can feel it. www.andrewmyersart.com

kalaripayattu, India Total mastery of unarmed and armed combat; near-doctor-like understanding of the body. Easy.

phototicker

EVERY shot ON TARGET

Have you taken a picture with a Red Bull flavour? Email it to us at: phototicker@redbulletin.com BARTITSU, England Jujutsu-boxing hybrid requiring followers (Sherlock Holmes was one) to be tasty with a walking stick.

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Every month we print a selection, with our favourite pic awarded a limited-edition Sigg bottle. Tough, functional and well-suited to sport, it features The Red Bulletin logo.

Zadar Water polo with a current: three against three in a Croatian harbour at Red Bull Sidrun.

Marjan Radovic

the red bulletin

MVP to PM

It is said that sport and politics should not mix. Try telling these athletes turned politicians

Photography: dominique tardY, Sunday Alamba, picturedesk.com, Andrew Myers, getty images (4)

Third time around: the new Red Bull Kart Fighter

Vitali Klitschko The reigning WBC boxing world champ entered the Ukrainian Parliament in 2012 as leader of the UDAR Party.

Play your karts right The reviews (and our many hours of playing) confirm it: Red Bull Kart Fighter 3 – Unbeaten Tracks is not only the best in the series, it’s also one of the best topdown racing games for smartphone and tablet. This third version has new karts and tracks on which you can race your friends online. In the game, as in real life, you need to be on good terms with the mechanic. He sets career goals, can tune your kart with his wild-card add-ons and has a whole load of race-winning tricks up his sleeve. Kart until your fingers creak. Red Bull Kart Fighter 3 – Unbeaten Tracks is out now for Android and Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Free download: games. redbull.com

GIANNI RIVERA Won the European Cup with AC Milan in 1963 and 1969 before becoming a member of both the Italian and European parliaments.

BILL BRADLEY Two NBA titles with the Knicks, one Olympic gold with the USA, 18 years a US senator with the Democrats (’78-’97).

She’s Next Hollywood up-n-comer Sharni Vinson on the perils of pokers and being behind the internet Swimming pool, school, swimming pool. That was Sharni Vinson’s teenage daily routine. But the Australian decided against a life as a professional sportswoman and went for acting instead.

Now the 30-year-old combines both passions in sporty roles: dancing her way through Step Up 3D and fighting off bloodthirsty home invaders in You’re Next, a rare horror-comedy that is both frightening and funny. the red bulletin: How do you prepare for your roles? sharni vinson: This time it was martial arts training.

As it was part of my role to constantly knock people out with a fire poker, I had to learn how to twirl it like

a baton, things like that. That was really entertaining.

Do you find it hard to slip into your film roles?

When we were shooting You’re Next, we were living in a motel in the middle of nowhere. I was so into my role that I even slept with a knife under my pillow. “I hope no stranger comes knocking,” I thought. For his own safety.

There is a photo blog devoted to your feet. Is that shocking or flattering?

Are you serious? That’s funny.

They might need to update their pictures because I just got a tattoo on my foot, my first-ever tattoo. The website is out of date now.

You’re Next is on worldwide release: facebook.com/YoureNextTheMovie

Just axe natural: Sharni Vinson

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Yalta B-Boys Iron Monkey, Kosto and Menno strut their stuff in Ukraine.

Sergey Illin the red bulletin

Malcesine

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series participants salute their Italian fans down below.

Dean Treml

Tokyo In the city’s Zounahana Park for Red Bull Pump Jam, BMX riders hit a bumpy patch.

Hiroyuki Orihara

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Bullevard

Party time: Bestival

This month Bestival will celebrate 10 years of eclectic music and inventive fancy dress on the Isle of Wight with its biggest line-up yet, and some unlikely poster-mates. “It’s funny, when we told Elton John that Snoop Dogg was also on the line-up he was excited,” says Bestival founder Rob Da Bank.

“It seems they’re friends. I’m chuffed with the names we’ve got. Plus we have Red Bull Music Academy bringing the best in new music. It’s going to be big.” www.redbullmusicacademy.com

Saddle up, get down Mountain bikers from Ireland, the UK and Europe are heading for the hills of Co Down on October 4-5 for Red Bull Foxhunt, the downhill MTB race that turns the traditional hunt on its head. Former Irish enduro champ Greg Callaghan will be part of a 500-rider mass start, then after a delay, ‘The Fox’, former world champion Gee Atherton, will try to overtake them and finish first. www.redbull.ie

Gee whizz: Atherton’s speed test

Munich Belgian BASE-jumper Cédric Dumont (right): unlikely golf champion of King Of Greens.

Phil Pham

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My Nu Leng: James Irving (right) creates deep garage beats with Tommy Jackson

Making it

James ‘Jammo’ Irving, 24, is one half of My Nu Leng, a Bristol-based, bass-loving duo whose moody garageand grime-influenced sounds earn them spots at the best festivals – but not separate hotel rooms Boats and beats “We have a residency at a club called Thekla, which is a cargo ship moored in a Bristol mud dock. People are amazed. I never know if it’s the bass or the number of drinks I’ve had, but I’m sure I’ve felt it moving.”

Summer of live “Last year we had almost no shows booked, but this summer it all happened. We were in Ibiza, at Boom Town, Secret Garden Party… it’s mind-blowing. We played the closing set on the Shangri-la stage at Glastonbury to more than 3,500 people. I was buzzing for days.”

Fresh produce “The Red Bull Studio London is great, from the equipment to the engineer. We’re there this month, and want to get a vocalist in the booth for a new My Nu Leng track. I can’t wait for the results.”

Late night noise Tommy [Jackson, other half of My Nu Leng] is a massive snorer. I have to sleep in the bathroom when we share a hotel room. If we ever break up it won’t be a musical difference: the snoring will have got too much” www.redbullstudios.co.uk soundcloud.com/mynuleng

Atlanta Clearing 7m on a bike was no biggie for US rider Ronnie Renner at Red Bull Raising The Bar. Robert Snow

Dallas Erykah Badu gets a rousing hometown

reception at Red Bull Sound Select Presents Dallas.

Gary Miller the red bulletin

Words: Ruth morgan. photography: Black-Butter Records, PA/Picturedesk.com, Sebastian Marko/Red Bull Contentn pool

Going large

Bullevard

Where’s Your Head At?

Stephen King

As he returns – well, he’s never really been away – with a sequel to one of his most famous books, we go inside the mind of a great storyteller

To E Or Not To E

In 2000, the first massmarket ebook is King’s Riding The Bullet. “I’m curious to see… whether or not this is the future,” he said. In 2013, his novel Joyland, like Bullet, themepark themed, is print-only: “Let people stir their sticks and go to an actual bookstore.”

Clayt Starter

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine, USA on September 21, 1947.

As a boy, his Uncle Clayt’s dowsing showed him the “shield of rationality” could be “laid aside”. Aged 12 or 13, a box of his father’s old paperbacks (King Sr was a failed story writer) opened his mind further.

Shine On

Worst Fears Come True

King’s Cujo (1981) and Christine (1983) are evil dog and evil car novels, respectively. In 1999, Bryan Smith, distracted by his pet dog, drove into King, out walking. “Our lives came together in a strange way,” said King, of Smith, who died a year later. “I’m grateful I didn’t die.

I’m sorry he’s gone.”

Adapt Question

There are 79 TV and film versions of King’s work, including the greatest film ever, says film-fan democracy IMDB – The Shawshank Redemption – and current US TV hit Under The Dome. A third movie of Carrie (there’s also The Rage: Carrie 2) appears next month.

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Behind Every Great Man

The Fall 1966 edition of Startling Mystery Stories has The Glass Floor, King’s first published story. He was paid $35. In 1973, his wife, Tabitha, took a draft of a novel about a psychic teen out of King’s bin and told him to try again; a year later, paperback rights for Carrie sold for $400,000.

www.stephenking.com the red bulletin

Words: Paul Wilson. Illustration: Ryan Inzana

Out this month, Doctor Sleep, King’s 42nd solo novel, is a sequel to his third, The Shining. The boy Danny, now all grown up, meets a girl with the greatest telepathic ‘shining’ gift of all.

Now stop thinking of Jack Nicholson gurning though a splintered door. Impossible.

illustration: dietmar kainrath

Bullevard

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the red bulletin

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STORES NATIONWIDE COTSWOLDOUTDOOR.COM

Bullevard

ME AND MY BODY

Manu Vatuvei

GOLDEN CHILD

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Gold teeth are a Tongan thing and I got mine done the first time I visited my relatives in Tonga in 2002. My auntie gave me a couple of her rings and I melted them down and capped two of my front teeth as a souvenir.

Nicknamed The Beast, the 27-year-old rugby league winger from New Zealand has a soft spot for pies and a hard time getting to sleep

NEEDLE WORK

1 GRUB DOWN

4

Since getting my first tattoo, the Tongan shield, on my shoulder, I’ve had two koi – because I’m a Pisces – a dragon, a lion, an angel, my surname, kids’ names, parents’ names and verses from the scriptures.

I put on weight easily and the food I like doesn’t help: chop suey, taro, corned beef and pies. My playing weight this year is 108kg and it’s the lightest I’ve been. I’ve still got my strength, but I’ve gained more speed.

2 BROKEN MAN

My body is pretty beat up after 10 years in the game.

I’ve torn ligaments in my right ankle and both knees.

I’ve broken my left leg, ribs and arm, dislocated my shoulder and chipped a bone in my wrist.

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www.warriors.co.nz

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the red bulletin

words: Robert Tighe. photography: Nic Staveley

SHUT EYE

After a game, I struggle to sleep. I’m shattered and sore, but the adrenalin kicks in after a few hours and sometimes I stay up all night playing video games.

I’m into Call of Duty: Black Ops II at the moment.

Your favourite artists share their personal playlists: Headphone Highlights on rbmaradio.com

Bullevard

kit evolution

shout out The original King of microphones has sired a device with only the barest connection to the past (and no wires)

THE LOOK

Futuristic and hard wearing thanks to a chrome-plated steel alloy casing. At 1.4kg, the 55SH was the lightest top-end mic of its time: its predecessor weighed 3.3kg.

FLIP IT

The 55SH had a three-way switch to regulate impedance, the sound generated by vibration.

Today’s audio gear has very low impedance; back then, with a long mic cable, and therefore more molecules vibrating, you had to choose the low-impedance setting.

1951

With the 55 series, designer Ben Bauer created the first true unidirectional microphones. As long as the voice was in the right place, the sounds around it were not picked up.

Shure 55SH

In 1939, Shure engineer Ben Bauer’s drive to make a microphone free of feedback and background noise resulted in the Shure 55SH. Shure mics quickly became standard kit used in radio broadcast, live music and public speaking. When John F Kennedy promised to put a man on the moon and Martin Luther King said he had a dream, a Shure ensured the world could listen.

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EVERY WHICH WAY

Elvis Presley used the 55SH model so often that it is now known as the Elvis Mic

the red bulletin

HARD HAT

Like the 55SH, the SM58 Digital has a chrome-plated steel skin. Today’s vocalists can be a little less serene than their predecessors: this grille can be dented and the mic still works perfectly.

IT’S ALIVE!

The fully charged battery lasts for about 16 hours. It has a lifetime of 10,000 hours – about 5,000 gigs, with decent encores.

SWITCH CHANNELS

Words: Florian Obkircher. Photography: kurt keinrath, Corbis, GEtty Images

The mic transmits to a base station receiver, which can be anything up to 60m away. If another device interrupts the frequency, there is seamless switching, of both mic and base, to another frequency.

2013

Shure SM58 DIGITAL

The SM58 mic came on the market in 1966. First used in concerts by The Rolling Stones and The Who, it quickly established a presence on stages everywhere. This metallic gherkin is the best-selling live-performance microphone in the world: it’s easy to use and the sound is clear. This month sees the release of a long-awaited update: a wireless digital version, complete with automatic frequency management and smart battery technology.

the red bulletin

Justin Timberlake used a wireless SM58 when performing live at the Grammys in February 2013 www.shure.com

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Bullevard

winning formula

The Art of start

LIGHT BULB MOMENT “At major athletics meetings,” says physicist and sports scientist Dr Martin Apolin, “each starting block has its own loudspeaker. At 20°C, the speed of sound is about 342m per second. If the starter is inside and the starting signal comes from the pistol alone, the runner in the outside lane hears the bang 3/100s after the runner in the inside lane – an eternity in sprinting. Therefore the sound is transmitted through speakers without time delay.

“In Fig. 1 we see a schematic rendering of the course of horizontal forces in effect when a runner is leaving the blocks. It clearly shows why you should put the stronger leg forward in the starting block. Here, force equals mass times acceleration, F =ma. Acceleration is the rate of change in velocity over time, a= Δv/Δt. And so we get F = mΔv/Δt and thus FΔt = mΔv.

“The value of force multiplied by time is called momentum. The momentum corresponds to the area under the curves in Fig. 1 and is responsible for the ‘lift-off speed’ Δv of the sprinter out of the blocks. The momentum of the lead leg is much greater than the trailing leg because it is less stretched in the starting position (Fig. 2) and leaves the block later. That’s why the lead leg should be the stronger.

“From the reaction setting in to the detachment of the feet takes around 0.3s. World-class athletes fly out of the blocks at around 4m/s, which equates to about 30 per cent of later maximum velocity. Acceleration at the start can be estimated with a = Δv/Δt = (4m/s)/0.3s ≈ 13.5m/s² If a sprinter could maintain this acceleration, which of course is impossible, he or she would accelerate from 0 to 100kph (27.8m/s) in about two seconds!

“But how do you guarantee a fair start to a race?

At major meetings, the starting blocks are fitted with dynamometers. Studies have shown that humans cannot react to acoustic stimuli faster than 0.12s. To be safe, world athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, shaved off another 2/100s and so a spike in force within 0.10s is defined as a false start. A sprinter has then ‘started in the shot’, as the electronics incorruptibly demonstrate.”

LIGHTNING MAN If he can be said to have a weakness, then Usain Bolt, the fastest human being of all-time, isn’t the best of starters.

He false-started out of the 100m final at the 2011 World Championships, and lost the Jamaican Olympic trials last year because he was too slow out of the blocks. “The more I focused on it, I think the worse it got,” he said on the eve of the London Olympics. “So I sat down with my coach.

He said stop worrying about the start and compete.” Three subsequent golds suggest he got his head around it. www.usainbolt.com

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Words: Martin Apolin. Photography: getty images. Illustration: Mandy Fischer

Top sprinters accelerate from the blocks at a rate that would see them do 0-100kph in two seconds. Here’s how, says our speed scientist

Blocks party: top sprinters like Usain Bolt can explode out of the starting blocks at up to 4m per second

Bullevard

Lucky Numbers

around the world Globetrotters and circumnavigators through the ages

Jules Verne’s book Around The World In Eighty Days was published in 1873. An eccentric American businessman claimed he was the model for Phileas Fogg: George Francis Train travelled the world three years earlier and had a similarly eventful trip, getting to know Japanese etiquette and the inside of a French prison.

1,426

Graham Hughes visited all 201 countries recognised by the UN, beginning in his hometown of Liverpool, England, on January 1, 2009, and finishing his epic tour in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on November 26, 2012. Not once in those 1,426 days did he fly. A Russian visa snafu is keeping this world record out of the Guinness book.

Jules Verne

International Space Station

Jean Béliveau

Loïck Peyron

1

In August 1519, Ferdinand Magellan set out westwards from Sanlucar in Spain, with five ships and 237 crew. After mutinies, scurvy and battles with indigenous peoples – the Portuguese seafarer was killed in the Philippines – a single ship, the Victoria, with 18 men, limped back into port on September 6, 1522: the first circumnavigation of Earth.

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91

Concorde holds the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the planet: 31h, 27m and 49s, set in 1995. At speeds of up to Mach 2.23 (2,405kph), it saw two sunrises and two sunsets. Up in space, however, since 1998, the International Space Station has been completing 91-minute orbits of the Earth at about 28,000kph.

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“My classmates took the bus to school on the other side of the bay, I went by sailboat.” So began the sailing career of Loïck Peyron. In 2012 the French skipper set a new record for sailing around the world.

He and a crew of 13 in the Banque Populaire V took 45 days, 13h 42m and 53s to claim the Jules Verne Trophy.

75,000

Ferdinand Magellan; the Victoria

Business gone bust, midlife crisis… on his 45th birthday, August 18, 2000, Canadian Jean Béliveau left home and walked the Earth for 11 years. He went through 64 countries and 54 pairs of shoes, clocking up 75,000km. He never paid to stay overnight, either camping or staying with locals, including South African cops who let him sleep in an empty jail cell. www.theodysseyexpedition.com the red bulletin

Words: ulrich corazza. Photography: corbis, graham hughes, getty images (3), picturedesk.com (2)

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Graham Hughes

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13 SEPTEMBER 20 A BEYOND TH

E OR

GAZINE DINARY MA

K EVIN PH E L A N

EV ER ES T S K YNEDXTIV E

IR IS H GO LF ’S NE XT M AJ OR TA LE NT

YO UR HO LID AY SO RT ED

THE D R A C U LA R A LLY S’S

MO TO CR OS E SC AR IES T R AC

R U SESHTO

F1 GO TH E MO VI ES

WORLD’S BEST

ACTION SHOTS

L TO SPEC IA O H P E G A 1 7 �P

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Four days and 600km across Transylvania on the hardest off-road enduro motorcycle course in the world

Credit:

words: Andreas Rottenschlager

Photography: Dmytro Vakulka/red bull content pool

Belgian rider Pascal Berlingieri runs into a water section in this year’s Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rally

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Photography: Dmytro Vakulka/red bull content pool

Off-road madness: Graham Jarvis goes through a rocky patch.

The British rider is a master of trials sections like this

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The fine-featured Walker is the teen idol among the pro riders in the race: 22 years old, British trials bike champion, winner of races across Europe. Girls scream his name at finish lines, but Walker knows that none of that will help him today. He has 131km of off-road biking ahead of him, through the Romanian slate mountains home to Europe’s largest bear population.

Walker pushes his visor down.

At 6.50am he hits the gas, tears over the steep slope and disappears at the first left turn.

What he doesn’t know is that today will be the worst day of the rally.

n his first day riding through the Carpathians, on a bumpy mountain road south of Sibiu,Jonny Walker sits on his KTM bike and stares at the steep, grassy slope behind the arch that marks the start of the rally. In two minutes, the first stage will begin. It’s 6.48am.

The thermometer is showing 8°C. 30

At the 2013 Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rally, 365 riders battle the Romanian wilderness for four days.

The route stretches over 600km through the mixed forests of the southern Carpathian mountains, in wide arcs around the city of Sibiu, former capital of the Transylvania region of Romania.

Technically demanding trials routes alternate with mountainsides and downhill stretches. With all the upand downhill racing, the riders in the pro category will experience 80,575m of altitude difference, about nine times the height of Mount Everest. The stages of the rally go through one of the largest forested areas in Europe. A wrong turn wastes fuel, with valuable time lost in the woods. Cyril Despres, three-time victor from France, says that this is “harder than the Dakar Rally”. Jonny Walker says “you ride at the limit for four days”.

In the run-up to this year’s race, the most frequently asked question is: who will beat Graham Jarvis? The reigning champion, from the UK, manoeuvres his Husaberg bike through the terrain like a mountain lion. If Jarvis wins, it will be his fourth Romaniacs victory, a record. But that won’t happen if riders like Jonny Walker can help it.

About 5km before the finish line of the first stage, the course rises on a slope wooded with beech trees.

The race director calls this place “Bad Shape”. A cardboard sign on the approach promises “You are almost there!” Bad Shape has steep gradients, some close to vertical, and the last few days’ rain have left the ground wet. By 2pm on day one, it looks like a battlefield.

Motorcycles slip, riders fall, bikes have to be winched over the slope on ropes. Jarvis, currently the best trials rider in the world, shouts for help. Jonny

Photography: Dmytro Vakulka/red bull content pool

IN BAD SHAPE

Wet work: Italian rider Enrico Garavelli steers his Husaberg through choppy water

Uphill struggle: Dutch rider Erik Ekelmans keeps up with the pack Below: Jonny Walker

Walker is held up. New Zealander Chris Birch forms a partnership with English rider Paul Bolton. Together they haul their bikes over the slope.

Bad Shape is what most of the pro riders’ pre-race hopes are in: of the 41 riders, only eight make it through the forest within the time limit of nine hours.

Reports from the front line reach the finish line, where it’s 38°C. Birch, shirt off, arms way more tanned than his chest, says that “the slope was unrideable. Without Paul’s help I would still be stuck there.” Bolton looks like he’s just got out of a pub brawl. “They told me I fell off, but I can’t remember.”

Near the finish line, Walker sits in the grass and pours water from a plastic bottle over his neck. He has the composed face of a gymnast and the worn hands of an old-fashioned dock worker. Calluses bulge on his fingers, souvenirs from thousands 32

of kilometres on the bike. For the riders, the first quarter of the course is over.

In the evening a blackboard reads “1st place: Graham Jarvis – 25-minute lead.”

HEAT AND DUST Hard enduro is the most extreme form of off-road motorbike racing, attracting competitors from all over the world. In the riders’ camp in Sibiu, competitors from India work on their off-road bikes.

New Zealand has sent a delegation led

by Chris Birch. Mexican racer Jesús Zavala is the wild man of the pro group.

He has dishevelled hair and is blind in one eye. He underwent three operations after noticing his eyesight deteriorating eight years ago – the doctors couldn’t tell him why. Now his left eye is filled with silicone oil to hold his retina in place. Zavala only gave a moment’s thought to giving

Bad Shape is what most of the pro riders’ pre-race hopes are in: of the 41 riders, only eight make it through the forest within the time limit of nine hours

Photography: Mihai Stetcu/Red Bull Content pool, Dmytro Vakulka/red bull content pool

up motorcycle riding before realising that “your brain can get used to anything”.

He says he prefers hard enduro to other kinds of bike racing because of “the motorbikes, the beautiful girls, my friends in the camp. I train the whole year for these four days.”

Stage two of the race is over a 163km route from Sibiu to the coal town of Petrila. There are long stretches of relatively simple terrain, where riders can tear it up and put pressure on Jarvis, who is known more as a technical specialist than for his speed.

The stage starts early in the morning on a dew-sodden cow field. Back wheels send clumps of earth flying through the air. Motorbikes disappear at the horizon, rattling loudly. At kilometre 160, at Petrila, there is a river crossing. For the riders outside the pro group – there are 260, in teams and competing solo, in hobby and expert classes, with less stringent time constraints than the pros – this is an exhausting torture. Their bikes fly out from under them and land on the riverbank.

Spectators cart bikes back to the route.

Many riders turn the wrong way and look disoriented. This is why it’s called hard enduro. How heavy is a motorbike when you have to pick it up a hundred times?

The buildings of the Petrila coal mine are dismal, soot-caked constructions with

broken windows and rusting steel struts. The last section of stage two leads through the innards of the works.

Motorbikes are tearing between hoisting shafts, being hauled up narrow staircases.

In the factory hall, it smells of coal dust and sweat. The expressions on the riders’ faces say, “Am I really riding this?”

The arch at the finish line is on the flat roof of a pit building, 12 storeys above the ground. Two riders take stock on the scorching roof tar: “The air in there was evil.”

“That’s Romaniacs, mate.”

In the pro group, the fastest man of the day is Jonny Walker, but Graham Jarvis remains in the lead overall.

SILENT ASSASSIN Ask anyone in the riders’ camp about Graham Jarvis and you’ll get the same answer. The enduro king is quiet, shy and intelligent. Sitting opposite Jarvis before the start of stage three merely reinforces the impression. He is a pale Yorkshireman of average build who drinks water for breakfast and listens to Elton John to relax. He avoids all eye contact. A simple question about his hobbies seems to cause him physical pain. His opponents refer to him as the Silent Assassin, because, he says, “I never talk bullshit.”

RED BULL ROMANIACS When founder of the rally Martin Freinademetz first saw the landscape around Sibiu through the eyes of a motorbike rider, he knew these were the ideal conditions for a two-wheel torture run. The first race took place here in 2004, with Dakar winner Cyril Despres riding to victory and putting Romaniacs on the map. Now adventure specialists from all over the world line up to humbly take their punishment.

UKRAIENE

CHICKEN RUN OR POOL PARTY MOLDova

h ung a r y R o m a ni a

SIBIU

bucharest

SERBIa BULGARIa

THE STAGES

THE TERRAIN

THE STAR

Riders have to slog through 600km in four days. The route varies according to class.

Mountains, streams, forests, quarries, industrial ruins, speed stretches: all the rough stuff that the Sibiu region has to offer.

Graham Jarvis has won the race four times thanks to his total mastery of the trials sections.

the red bulletin

No one controls an off-road bike off-road better than him. “You have to find the line with the most traction,” he says.

“Everyone here is looking for that line.

I rely on my instinct to find it.”

What do you do after a race, champ?

“Preferably sleep, but the adrenalin is still pumping through my body. You can forget sleeping.”

And what’s your best Romaniacs moment?

Jarvis is silent, then says “The afterparties aren’t bad.”

Day three brings the field back to Sibiu. Grey clouds hang over the conifer forests. Around midday the rain sets in.

Each stage of the Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro Rally is divided into two halves by a service point: a temporary town of vans and plastic tents which provide man and machine with the bare essentials. The service point on day three is by a stream in the little village of Voineasa. Helpers in neon yellow raincoats scurry about the filthy riders. Service personnel tighten screws and change air filters. A soaking wet Jonny Walker scoffs down two Mars bars and a Twix to keep his blood sugar up.

The regulations stipulate 20 minutes’ break at a service point. Afterwards, riders disappear into the forest. When the last rider leaves, this travellers’ rest of vans vanishes.

German Husqvarna rider Andreas Lettenbichler does the good deed of stage three. He rescues Alfredo Gomez, of Spain, who is stuck under his bike in the forest, waiting for help. Gomez rides to the end in fuel-soaked trousers. Jarvis wins the stage and extends his overall lead.

Paragraph six of the race regulation requires each starter to carry a survival kit. The most important item is the minitracker, known as the “panic button”, which alerts rescue services in an emergency. The race officials boast that they have never yet lost a rider in the forest. Nonetheless, the kit contains a litre of drinking water, a foil blanket and two red smoke flares for attracting attention. Better to be safe than sorry.

Day four begins with everyone who is not Graham Jarvis hoping that Graham Jarvis will slip up. Riders always make mistakes during this part of the race, say the riders. The final hurdle after 600km of hard enduro is known as ‘chicken or macho’. About 400m before the finish line each rider must choose between two routes: ‘chicken’, a ridiculous off-road 33

Romaniacs veteran Chris Birch of New Zealand after taking a tumble on his KTM: “We were pulling each other up steep slopes�

Photography: Predrag Vuckovic/red bull content pool

Race officials recommend riders reach 90kph in the run-up to the pool.

Then you lean back, step hard on the gas and hope for the best

passage which will eat up 10 minutes’ racing time, or ‘macho’ a pool of water, 20m long and a metre deep, that can only be crossed by aquaplaning. In other words, riders have to make bikes surf.

Race officials recommend riders reach 90kph in the run-up to the pool. Then they should lean back, step hard on the gas and hope for the best.

By 1pm, some 4,000 spectators bustle around the U-shaped natural arena that spans the finish line area. The southern European minced meat kebabs, ćevapčići, sizzle on the grills. There’s ice-cold beer. The entire ‘chicken or macho’ scenario is in plain view, so that 8,000 eyes get to see how the riders decide. Bow to peer pressure or choose sensibly? Slide safely across the finish line or risk a dunking?

Graham Jarvis chooses ‘chicken’ after less than a second’s thought. He rides to his fourth victory and throws his arms in the air in jubilation. The no-bullshit man has just made history.

Andreas Lettenbichler pummels his Husqvarna over the surface of the water, almost crashes and then dances like Rumpelstiltskin for the spectators.

Jonny Walker surfs the water at full speed. Chris Birch rides straight through the water on the bottom of the pool.

All around, sweat-soaked shoulders shake off the tension. The finish turns into a party. Jonny Walker takes his shirt off and goes swimming with the champagne girls. Paul Bolton dives in with them. It takes four riders to throw Graham Jarvis into the pool. He smiles – no bullshit.

The cursing, the pain, the bloody scratches are now just souvenirs for the riders in this dirty water hole in Romania. Next year they’ll all be back again, because they love it. www.redbullromaniacs.com

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Matt Cowen

Higher And Higher It’s the stuff of sports movies: fan plucked from the crowd joins the pros in The Show. This man made the leap for real Words: Ruth Morgan Photography: Dean Treml

ridiculous, but I worked my way up Matt Cowen is on the western coast of and proved them wrong. It was scary: Italy enjoying some time off, but there’s it still is now. It’s just not a natural place not a lot of sunbathing going on. His to be. But it was the challenge I wanted.” tattooed, 5ft 10in frame is briefly visible Despite his lofty credentials, Cowen’s on the rocks of a cliff face high above the entry into the Red Bull Cliff Diving Tyrrhenian Sea, before he disappears World Series was less than conventional. over the edge, leaping off into the clear Last September, tent under his arm, he water. There’s no panel of judges here to arrived at Blue Lagoon off the coast grade his efforts, but when cliff diving is of Pembrokeshire in Wales to watch your day job, it seems, there’s not a huge the UK stop. He’d been following the leap between business and pleasure.

“I can’t help it,” he says, smiling as he emerges. “It’s impossible to resist a cliff and a bit of water, isn’t it?”

Most people would answer in the negative, especially after seeing the sort of complex acrobatics Cowen and his fellow Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series competitors manage when hurling themselves off platforms 27m high. From that height, the slightest miscalculation on their feet-first dives could lead to broken ribs or worse. But the 25-year-old from Haworth in West Yorkshire has always been New kid off the rock: Cowen’s rookie year is going great a thrillseeker, a trait which progress of fellow Brits Gary Hunt, the first emerged when he rejected reigning champion, and Blake Aldridge, his swimming lessons aged six, former diving partner of Tom Daley and pointing instead to the diving board. a familiar face from the diving circuit.

“The thrills of diving just seemed When one of the competitors was injured so much more enticing,” he says. “I’ve in practice, and with Hunt and Aldridge been constantly looking for the next able to vouch for his talents, an official big challenge ever since.” His search asked if Cowen would like to compete. led him to dive in junior international Less than 24 hours after his arrival, indoor competitions, from 10m above the other spectators now ant-like the pool. Aged 17, he saw his first 27m between his bare toes, he paused on platform, secured to a ladder over a pool, the platform. “I was terrified when at a dive show in a Rome theme park. they asked me,” he says, “but I didn’t “A friend had invited me to take part,” hesitate in saying yes. As I stood up he says, “and when I arrived and saw the there, I realised I was way out of my platform, I said, ‘I’ll be diving off there in comfort zone. I couldn’t even stand a few weeks.’ Everyone told me not to be 36

backwards on the platform as I’m so used to having a ladder to hold on to.

I just tried to clear my mind. There was no way I wasn’t going to do it.”

After proving himself in Wales, he received a wild card for the 2013 series qualifiers in Australia and finished fifth out of 13. In his rookie year he is achieving results in the top half of the table. Cowen now splits his time between competing, coaching at his local swimming pool in Yorkshire, and performing in diving shows around Europe, as well as doing at least 10 hours a week in the gym, to stay fit enough to withstand the punishing impacts of cliff diving.

“Training is really important,” he says. “It is a dangerous sport.

Several of the guys have ended up in hospital at various points. We accept the risks, because the feeling of freedom you get from a cliff dive is amazing. It’s the feeling of falling without any restraints and having to rely on yourself and your skills completely. It’s an amplified version of the best rush you’ve ever had.”

Cowen’s arrival has made the UK the most represented nation in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, and this month he’s looking forward to competing in Wales for a second time. This time, he won’t be camping.

“What a difference a year makes eh?” he says. “I can’t wait. Me, Gary and Blake are all looking forward to competing in front of a home crowd.” It seems the thrillseeker may at last have found the ultimate challenge. “I’ve always looked for the next big thing,” he says, “and I think I’ve found the biggest. I’ll definitely be sticking around a while.” www.redbullcliffdiving.com the red bulletin

Lofty ambitions Cowen was tipped for the Beijing Olympics for his 10m diving performances at junior world level, but he wanted to go higher, and left possible Olympic glory in his wake.

Tatt’s all, folks Cowen is planning to add to his already significant tattoo collection. “I want them to be a storyboard of my life,” he says, “so I have to do it bit by bit.”

Sibling divalry Cowen’s younger brother and sister both dive, but they haven’t got up to 27m yet. His dream is to compete against both siblings in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.

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s h ots o f

ad r ena l i n Wo r l d’s b est i m ag es From surf i n the snow to a irti m e w ith th e bi rd s: the i ncre d i b l e w i n n i n g e nt r i es i n th e 2 013 Re d Bul l I l l um e a ctio n a n d a d ve nt u re sp orts p hoto contest

t e n p h o t o g r a p h s ta k e n b y n i n e p h o t o g r a p h e r s f r o m s e v e n c o u n t r i e s

redbullillume.com

lorenz h older germany

w inner catego ry: pl ayg r o und

“I found this place in summer and my idea to shoot in heavy snowfall wasn’t going to be easy. There was pretty much just one chance to get the shot. I used two big strobes to light up the snowflakes and a four-second exposure to get light from the moon.”

Athlete Xaver Hoffmann Location Raisting, Germany Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II Lens Zeiss Distagon T* 3.5/18 ZE ISO 1000 F-stop 3.5 Shutter speed 4 Flash Elinchrom

romi na amato sw i t z e r l a n d

w inner categ o ry: ener gy

“I was in a boat covering the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. I like pictures that leave the viewer questioning. In this case: where’s he coming from? Will he survive this? Does that guy seriously think he can fly?”

Athlete Todor Spasov Location Vila Franca do Campo, Azores, Portugal Camera Canon EOS-1D X Lens EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM ISO 400 F-stop 6.3 Shutter speed 1/1600 Flash none

“Tomas tries to do new and ‘impossible’ tricks on his mountain bike.

I wanted to create a backstage feeling for the shot. We suspended the bike from the ceiling: one rope for Tomas and two smaller ones for the bike.”

win n er category: New Creat i vi t y

Da n i e l Voj t Ech c z ec h r e p u b l i c Athlete Tomas Slavik Location Prague, Czech Republic Camera Nikon D800E Lens 24-70mm f/2.8 ISO 100 F-stop 7.1 Shutter speed 1/100 Flash Fomei

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Athletes Jake Marshall, Taylor Clark, Frankie Harrer, Thelen Worrell, Colt Ward, Nolan Rapoza, Dryden Brown Location Tavarua, Fiji Camera Nikon D700 Lens Nikon 16mm f/2.8 fisheye ISO 250 F-stop 5.6 Shutter speed 1/500 Flash none

w i n n e r cat ego ry: l i f est yl e by l e i ca

mo rgan maass e n usa

“A group of America’s next generation surfers, surfing 10 hours a day, only coming in for food or sunscreen.

I captured them one morning, discussing everything from the surf they were enjoying to homework they’d forgotten to do. I was fascinated by their camaraderie, their laughing and hollering at each other’s successes and misfortunes.”

“We thought it would be a long session of the best cold-water waves any of us had ever scored. Suddenly, the winds changed and within minutes it began to snow. Caught in a blizzard, we paddled in and made it back to the truck to wait out the storm. Snow piled high around us. It was clear the truck wasn’t going anywhere, so Keith and Dane made their way home.”

Wi nner categ o ry: spir it

chris b u r k a r d u sa

Athletes Keith Malloy, Dane Gudauskas Location Unstad, Lofoten Islands, Norway Camera Sony SLT-A77V Lens 70-200mm F2.8 G ISO 200 F-stop 4 Shutter speed 1/320 Flash none

win n er categ o ry: C lo s e U p

J e r oe n N i e u wh u is n l

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Athlete Erik JournĂŠe Location Denekamp, Netherlands Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II Lens 15mm f/2.8 fisheye ISO 320 F-stop 16 Shutter speed 1/50 Flash none

“My buddy Erik and I thought it would be cool to try something different. I wanted this shot to be less set up, less studio lit. The sun was just right, so we grabbed our skateboards and I grabbed my camera. After almost smashing it on the concrete, I thought I would give it just one more try. This is the last image I shot.�

“This was not a large day by North Shore standards.

When the waves are smaller, the surfers usually go out for a surf right before the sun sets. By pulling the lens back, I was able to get the sand and sky, so it is almost as if someone was walking down the beach and looking over – to see Gabriel doing this massive backflip.”

W in n er categ o ry: s eq u e n c e

za k a ry n oy l e u sa

Athlete Gabriel Medina Location Oahu, Hawaii, USA Camera Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Lens EF70-200mm f/4L IS USM ISO 320 F-stop 5.0 Shutter speed 1/800 Flash none

“After shooting on a tripod, I end up with shots that are essentially the same, with minor changes.

In Photoshop, I flip them and arrange them to create something that doesn’t exist in real life, with perfect symmetry: something I like a lot. In this one, I mirrored parts of a building to give the impression of a really, really big structure.”

W in n er categ o ry: e xp e r i m e n tal

lor e nz h o l de r ge r m an y

Athlete Jordan Mendenhall Location Ornskoldsvik, Sweden Camera Canon EOS 40D Lens Hartblei 50mm f/2.8 ISO 160 F-stop 4.0 Shutter speed 1/1000 Flash none

winner categ o ry: win gs

sa m o v i d i c slov eni a

Athlete Jorge Ferzuli Location Athens, Greece Camera Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Lens EF15mm f/2.8 fisheye ISO 200 F-stop 3.2 Shutter speed 1/2000 Flash none

“I was booked for the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series stop in Greece, to capture the action from the water. It’s very difficult to shoot from water as you are limited with angles. The bird was pure luck.”

winner Cat ego ry: i l lu m i n at i o n

sc a nca daott s e rfas “I really wanted to shoot a photo from a helicopter, right above Travis Rice as he was riding a line, but another chopper was in the air too.

The sun was setting fast, so as Travis dropped into place and made his second turn down the mountain, I snapped this shot – the last photo of the trip.”

Red Bull Illume Partners

Athlete Travis Rice Location Tordrillo Mountains, Alaska, USA Camera Canon EOS 1D Mark IV Lens Ef 100mm F2.0 USM ISO 200 F-stop 10.0 Shutter speed 1/1000 Flash none

on understanding women, his killer instinct and why

life is like poker Interview: R端diger Sturm

Photography: John Russo/Columbia TriStar

DAMON

Matt Damon is one of the most successful actors of his generation, but a dozen years ago, he feared his career would be over: “I’d already had two films bomb, and I was about to have my third. It was goodbye, and there was nothing I could do. So I went to London, did a play and I was happy”

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att Damon has overcome many challenges in his career. He has physically transformed himself – losing 22kg for Courage Under Fire (1996) and gaining 13kg for The Informant (2009). He’s been a regular victim of George Clooney’s notorious on-set pranks. He battled to reverse a downturn in fortunes after a career highpoint: winning the Best Screenplay Oscar for Good Will Hunting. All this has been good training for playing a heroic survivor who takes on Earth’s future ruling class in sci-fi movie Elysium. The 42-year-old actor also showed great stamina while speaking to The Red Bulletin, ignoring a hangover gained at a premiere party the night before.

THE TALENTED MR DAMON

Chasing Amy The Rainmaker Good Will Hunting

Matt’s roll call of roles: some major, some minor and the one where he’s a talking horse

Mystic Pizza

School Ties

Geronimo: An American Legend

1988

1992

1993

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Courage Under Fire

1996

1997

the red bulletin: Do you feel guilty? matt damon: Why should I do that?

Because you belong to the chosen few basking in the high life as a opposed to the millions living below the poverty line. Just like the bad guys of your upcoming sci-fi movie Elysium.

No, I don’t feel guilty. I feel lucky to have been born where I was born. We were shooting the movie at a dump in Mexico City where there’s 2,500 people who were born and raised there and live there and die there and never leave. That’s by luck of birth.

So the question is: how do we lift as many people as possible out of that poverty? I am very optimistic that we can achieve that. Because today’s generation of young people is more aware of the situation and much more engaged than I was at that age.

Would you be willing to kill for a place in the sun, like you do in the movie?

The motivation of my character goes beyond that.

It’s not that he wants to live in this utopian world, he is looking to be cured from cancer. But to answer your question – no.

But could you kill someone if your life, or a family member’s life, depended on it?

I definitely have the human instinct of protecting myself and my loved ones. And if I could look into somebody’s heart and see that their intentions were pure evil, I might perhaps be able kill that person.

But I don’t know that there is pure evil, or at least I have never encountered it. One my close friends, however, went into the special forces, and his job at the end of his career was to track down war criminals in Croatia and Bosnia and take them to the international court in The Hague. He read the dossiers on those people and said there were a few that he thought could be labelled as pure evil.

You are fortunate to live in a bubble of luxury.

Do you ever worry about losing touch with reality?

Yeah and I don’t know what to do. I live in New York

The write stuff Good Will Hunting is the story of a young man forced Saving to use his brainpower to Private Ryan improve his station in life.

Rounders Matt Damon was forced to use his brainpower to overcome his station in life: he co-wrote GWH with his pal Ben Affleck, so they could be involved in a good movie, because no one else was offering that chance. The US$10 million film earned US$225 million at the global box office and an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

1998

All The Pretty Horses Titan A.E. The Legend Of Bagger Vance Dogma The Talented Mr Ripley

1999

2000 the red bulletin

Photography: John Russo/Columbia TriStar (1), Rex Features (11), Getty Images (2) Kobal Collection (9), Dreamworks, Paramount, Night Life Inc, Universal

City, which is its own kind of Elysium at this point.

It’s pretty elite now, because it’s so expensive to live in the city. But at least you can walk down the street and feel a part of a community. When I lived in Miami it was a much more suburban lifestyle. You go from behind your gate to your car, then to your destination, back in your car, and finally back behind your gate.

Do you have an understanding of what’s going on beyond your own experience of the world?

Of course. I have since childhood. My mother took me places. We went by bus around Guatemala in the ’80s, and I went to language school in Mexico. Those experiences were really eye-opening for an American kid, so I hope I can do that with my children, when they’re older. I want them to see the world.

You have four daughters. Do you enjoy being the only man in the house?

I’m lucky to be the only guy in the house. It’s a man’s dream. The testosterone deficit at home makes me very special: you learn a lot by looking at the world from their point of view. I’m now convinced we’re different species, more than I thought before.

Do you feel women understand men?

Oh, I think they understand us totally. I just don’t think we can completely understand them.

What about your daughters? Do they realise that their father is a bona-fide movie star?

I don’t know when that’ll happen, but when it does it will happen by osmosis. Alexia, my 14-year-old stepdaughter, heard stuff at school and started asking questions. But by that point the whole thing had been so demystified. They’ve been on movie sets, they’ve seen that process and they’ve met all kinds of people who work in the business. They say things like, “Uncle George is a movie star?” and I say, “Yes, George Clooney is a star, believe it or not.”

The movie business can be fickle. Do you worry your star status might go away at some point?

It will definitely go away. The movie business is

The Bourne Identity Gerry Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron (voice)

Ocean’s Eleven

2001

Team America: World Police (puppet voiced

by Trey Parker) The Bourne Supremacy Ocean’s Twelve SPY GAMES In terms of action cinema, the three films in which Damon plays truth-seeking spy Jason Bourne are influential and just plain kick-assingly great. Identity and Supremacy caused the makers of James Bond to reboot with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (2006), while Ultimatum is the best one-man-on-a-mission movie since Bruce Willis’s Die Hard, 25 years ago.

Stuck On You

2002

the red bulletin

2003

2004

The Brothers Grimm Syriana

2005

BORN TO PLAY IT Damon has acted in only one movie that has won the Oscar for Best Film: The Departed, for which Martin Scorsese also won the Oscar for Best Director. Being from Boston himself, he was perfectly cast as a Boston hood who joins the police.

The film was a remake of Infernal Affairs (2002), which won its homecountry Best Film Oscar equivalent, the Hong Kong Film Award.

The Good Shepherd The Departed

2006 59

The Adjustment Bureau Contagion Margreat Happy Feet Two (voice) We Bought A Zoo

Steve adores Directors love Damon. He has appeared in two films by Clint Eastwood and Francis Ford Coppola, three by Kevin Smith and Paul Greengrass and four by Gus Van Sant. But his great partnership is with Steven Sodebergh: seven films, including the Ocean’s trilogy and The Informant!

Ocean’s Thirteen The Bourne Ultimatum

The Informant!

Invictus

Behind The Candelabra Elysium

Promised Land

2007

2009

2010

“ The movie business is cyclical.

Some guys are up, some guys are down” cyclical. Some guys are up, some guys are down.

The key is not trying to retain some level of popularity, trying to do something with what you have and trying to do good work. How much you get paid – that’s always going to go up and down.

It’s like when you play poker: you can’t bet scared, you have to bet because you want to bet – not because you need to win the money. If you do a movie, it could be the end of your career, or maybe not – just do it.

So you weren’t scared when your career was in the doldrums before the success of the Bourne movies?

No, I always knew I could write. I can’t be any more cold than I was when we did Good Will Hunting.

Nobody knew who I was at that time. But I was very aware that things weren’t going great. When the Bourne Identity came out, it had bad buzz from Hollywood. Everyone was going, “This is going to be a disaster,” because it had been delayed and delayed. And that was it for me. I’d already had two films bomb, and I was about to have my third.

It was goodbye, and there was nothing I could do.

So I went to London, did a play and I was happy.

Do you regret some of your career choices?

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2011

2012

matt to the future After playing Liberace’s lover – aged 17! – and a saviour of space in 2013, Damon has two more films due: The Monuments Men, for director and co-star George Clooney, in which he plays a hunter of Nazi art, and “a very small part,” he says, in Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem.

2013

No. Regret is the worst thing in the world. All the decisions I’ve made professionally and personally, even if they have not worked out, I have taken something away from them. I have made the decisions for reasons that I can back up. The way I choose a movie is: I just look for a director and screenplay that I can learn from.

All The Pretty Horses, for example, is one of my favourite things that I’ve done. In its original version it was three hours and 12 minutes long.

The studio took it away from director Billy Bob Thornton and cut it down to two hours. The critics tore it apart and it bombed at the box office, but I am incredibly proud of that movie. It had a big impact on me, as an actor and hopefully some day as a director. Knowing what I know now, I would go back and do the movie again and again.

You’re a big fan of poker [Damon starred in the poker movie Rounders (1998)]. What’s been your most painful loss at the poker table?

The last time I played was a couple of months ago.

I was against a really good player and I was very wary of him. We got it all in, I had a higher full house than he had, and on the final card he pulled four of a kind, so it was a bad beat. That was my most recent and painful loss. But the main thing is: you may know you are going to lose, but don’t do it by playing your hands wrong. You should lose when you’re doing the right thing in that moment.

Then you can leave the table with some dignity.

It’s been reported that at one point in your career you were so desperate for success that you were willing to give up your dignity and do a porn movie.

That was a joke. The director of The Bourne Identity, Doug Liman, came up with it. He said, “We should add one shot in at the end and make it the most expensive adult movie ever: The Porn Identity.”

Elysium is out now: www.itsbetterupthere.com

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kevin Phelan

Joining The Club With a stellar amateur golf career almost behind him, can the young man from Waterford enter the ranks of Ireland’s world-class winners?

Words: Declan Quigley Photography: Richie Hopson

K

evin Phelan carefully folds his thick glasses, pops in his contact lenses and the transformation from psychology major to the next hotshot of Irish golf is complete.

The slightly built North Florida University student cuts a bookish, preppy figure in regulation golf uniform of slacks and sports shirt, but when he removes his eyewear – “I could never wear glasses playing golf” – he morphs into an imposing sporting machine.

Phelan favours Russian authors for recreational reading. As befits someone packing Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment in his golf bag, he is patient, pensive and clearly in this for the long haul.

Golf agents are showing increasing interest, but the 22-year-old is yet to forge a relationship with a caddy, let alone a superstar tennis player girlfriend, and is mercifully free of entourage as he races through his final months as an amateur.

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With three of Ireland’s four recent golf major winners struggling for form, the search is on for the next young player to make the breakthrough. Phelan, with two appearances in the US Open already to his name, is in the spotlight.

The Waterford man, latterly of St Augustine, Florida, is on the shortlist

“I’d say that staying out of trouble would be my strength” to end his unpaid career as a Walker Cup player this September, but regardless of selection, he will turn pro afterwards in time for the European and US Tour Qualifying Schools. If he fails to win a card there, he will jump on the treadmill of satellite tours in the US, Europe and

Asia. His appearances in two majors have whetted his appetite and he has already shown that he has what it takes to cut it with the big boys.

His game is solid right now and his performance in making the cut at the US Open in June raised more than a few eyebrows.

He finished day one as leading Irishman, ahead of Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke, and also in front of Tiger Woods, then shrugged off front nine jitters in round two to book a place in the weekend draw.

Phelan says Luke Donald is a role model, and admits he’s never going to be a big hitter. A cool head and a solid short game are the hallmarks of a player who knows better than most that a strong mind trumps Popeye’s forearms every time.

“Some courses favour the long hitters, but putting is always the most important. If you putt well you’ll gain the red bulletin

Driving forward: Phelan will turn pro later this year

“The standard of college golf in America is extremely high. It’s a good way to prepare for the pro game”

Game plan: as well as studying for his degree in psychology, which is helping his mental approach to golf, Phelan is working on his playing technique

a lot of shots. I’d say that staying out of trouble would be my strength.

“If you look at the average age of tour players, it’s in the mid-30s, and I think that’s testament to the kind of patience and experience that you need to play good golf. It’s much more mental than it is physical. It’s a learning process and I’ll just try to learn as fast as I can.”

P

helan’s soft Waterford accent remains oddly unaffected despite spending more time in the United States. He was born in New York where his father, John, a former international squash player, was coaching at the time. John and wife Josephine took the family home to Waterford for

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Course Work 2013 So Far 62nd, US Open, Merion; top scorer for European team, Palmer Cup (annual ‘collegiate Ryder Cup’); squad member, Walker Cup (biannual ‘amateur Ryder Cup’) And Before That…

Qualified for 2010 US Open, Pebble Beach; represented Ireland at World Amateur Team Championships 2010, 2012 and European Amateur Team Championships 2011, 2013 Teen Off Brilliantly Phelan scored his first hole-in-one aged 13.

Even Earlier Achiever Aged but 12 months, he starred in a TV commercial for nappies.

an Irish upbringing when Kevin was three, but 10 years later, on the back of selling a restaurant at the height of the boom, the family headed to Florida.

Year-round golf in the Sunshine state and a ferocious appetite for the game soon transformed the 19-handicapper into a hot prospect. An eagerness to embrace academic opportunities made Phelan a natural for collegiate golf, which is, he says, the perfect path to professional glory.

“It’s a great system. The standard of college golf in America is extremely high. It’s a very good way to prepare yourself for the professional game.

“And it’s a different style of golf. Much more similar to what you would play as a professional, whereas amateur golf in Ireland is a lot of links golf, which you don’t play very much when you turn pro.”

Turning pro won’t take him away from studies immediately as he still has some credits to attain for his degree – the unending routine of practice and tournaments having got in the way of study, rather than chugging beer on Spring Break. John Daly, he most certainly isn’t. (He’ll do the classes one by one if he gets his tour card, otherwise he’ll blitz four in one go before launching himself into the weekin, week-out of tournament play.)

At the very least, studying psychology has helped Phelan be his own shrink.

“I want to finish the degree. I’d read Bob Rotella’s [golf psychology] books and I took a general psychology class in my first year. I really only did it to help myself. It’s good to understand how the mind works and why thoughts pop up.”

Foremost in his mind now is making the grade as a professional golfer. He is quietly confident. “I’d like to win a few tournaments,” he says, without a hint of undergrad braggadocio. “For now I’d just like to improve and get better.”

Putt it here: twitter.com/KPhelanDeise the red bulletin

Halves

Strings Attached An orchestral-electro band of many parts whose sum is something special Words: Eamonn Soeige Photography: Richard Gilligan

on hugely successful projects such as I like to keep things as abstract as possible; Suntan lotion traded for waterproofs. shoot-em-up supreme Call of Duty. “We’re they’re certainly not ‘Baby, I love you.’”

Scorching sun and record temperatures serious about this band,” he says. “We took As well as puns, reviews threw up replaced by thunderous rain and flooding. out a loan to build that rehearsal space.” words like ‘widescreen’ and ‘cinematic’.

Ireland’s Mediterranean masquerade has Halves’ music is at once electronic, “Film isn’t a major inspiration for us, come to an end just in time for the start acoustic, ambient and orchestral. but I suppose people associate strings of Halves’ brief tour of the country.

After previous, unsatisfactory band with scores. We’re meticulous about It’s early afternoon, assembly time misadventures, Brian and Tim were production,” says Elis. “I’m fascinated at an unremarkable house in the Dublin joined by Elis to form Halves in 2006. by the techniques of certain producers suburb of Walkinstown, Halves HQ “We wanted a one-word, meaningless and how they crafted sounds.” and home to the band’s sibling duo, name,” says Brian. “But we might have Imagined and realised in Dublin, their Elis and Tim Czerniak. Brian Cash, one gone with something else if we’d known latest album, Boa Howl, was recorded in of the band’s three multi-instrumentalists, journalists would use so many lazy puns.”

Gothenburg’s Svenska Grammofon brews fresh coffee, while Elis Czerniak Studion in unusual fashion. “We sit sifts through an impressive, wallaround talking about tracks rather mounted assemblage of CDs, choosing than playing them,” laughs Elis. “It’s those all-important road sounds a weird process. You really have to before leaving to collect a sound trust your own judgement, because technician. Onstage in 2013, Halves we don’t hear if our vision has come will number five, their regular ranks to life until the track is finished.” boosted by Canadian harpist and There are also analogue methods violinist Elaine Kelly-Canning. to go with the digital.

Absorbed in a phone conversation, “Recording onto two-inch tape she’s cunningly combined an Irish forces you to work quickly,” says holiday with the band’s summer Brian. “We were still writing the shows. Drummer Neil Crowley is week before we flew to Sweden. due any minute. Carlton, the house We recorded our first couple of EPs cat, roams irritably. Soon his domain digitally, and hated it. Computer will return to a more peaceful state.

Halves live: the band aired their new LP at Dublin’s Button Factory software gives you the option to “This band is the work of three The works of Tortoise, Mogwai and go back and fix every note – on our distinct individuals: Brian, Tim and Radiohead fuelled their initial creative second EP, we spent over an hour digitally myself,” says the eloquently spoken expressions. “I also used to love Sigur replacing a snare drum, fixing it to death.”

Elis. At 25, he’s the younger and taller Ros,” Elis says, “but those last few A renowned live proposition, Boa of the Czerniak brothers and the band’s albums? I thought they were crap.”

Howl, was recently premiered in resident virtuoso, currently in the throes Recorded in Montreal’s famed Dublin’s Button Factory to a triumphant of a doctorate in music composition at Hotel2Tango studio, their 2010 debut reception. All the late nights spent Dublin’s Trinity College. “Our music has album It Goes, It Goes (Forever & Ever) perfecting new material paid dividends. weird bits, more accessible bits, but it’s won over fans and critics alike with its Live, as on record, Boa Howl feels a proper collaboration. I’ve had a lot of beguiling, complex electronica, delicate otherworldly, gently shifting from the formal training, right from the age of melodies and dramatic production, and rhythmic flow of Drumhunter to the six, so the job of arranging falls to me.” was nominated for the Choice Music dreamlike orchestral sweep of Hug The “He’s a very clever boy,” smirks Brian.

Prize. Following that was a challenge.

Blood. The music’s ethereal ambience is “The Smashing Pumpkins’ chord book is “I think you’re naturally enamoured enhanced by projections and a minimalist as far as I got. I couldn’t tell you what notes with your most recent work,” says Tim, light show. Delicate and powerful, the I’m playing most of the time. Our music’s sipping coffee and glancing outdoors at band appear as spectral figures, bathed experimental, the combination of our the pounding precipitation. “My lyrics in a halo of brilliant white light. But differing perspectives. We like to put things are experiences and sometimes random this is Halves’ moment in the spotlight, together that people mightn’t expect.” thoughts. I admire Bob Dylan, Thom and nobody would begrudge them.

Away from music, Tim is employed www.ahomeforhalves.com Yorke, people who conjure up scenes. in the computer games industry, working 66

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The line-up (from left) Tim Czerniak – vocals, guitar, brass Elis Czerniak – keyboard, clarinet, vocals Brian Cash – guitar, drums, keyboard Not pictured: Neil Crowley – drums Elaine Kelly-Canning – harp, violin Discography Boa Howl (album, 2013) Live At The Unitarian Church (album, 2012) It Goes, It Goes (Forever & Ever) (album, 2010) Haunt Me When I’m Drowsy (EP, 2008) Halves (EP, 2007)

grand

Prix’s Greate st story

Inspired by Formula One’s most dramatic season climax, the 1976 clash between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, is Rush the first great F1 movie?

Words: Herbert Völker

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the red bulletin

photography: atp

Horror crash: on August 1, 1976, Niki Lauda crashed his Ferrari in the German GP at the Nurburgring.

It was the catalyst for one of sport’s most remarkable tales

Grand Prix, Le Mans – rather than the modern films like Fast & Furious.

There they move the cameras in ways that are impossible. The physics don’t make sense. Our film should not be like that. I wanted the physics to make sense, to make it something that people could accept: a coherent world with cool characters. A world in which you could lose yourself and not be distracted by the director’s hand.

How did you mix real filmed action with the computer-generated footage?

Those times required every bit of

the red bulletin

photography: picturedesk.com, atp

on’s OK. He’s a character,” says Niki Lauda.

This is high praise indeed by the standards of the Austrian F1 legend. He is talking about Ron Howard, the 59-year-old director of 21 films, including Apollo 13, Frost/ Nixon and A Beautiful Mind, for which he won the Oscar for Best Director. As a director, producer and actor he has, for more than 50 years, been a central figure in Hollywood, a darling of the dream factory.

His latest film, Rush, dramatises the battle for the 1976 F1 World Championship as fought by Lauda and James Hunt. Howard’s office, without a hint of Hollywood baloney, is at one of the best addresses in Beverly Hills. Displayed on the walls and shelves are sports memorabilia and family photos, along with trophies of the entertainment industry plonked casually rather than solemnly placed. There is nothing slick, nothing affected about Howard. He is agile, fit and in fine form.

the red bulletin: Formula One is a rather exotic theme for the big movie business. Can it work? ron howard: We didn’t make a film following the typical Hollywood formula.

It became a labour of love for us. It’s simply one of those great rivalry stories that one often finds in sport: a clash under extraordinary circumstances.

But I also thought that it’s been a long time since racing was dealt with in a theatrical movie with the intensity, authenticity and respect it deserves.

‘Respect’ is a concept that motor racing today might embrace more; in the 1970s it was a lifesaver. There were fewer electronics, more flying aluminium debris and safety zones didn’t exist. Drivers who crashed had a 50:50 chance of serious injury, or worse. Today, they fly off the circuit and walk away with only a bad case of frustration.

That’s why the ’70s provide a better setting for a motor racing movie, quite apart from the actual story.

You don’t find a rivalry like the 1976 Lauda-Hunt duel every day, even in the hype of motor racing. In fact, something like that doesn’t happen once in a decade. I believed that with today’s film technology that we had a good chance to truly recreate that time as realistically as possible.

Did you unleash the digital tool kit for the racing scenes?

No, I made a choice to try and replicate the style of the classic racing movie –

Critical condition: Lauda’s injuries were so severe, he was taken to intensive care. Six weeks after he was pulled from his burning car (below left), he was back racing

technical expertise, experience and technology that we could provide. We had Academy Award winners in almost every position behind the camera. We wanted to be authentic. For me, it was a similar challenge to Apollo 13. This time we didn’t have the issue of trying to be weightless, but we still recreated all these races, all the tracks, and we were doing it on a very responsible budget. We used real racing cars. Owners of historic cars actually made the vehicles available to us for filming – that was tremendous. The most challenging exercise was the actual the red bulletin

‘ w e wa n t e d i t to b e au t h e n t i c , s o w e f i l m e d s o m e h i g h -s p e e d s c e n e s w i t h r e a l r ac i n g c a r s . t h e c i n e m at i c p uzz l e o f

replicating races on historic circuits was a challenge’ 71

filming of the high-speed scenes – using cars that cost a fortune so you really didn’t want to crash them. We also built some replicas and had some computergenerated cars to fill the field and re-enact crashes. We used archival footage, plus we created our own footage and sometimes we combined the two.

So this puzzle to try to replicate these races, sometimes on historic circuits, was a tremendous cinematic challenge.

How did you cast your drivers?

We hired action professionals from England and Germany, as well as drivers from the Grand Prix scene. The most famous was Jochen Mass [F1 driver, 1973-1982]. It was great having him there. He’s low-key and very cool.

Mass was delighted to be able to drive his original 1976 Marlboro-McLaren in the film, made available to him from a private collection. James Hunt was Mass’s teammate in 1976, with Niki Lauda racing for Ferrari. The season only became interesting after Lauda, leading the championship, suffered nearfatal burns in an accident at the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. Hunt was able to catch up in the points before Lauda’s return, which led to a showdown at the final race in Japan. As drama, it has the right stuff: Hunt the playboy versus Lauda the achiever, high life versus iron will, beautiful women all over the place, the resurrection of the almost-dead, damaged inside and out.

How much influence did Lauda have on the plot? There are scenes that diverge from reality.

The racers: James Hunt, who went on to win the title, and Niki Lauda (right) a few days after the accident

Peter Morgan is one of the most successful film writers in the world. He would never relinquish creative control. It was explained to Lauda how things would unfold and he could say yes or no to the contract. He had to expect that there would be some details that he wouldn’t like.

Poetic movie licence.

Right, and Lauda agreed to this licence, that is, he hardly appeared on the set and didn’t complain when he learned of a scene in the script that deviated slightly from his memories. Sometimes he actually found the ‘new’ scenes really good, they were necessary to express

The man behind the movie: director Ron Howard says that making Rush was a labour of love

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the feeling of that time within a few minutes, something that the audience could relate to. So Peter Morgan has written a scene that puts Lauda, a supposedly shy boy, right in the middle of the fan adoration, eroticism and the hard-core thrill of speed that captures the Ferrari magic of the time. On a country road in Italy, an unsuspecting lady in a car, a hitchhiker who turns out to be a fan. In truth, Niki probably won his girlfriend in a somewhat more subtle way.

The truth isn’t too bad, either. Lauda says he was in Salzburg at a party hosted by film star Curd Jürgens, most famous for playing the villain in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, and Jürgens’ girlfriend Marlene. He hardly knew anyone and just sat around. Marlene, who knew nothing about motor racing, assumed that the young man was some sort of athlete and said something like, “Um, you’re that famous tennis player.” Soon she left the film star for the Formula One driver, eventually becoming Lauda’s first wife.

Did you meet Lauda before deciding to make Rush?

No, I’d already decided to make the film, even if I didn’t like Niki. But I liked him immediately, although before the meeting I had found him difficult to pigeonhole. On paper you can’t the red bulletin

Photography: Michael Horowitz/Anzenberger Agency, constantin, Rainer Schlegelmilch/Getty Images, twitter

The film stars: Chris Hemsworth as Hunt (left) and Daniel Brühl as Lauda

understand a person’s sense of humour or intellect, or the way that he solves problems, his thought process. When we finally met, he reminded me of the astronauts I got to know making Apollo 13. It’s a very similar combination: a person who has confidence to put himself into a dangerous situation and believes he can survive it – such people exude a kind of relaxed strength – Niki’s one of them. He has this confidence that reminds me of a karate master.

The meeting with Lauda must have been a sentimental return to Vienna for you. the red bulletin

The Journey, which we shot there, was my first job in the film industry. I was four years old. I grew up in showbiz thanks to my father [actor Rance Howard]. Deborah Kerr was also in the film, but what I really remember is Yul Brynner. He played a Russian commander at the border crossing in the Hungarian revolution of 1956. He was great with children. In one scene he takes a shot of vodka and bites the glass. He said to me, “You can’t do this in real life. You can’t bite a glass, you will hurt yourself. This is not a glass, it’s

sugar.” He let me lick the glass and it really tasted like candy. To me, the whole set was like a children’s playground. I sat on top of the tanks and real soldiers played with me. When I met Niki in Vienna a good 50 years later, I had to revisit the highlights of my memories: the Ferris wheel and a castle like Sleeping Beauty’s.

How do you feel about the work done

by Rush’s two lead actors, Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth?

I’m delighted, honestly. Daniel is already an acclaimed actor, but when we filmed in Germany, I noticed that people were curious about what his performance as Niki would be like. They didn’t immediately connect Daniel with Niki.

We changed his teeth and some other little things about his appearance, but more importantly than anything, he got to know Niki, who shared a lot of information about those days. Daniel worked very hard on learning to speak like Niki, to get the dialect right. After the screening in Germany, people actually thought he had looped everything – but of course he hadn’t. It just shows you what Daniel’s talent and hard work has led to. And for Chris, who is primarily known for action and fantasy, this is a tremendous breakthrough. People here in Hollywood have seen some of his work in this movie and have offered him different jobs – important dramatic roles – as well as adventure stories.

The film’s ending differs from reality.

Wouldn’t the truth have been enough?

That in the pouring rain at the last Grand Prix of the season in Japan, Lauda was one of three drivers to stop because of the dangerous conditions – understandably so, three months after his accident. He is not the type of guy who throws a world championship away for the love of a woman. He said it was at this point that he really wondered about the script. It’s a little like Casablanca, with the waiting aircraft and so on.

Well, he really was on his way to Tokyo airport, and he told me that he simply didn’t want to die in this race under such adverse conditions. There are a lot of good reasons for this. Love for a woman is one, at least subconsciously. Niki doesn’t admit to such sentiments, but we can very well express them in the film. He had to make a decision and we believe Marlene had something to do with it. The audience would also like to see it that way, but that does not necessarily have anything to do with Hollywood.

Rush is released this month: www.rushmovie.com

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Hawaiian paddlers Jeff Silva (left) and Nicolas Schenk traverse the tide in the Olamau Race

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At the Olamau Race, the world’s fastest outrigger canoe teams compete around the rugged coast of Hawaii. Skill, grit and knowledge of the ocean aren’t always enough to win, but they do keep you alive W o r d s : R o b e r t A n a s i P h o t o g r ap h y : C h r i s Ba l d w i n

he yellow-and-white outrigger canoe jets across the water, the six-man crew of the Shell Va’a team paddling in an uncanny tight rhythm. The canoe catches each wave perfectly, shooting forward with a grace that belies the sweat on the men’s faces and the muscles bulging under their T-shirts. Day one of the world’s biggest outrigger canoe race seems to be playing out predictably: the best team, Shell Va’a, has taken the lead.

They are from Tahiti, where canoe paddling is one of the most popular pastimes. Everyone paddles in Tahiti – mothers, children, grandparents – and big corporations such as Shell sponsor teams. Each member of Shell Va’a is a star.

A Shell Va’a victory at the Olamau Race is by no means a foregone conclusion. Mellow Johnny’s Va’a are muscling in on the Tahitian team’s chances. The American outfit is led by Raimana Van Bastolaer, a legendary Tahitian waterman who pioneered stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) techniques and mastered the world’s biggest wave on home surf at Teahupo’o.

“In Tahiti you know how to swim, fish, surf and paddle.

The ocean is all around us and we live in the water,” he says.

“Parents actually enrol their kids in paddling schools and they spend their days racing with friends. To the kids it’s just play, but if they’re very talented, the parents know their child is going to have a good job, social security – everything.”

What’s going on between Shell and Johnny’s in the choppy water around Hawaii’s Big Island is more than child’s play.

Each team must give as good as they get or be left behind.

Today they will paddle 38 miles between Laupahoehoe

The OPT team’s canoe, with its outrigger (right), is one of the most high-tech vessels in the Olamau race

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and Keokea on the north of the island, the first of three days’ intensive paddling. Teamwork and rhythm are everything in paddling. The crews move in unison to the call of the strokers, paddles throwing up spray as they dip and rise. The fastest paddlers are seated at the front to set the pace; those with the most stamina take up positions in the middle and the steersman sits at the end to navigate, coach and monitor the waves.

Two hours into the men’s race and the 14 outrigger canoes have spread out. Support teams following in motorboats shout encouragement and drop off supplies. The frontrunners will complete the course in just over three-and-a-half hours; others will take up to five. Over the three days they’ll cover 101 miles. Most teams in the race are picked from a squad of 12 paddlers, and the first 83 miles up to the penultimate stop at Kukio on the west of the island must be completed by an ‘iron man’ crew of six paddlers with no changes permitted.

The final stage allows for one change of up to six paddlers.

It’s this iron man component that makes a tough event even more gruelling. One of the paddlers in the women’s 404 team has to quit the first stage, flopping out into the water drained of energy, leaving her teammates to finish the stage with five paddlers. “I hope she gets better quick,” says 404 captain, Jill Schooler, “because she’s going out again tomorrow.”

The iron man element of the competition and US$50,000 in prize money awarded in men’s and women’s categories aren’t the only factors that separate the Olamau from other outrigger races. It’s also an unlimited event, meaning that teams can bring, with a few restrictions, any canoe they choose – any weight, shape or size.

The event is in its second year, but it has grown so fast that the big teams have put the race on their calendars.

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the red bulletin

Rolling in the deep: a member of the Alaka‘i Nalu team hauls himself out of the water after capsizing. Facing page: composure before the event’s frenetic start

“Paddling needs to grow,” says race organiser Mike Nakachi.

“Last year, we had 11 teams taking part. This year it’s 24 and next year we hope to double that. It will keep getting better.”

Mellow Johnny’s not-so-secret weapon in this year’s Olamau race is their pioneering canoe, the latest model to come out of Odie Sumi’s renowned Pure Canoes And Paddles laboratory in Hawaii. Sumi’s design might mean they have the fastest six-man canoe ever to skim the waves.

From sleek hull to sharp prow, the outrigger crackles with power. Even the glossy mint-green paint seethes and gleams.

To one side of the canoe the ama (outrigger) hangs from the curved ‘iako (struts) like a booster rocket. The canoe looks like a vicious species of wasp or a Star Wars X-Wing starfighter, and on the waves it flies. “They talk about the red bulletin

tradition,” says Sumi, “but if you’re going to paddle a canoe made of fibreglass, why not paddle something fun?”

For centuries, Hawaiians built outriggers from single logs carefully selected from the island’s native koa trees in forests covering the volcanic mountains. After months of charring and scraping with a stone adze, the outriggers slowly took shape. The process is very different now. Composite materials and computerised engineering have trumped old methods.

For years, cutting-edge canoes have entered races and blown away the traditional boats. The Olamau also serves as a field test for new models of canoe while also having one foot in the sport’s past, and Sumi is at the forefront of this.

Out of the 24 canoes in the race, Sumi built 11, making him the Henry Ford of competitive outrigger racing. His rise 79

Tough going: each team must use the same six paddlers for much of the race – changes are only permitted in the final stage

in the field has been rapid. The 31-year-old Hawaiian started out making paddles and selling them on eBay. After graduating from California Polytechnic, he toured surf spots along the west coast of America with a friend, selling paddles and making contacts. His business grew when he moved back to Hawaii four years ago, and before long he had a waiting list. “I was making paddles, so I knew how to glue wood and put fibreglass on it,” says Sumi. “The concept was pretty much the same: take this hollow wood, glue it, sand it, make it into something.”

Just three years after making his first canoe, Sumi and his designs dominate racing. His humble origins make him more of a Bill Gates than Henry Ford: like Gates, Sumi started in his garage; he now works out of a couple of warehouses just outside Kona on the west side of the Big Island. One of his race-ready canoes with wood-core hull, carbon fibreglass body, resin-infused ama and carbon-reinforced aluminium ‘iakos will set you back US$19,000. The personal touch remains: each outrigger has waterproof skirts hand-sewn by Sumi’s mother.

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he Olamau Race plays out against a backdrop of astonishing views. In the distance looms the Mauna Kea volcano which, at 10,210m, is the tallest mountain in the world, from base underwater to peak, sorry Everest. Big Island is the newest of the Hawaiian Islands – its youth contributes to the constant landslides and lava flows exploding into the sea. The Olamau teams paddle by black cliffs and dozens of waterfalls that drop sheer into the surf. No team runs closer to the cliffs than Pacific Northwest. At the moment, they’re regretting taking their line inside as the rebounding waves make it impossible to push ahead. They paddle at full tilt, fighting the waves, fighting the current. Most of the teams have a local steersman who knows the course, or at least an escort boat, but Pacific Northwest are struggling, the frontrunners way ahead and out of sight.

Paddling is a labour of love for members of the Pacific Northwest team. Conditions are very different in that part of America compared with Hawaii. Wetsuits are a must in winter, when paddlers often have to hack through ice before practice sessions. They are also hindered by having to train in bays and rivers, missing out on gaining experience of big swells, which requires a unique skill set. Plus, the crew – former swimmers, distance canoe paddlers and Hawaiian expats – live many miles from each other and have to fit in training around full-time jobs. “We keep a record of our training days,” says team captain Lance Mamiya. “When you see that someone else has logged in, it drives you to keep going yourself.”

Mamiya looks a decade younger than his 46 years. His thick muscles slope from his neck and shoulders down to weightlifter’s arms. He grew up in Hawaii, but his father’s career as an Air Force fighter pilot took the family around the world. It wasn’t until Mamiya settled in the Northwest that he started paddling seriously. For him, it’s both an adrenalin sport and a way to stay connected to his island roots.

“When you come back to Hawaii,” he says, “and get to surf and paddle without any kind of wetsuit, you have a pure connection to the water. Every time I visit, it gets tougher for me to get back on the plane to Seattle.”

Traditionally, the canoes taking part in the Olamau lack rudders or fins. It’s the steersman’s job to keep the line – not so easy as swell and wind jerks the outrigger stern from side to side. Catching a swell on an outrigger is like six surfers trying

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Dire straits: Mellow Johnny’s get caught in a swell on Day One near Keokea. Hawaiian paddler Heiva Paie (facing page) is one of the stars of their crew

Mauna Loa

Keokea Beach

H awa i i Kawaihae Kukio Kamakahonu

Laupahoehoe Big Island

from battling the waves, they now have to fight each other. “Every time I’d look up another attack was coming,” says Mathisen. “Dropping those teams wasn’t easy.”

After winning day one, Mathisen and her team finish second on day two, just losing out to Na Hoa, but retain their yellow jerseys in the overall rankings. Last year, only one women’s team competed in the Olamau – this time round there are five, enough for separate rankings and prize money.

to ride a wave on one longboard. Every paddler has to feel the wave and adjust his stroke. Once the wave speed is matched, the strokes need to be shorter and quicker to keep pace. Meanwhile, the steersman has to keep the canoe angled so the bow doesn’t get buried in the wave in front of it, while staying on course.

Yet the Pacific Northwest crew plough forward. Last year, they raced the Olamau in a spec canoe, and finished in last place in the men’s category, but their grit impressed the field so much that Sumi loaned them an unlimited canoe for this year.

Day one ends with Mellow Johnny’s and Shell neck and neck. Shell pulls across the line 81 seconds ahead. On shore, a crewman from the Sea Shepherd team lies groaning on a table in the banquet pavilion, an IV needle sunk into to his arm. Croquet, this isn’t, and it’s about to get much worse.

The Pacific Ocean erupts on day two. Thirty-knot winds and 10ft swells crash onto the shore. Tourists in sightseeing boats cling to the rails. Just reaching the starting line is a survival test: the Sea Shepherd boat capsizes in the surf, paddlers struggling to keep their heads above water. The escort boats disappear behind the swells, leaving the canoes paddling alone. Minutes into the race, Mellow Johnny’s get swamped and have to bail. The best teams take advantage of the stormy weather, using the wind to drop into the bigger swells.

Anna Mathisen is the captain of the Pacific Wahine women’s team, and she’s in her element. A one-time professional swimmer, she’s spent her life in the water. Mathisen’s Norwegian ancestry shows in her ash-blonde hair and light blue eyes, but her soul is at least half Hawaiian. “Personally,” she says. “I thrive in the big stuff. Our head second-day steerswoman Katie Stephens also does canoe sailing and has a ton of experience in rough seas. We weren’t worried.”

“I had to lean out of the canoe and hold my paddle firm to keep us straight. Then switch back to paddling. The weight of water and the anaerobic intensity left me shaking.”

After an intense hour of surfing, Pacific Wahine enter the flats to find three women’s teams – Oceanic Connection, Kawaihae and 404 – only a few yards away. Exhausted the red bulletin

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n day three the water is pure glass, so velvet and still you feel like you could put a blanket on it and have a picnic. Out in front it’s a three-team race, with Shell, Mellow Johnny’s and EDT fighting for the lead, running side by side. Shell have a four-minute advantage in the overall rankings but they want to win every stage.

Finishing a stage in first place will earn a team US$2,500, while the overall winner in the men’s category nets another US$15,000 on top of that. It sounds like decent money, until you think about dividing it 12 ways and the cost of getting to Hawaii. Shell could win every race they enter, and still not come close to breaking even. But the upsides outweigh the downsides for these paddlers: the competition and camaraderie, the practice of an ancient craft along a coast that shimmers with natural beauty. It’s paddling into an ancient tradition, while maintaining a 21st-century competitive edge.

At a post-race pool party, the teams mingle, slapping each other on the back, trading war stories and working through their own abiding memories of the race. “The overall message to take away from Olamau can be so many different things: strong life, or live strong, or live life to its fullest,” says race organiser Mike Nakachi. “To me it’s living at its best.”

“We were in the first race,” says Lance Mamiya, “and we’re in this one, and we’ll keep coming back as long they’ll have us. It might not be as sexy as BASE-jumping or skydiving, but it has its own intensity, and there’s the tradition. We’re paddling new boats but we’re connected to something that’s a thousand years old.”

Shell edge out EDT and Mellow Johnny’s to claim overall victory and a sizeable cash prize, while Pacific Wahine take the US$5,500 prize money for winning in the women’s category.

But one team that won’t make a dime from the event is Pacific Northwest. They head back to the mainland with sore muscles and a 13th-place overall finish. One after another, crews paddle into the harbour at Kamakahonu, weary and satisfied.

European tourists stare at the paddlers from their sun loungers as they lift their canoes out of the water. It’s a different Hawaii from the ancient heartland, but the Olamau ties all these Hawaiis together. Next year, the race will follow the same route, and continue to transform outrigger racing. www.olamaurace.com

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Sebastian Vettel for Pepe Jeans London

Solar flair: headphones that look good and charge your smartphone. MUSIC, page 94

Where to go and what to do

ac t i o n !

T r a v e l / G e a r / T r a i n i n g / N i g h t l i f e / M U S I C / p a r t i e s / c i t i e s / c l u b s / E v e n ts

photography: Everest Skydive

The Other Everest

Jumping from a helicopter hovering at the top of the world is the ultimate in James Bond-style adventure If the world is not enough, take a trip to Earth’s highest drop zone

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Travel, page 88

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Action!

Safety Fi rst

PRO TOOLS

Ronix Parks Boots

Hot foot The soft inner shoe is heated in a special oven before use. When it’s warm it fits the shape of the foot perfectly

Saving Parks’ life

Comfort break A deeper opening allows more mobility in manoeuvres. A foam insert in the sole softens hard landings

Pro-tec Ace Wake Helmet This has saved my neck on many occasions. Perfect fit, great padding and detachable ear pads.

Well adjusted The boot is fixed directly to the board with two screws, but the angle remains adjustable

Ain’t heavy Mesh inserts and fewer seams than other shoes keep the weight down to a mere 2.5kg

Ronix Impact Jacket The light, elastic zip vest fits me like a glove. I’ve worn it when leaping out of helicopters and riding powerful kickers.

Parks Bonifay won his first X Games gold aged 14

www.ronixwake.com

On the best of a wave Wakeboarding Parks Bonifay on the gear that lets him exceed expectations The best wakeboarder of all time? Those in the know regard the 32-year-old Bonifay as the greatest practitioner of his craft. The Floridian developed his kit to exactly suit his wakeboarding style and is also constantly experimenting with new tricks. In 1999, he landed the first-ever switch toeside 1080 – a three-spin move once thought

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impossible. When it comes to equipment, he values manoeuvrability of the board and boots, weight reduction and comfort, but always plays it safe. “Before I was born, my uncle drowned and so my mother never let me go out on the water without a helmet and swimming vest.” www.parksbonifay.com

Ronix Parks ATR EDTN My ‘all-terrain ride’ board is 139cm long and ideally suited to all types of tricks and moves. www.ronixwake.com

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Photography: Chris Garrison/Red Bull Content Pool

www.pro-tec.net

Action!

party

roll with it Can you still smoke joints in Amsterdam?

Last year there was talk of a ban on foreigners buying cannabis.

Here’s the blowby-blow of what happened.

Hidden in the party and theatre district of Leidseplein

Milky way out

Words: florian obkircher. Photography: de fotomeisjes (4), DigiDaan

AMSTERDAM Once home to hippies, now a hipster haunt: the Melkweg – the ‘Milky Way’ – has been at the centre of subculture for 40 years Two concert halls, two theatres, a cinema, a gallery, space for 3,800 people. In its 40 years of service, the Melkweg has grown to become Holland’s largest cultural centre. It opened in 1972 in an abandoned dairy factory in the heart of Amsterdam and attracted hippies from all over the world.

Before the decade was out, the punks followed, and the Melkweg was a popular stop for British and Irish bands making European tours.

In September, there are concerts from Californian skate punks Good Riddance, singer-songwriter Kate Nash and the electronic stylings of Jon Hopkins. Together they’re an embodiment of the Melkweg ethos of good times and culture for all.

Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234A 1017 PH Amsterdam, NL www.melkweg.nl

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GR E E N LIGHT Show time: a concert every day, sometimes even two

Fi rst Things Amsterdam’s breakfast options are as numerous and excellent as its night banquet.

Three ways to drive away a hangover

JUICEd Gartine serves produce it grows on the premises.

A bucolic spot can make you forget you’re in the middle of the city.

Taksteeg 7-BG

BAKED Barney’s Breakfast Bar offers water pipe and space cakes first thing, but they also have great crêpes and breakfast rolls.

Haarlemmerstraat 102

FRIED Amsterdammers love fries.

The best, at Vleminckx, come with exotic sauces, such as Oorlog (war) with red onion and peanuts.

Voetboogstraat 33

The new rule: each city and town can decide if it wants to sell cannabis to tourists.

Amsterdam decided for; many places in the south, including Maastricht, against.

RED FLAG You can’t smoke in the coffee shops – at least not tobacco. If you’re smoking pure hash, puff away. But many places offer a herbal substitute as an alternative to tobacco.

GR E Y A R E A Lighting up outdoors is forbidden, but a blind eye tends to be turned.

The Blowverbod signs erected in 2007 have been removed permanently – because tourists kept stealing them.

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Action!

travel

On top of the world: the planet’s highest skydiving experience

And anoth er thing See all in Nepal

By water Nepal is known for its exhilarating river rafting.

Novices and rafting regulars alike will find a river run at their level. www.nepalraft.com

Might of the mountain

By air Skydivers who’d like a ride in a plane they don’t have to jump out of should take a scenic flight around Mount Everest for a breathtakingly up-close view.

E verest Skydive A leap at more than twice the normal height requires nerves of steel, but the incredible views and adrenalin rushes are a unique payoff

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www.buddhaair.com

Advice from the inside Hit the gym “You trek for six days before the jump to gradually acclimatise to the altitude,” says Bedingfield, “so I started training at the gym two months before.

It helped to feel fit, strong and prepared.”

Kitting up

“We supply pretty much everything jumpers will need,”

says Wendy Smith of Skydive Everest, “from puffer jackets to bespoke thermal suits, which look like an astronaut outfit.

But for the trek, people need walking boots. I’d recommend they’re nicely broken in and comfortable. We’ll do the rest.”

By land If skydiving hasn’t depleted your energy reserves, Everest Skydive can organise a seven-day trek to Mount Everest base camp followed by a helicopter ride back to Kathmandu.

the red bulletin

words: ruth morgan. photography: wendysmithaerial.com, everest skydive

At an altitude of about 12,500ft, a standard skydive is adventure enough for most. If you double that, then add another 4,500ft, you’re at the cruising altitude of a jumbo jet, or the same height as Mount Everest. Before 2008, no one had skydived near Mount Everest. Many thought it was too high, but, with the help of an extra oxygen supply, a team of daredevils made the first jumps, and have since run an annual expedition in October. To date, fewer than 100 people have made the jump. “It was the first time I’d contemplated skydiving,” says Molly Bedingfield, who jumped with Everest Skydive to raise money for her charity, Global Angels, “but it was the most amazing experience – from trekking to the world’s highest drop zone to the jump itself. I did a tandem skydive with an expert, and when I put my arms out it really felt like I was flying. You drop faster www.everestthan usual as the air is so thin, but you skydive.com have around six-and-a-half minutes Solo skydive from US$25,000 before landing. The scenery, Everest Tandem skydive and the Himalayas, is breathtaking. from US$35,000 It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

Action!

workout

The ABT crew aim is to achieve pit-stop times of under three seconds

“Our goal is to work on the mechanics at least twice a week. Not easy because their work on the car takes priority,” says Axel Funke

Four in three

Words: Werner Jessner. Photography: tim Lüdin. illustration: heri irawan

dtm You have to be mighty fit to change the four wheels of a touring car in less than three seconds The souped-up Audi A5 is still a good half-metre from the stop line, but the impact screwdrivers are already at work loosening the still-moving wheels.

A lever on the driver’s side activates the pneumatic jack and the car shoots up on four stilts. The man with the screwdriver rests his elbow on his right knee; with his left hand, he sticks the old wheel on a spoke while the second man puts the new wheel on. Screw in, lower the car, drive away. All that in under three seconds.

In a day of training, the mechanics of the ABT Sportsline team in the German touring car championship (DTM) do up to 16 pit-stop changes like this, usually in sets of four followed by a break of at least 90 minutes (when they work on the cars).

A front wheel of the ABT DTM Audi A5 weighs 22kg, and a rear wheel 24kg – about three times heavier than a Formula One wheel. Using the impact screwdriver is a test of strength: it weighs 6.8kg. the red bulletin

n ever tire with tyres Functional strength training on a weight stack ensures that mechanics’ movements come naturally when called upon, says Axel Funke, Audi Motorsport’s fitness coach and ABT’s sports scientist

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The mechanic’s position at the weight stack corresponds with his pit-stop position: a slight crouch.

Repetitive movements demand all-round strength. Left and right body parts are trained equally to prevent muscular imbalance.

We do two sets of 12-15 reps with weights lighter than the wheel, then one set of 2-6 reps with greater-than-wheel weights.

Consistency can be improved with classic bench presses. Around 80kg is ideal, but 60kg is normal.

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Action!

buyer’s guide

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It’s not about the bike

Cycling is booming, and the amount of new gear is bewildering. Which is why we’ve handpicked these essentials, whether you ride trails, dodge traffic or time trial

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1. Rapha Small Shoulder Bag Rucksacks are for mountain bikers, and you should only carry a courier bag if you are a courier. This carryalmost-all from the cyclist’s apparel-maker of choice is a stylish black-with-whitestripe accessory, but its stowaway rain cover is shocking hi-vis pink, so you’ll always be seen at night or whenever it’s wet.

Suitable for commuting. £100/€125 www.rapha.cc

2. Specialized S-Works road shoes Cyclist’s feet transfer power to pedals. But there are 27 muscles and a quarter of the body’s bones in your feet, so a lot can go wrong if your shoes don’t fit properly. Cable reels in Specialized’s S-Works allow uniform closure around the foot via a ratcheting reel.

An additional closure helps to maximise the transfer of power between bike and rider.

Road/Commute. £250/€290 www.specialized conceptstore.co.uk

3. Oakley RadarLock Straight sunglasses Cycling shades must carry out usual sunglasses duty while keeping rain, dust and airborne insects out of the eyes. This Oakley pair is suitable for any riding position thanks to their oversized interchangeable lenses: one for bright days, the other for cloudier climes.

And don’t forget to wear them over your helmet straps. All the pros do.

Rd/Cmt. £250/€290 www.uk.oakley.com

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conduction technology to transfer the sound through your cheekbones to the inner ear. So you can still listen to music while being able to hear what’s going on around you.

Rd/Trail/Cmt. £58/€67 www.aftershokz.co.uk 6. Crank Brothers Multi-19 tool Whether on the road or off, it always pays to be prepared for the unexpected. At the very least that means having a solid multi-tool on your person should something go awry. Light yet strong, this Crank Brothers creation has 19 tools that will get you out of all tight spots.

Stored in an aluminium carry case that has extra space in which to stash a couple of patches, a bank card and some cash for that pub reward.

Rd/Trl/Cmt. £29.99/€35 www.evanscycles.com 7. Lezyne Micro Drive LED front & rear lights Remaining visible while in the saddle can be hard on the wallet. Lights bright enough to catch the eye of even the most negligent

motorist are expensive, and such illumination sucks batteries dry fast.

Which is why Lezyne’s lights come with USB charging capability, making them ideal for the average night rider, especially on a commute. Simply plug them into your computer when you arrive at the office and by the time you’re ready to leave, they’ll be fully charged to light up your ride home.

Rd/Trl/Cmt. £69.99/€80 www.evanscycles.com

appy d ays strava

An app may not be the same as a bike computer, Strava is a fine alternative for a fraction of the price.

It tracks all the usual info, and allows you to set goals and tackle challenges. Pay for the premium service and you can time sections of a ride and win kudos for besting the stats of other connected cyclists.

Every commute shouldn’t be treated as a time trial, but linking to other riders in a virtual peloton adds a social edge to cycling.

Rd/Trl/Cmt. Free from Google Play and iTunes App Store. Extra charges apply.

8. Garmin Edge 810 bike computer It’s worrying when the smartest thing on a bike isn’t the rider, and that might be the case with Garmin’s latest on-bike computer. In addition to the expected function of recording data from your ride, this is fully map-capable, gives you instant weather updates and allows people to track your cycling live. Ideal – or possibly not – if you have an over-anxious other half waiting for the sound of tyres on the driveway.

Rd/Trl/Cmt. £379.99/€440 www.garmin.com

www.strava.com

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Words: Ruth Morgan. Photography: Luke Kirwan

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4. Specialized S-Works Prevail helmet While there’s no solid research to back up claims that cycling helmets reduce head injuries, common sense dictates that wearing one is A Good Idea. This aerodynamic lid is not only super-light at just 185g, but it also cuts down on drag. That it looks cool while keeping your noggin cool is down to ingenious front vents.

Rd/Cmt. £160/€185 www.specialized conceptstore.co.uk

the red bulletin

5. Aftershokz Sportz M2 bone conduction headphones It’s not illegal to wear headphones while cycling, but it’s really not advisable.

It blocks out one of your most important senses – being able to hear what’s around you on the road is almost as important as being able to see it. Unlike conventional headphones, where sound is projected directly into the ear, Aftershockz headphones use innovative bone

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Action!

city Guide

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Action in Brazil’s fashion capital

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TOP FIVE MY Sao Paulo HIGHLIGHTS

pumping, with plenty of live music in the bars. I really like the Salve Jorge, which has the coldest beer in the city: they serve the bottles in ice buckets.

Wow in Sao: Vogue and Elle cover star Viviane Orth

1 Ibirapuera Park,

“Burger and Fendi handbag to go”

Av Pedro Alvares Cabral A great park with structures by genius architect Oscar Niemeyer and a great place to jog. Skateboarders, bikers and skaters fly past as you run. Every kind of sport is allowed here.

SaO PAULO Glamour shops, top bars, jogging in a Niemeyer park: supermodel Viviane Orth leads the way through her city – and to its best burger joint One of the most in-demand models in the world, Viviane Orth grew up in Sao Paulo and is as keen on the city as any of its 12 million residents.

“A great city with the most hospitable people in the world,” says the 22-year-old, “although for non-residents it can sometimes be a bit frightening – because it’s so big.” Although Orth now lives abroad, she regularly returns to her favourite city.

“The coolest boutiques and the best restaurants in Brazil are here. And the most thriving nightlife.”

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motor up A Mecca for speed junkies, the Kartódromo Granja Viana offers four excellent outdoor kart tracks.

A 25-minute spin costs 85 real, about US$35, including helmet and overalls.

4 Cidade Jardim

Av Magalhaes de Castro This is the best place for a shopping spree, with shops like Hermès, Chanel and Brazil’s most venerable boutique, Daslu. And the best burger place, Lanchonete da Cidade. I can’t walk past without getting one.

skates on Sao Paulo’s best skateboarding spots are in the Morumbi district and the CEU Butanta skate park. Also try Toobsland, a skate shop with its own skatebowl. You can make reservations and enjoy a private session.

off road

2 Pe no Parque

Rua Inhambu, 240 After jogging I eat in the park’s snack bar, with a clear conscience. Here they have fresh fruit and my favourite food: puréed frozen acai berries, which are best eaten with muesli.

3 Bar Salve Jorge

Rua Aspicuelta, 544 The city’s nightlife is constantly

5 Casa Juisi

R Roberto Simonsen, 108 This second-hand shop is my insider tip for vintage fashion, antique furniture and retro sunglasses, as well as cool old handbags. My last purchase was a Fendi handbag from 1970.

The Tiete Ecological Park east of Sao Paulo is an oasis of relaxation, a nature reserve and a paradise for BMX riders. With several tracks, it’s perfect for both beginners and freestyle pros.

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Photography: tuca vieira (4)

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república

Helly Hansen catwalk

Paradisbukta Bygdøy norway

Scandinavian Design is the cornerstone in all Helly Hansen gear. The optimal combination of purposeful design, protection and style. This is why professional athletes, patrollers and discerning enthusiasts choose Helly Hansen.

cOnFIDent wHen It MatteRs

Action!

music

FRESH EN U P YOU R VINYL! how to get your platters clean

When Franz Ferdinand released their debut album in 2004, the verdict was unanimous: no other band could so skilfully and casually join references to the Russian avant-garde with jagged New Wave drums and catchy melodies. Nine years and the sale of over three million records later, the kings of art-school rock are back with a fourth album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. Drummer Paul Thomson reveals the music that the Glasgow-based quartet were listening to while they made it.

Art of darkness playlist Gloomy hip-hop, ADHD electro and Danish industrial: music to make a Franz Ferdinand album by

1 Kerri Chandler

www.franzferdinand.com

2 Kanye West

3 Zomby

The original is good, but even better is the remix by Foremost Poets, a house producer from New Jersey.

The way he sloganeers over the top to make the track his own is fantastic. I saw him DJing in Glasgow; he had to borrow someone’s records because his had been impounded by customs. He had the charisma to pull it off. Amazing guy.

Apparently this record was inspired by his visits to the Louvre in Paris. I think it’s hilarious that something like this can result from looking at Renaissance paintings. Kanye is amazing and I am glad that he exists. Back in the day he’d come to our shows and he said that he’s a fan. Now I’m a fan of his, and his tweets are amazing as well.

A difficult artist. In fact he’s nuts: 33 electronic tracks on this album, none much longer than two minutes. For DJs, it’s impossible to mix. His beat puzzle pieces are amazing. It’s dance music for people with ADHD. He says everything that he’s got to say and moves on to the next one. He proved that with his remix for our song Ulysses.

4 Vår

5 The Doppelgangaz

Bar A Thym

The World Fell

Elias Ronnenfelt fronts Danish punk band Iceage, one of the wildest young bands anywhere.

I saw them in Glasgow and they set the roof on fire.

Recently Elias and a friend released a dark album under the name Vår. It’s young boys making music like Depeche Mode. At the moment I’m listening to the track The World Fell all the time.

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Black Skinhead

HARK!

At school somebody copied me a cassette of Fear Of A Black Planet

by Public Enemy. I was blown away; before that I was mainly listening to thrash metal, but Public Enemy had a different kind of power. These kids remind me of great ’90s hip-hop. Like Wu-Tang Clan, or RZA’s side project Gravediggaz, it’s horrorcore at its best.

THE WASHING MACHINE Spin Clean is a plastic tub with brushes on the inside. Fill it with cleaning solution and water, turn the records clockwise then let them dry.

With Love

THE PISTOL Shoot vinyl with the positive and negative ions in the Milty Zerostat gun, which electrostatically neutralises the surface, and the dust just drops off.

shine on rays up your power levels

Onbeat Solar The headband of these headphones is outfitted with solar cells; small lithium-ion batteries in the earpieces store the energy harvested by those cells, which can then charge your smartphone via a USB cable. www.onbeatheadphones.com

THE HOME REMEDY Apply a thin layer of wood glue evenly into the grooves with a spatula. Then let it dry and slowly peel off the film of dust-coated plasticky glue.

the red bulletin

Words: florian obkricher. Photography: Splash News (1)

Paul Thomson, 36, is the drummer for indie rock band Franz Ferdinand

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Action!

save the date

don’t miss ink these dates in your diary

11

september

Sweat Triathlon returns to London’s iconic Olympic sites for the Grand Final of the World Triathlon Series, with 5,000 international athletes expected to compete over five days. www.london. triathlon.org

15

september

Flight

Off road in the city: Red Bull City Trial hits Manchester

September 21

Trial by bike

Manchester is gearing up to host a battle of trials bike titans as Red Bull City Trial returns to Exchange Square in the centre of the city for the second year. Twelve-time world champion Dougie Lampkin will be part of the elite group of competitors, which also includes Spanish FIM gold medal winner Adam Raga and Japan’s trial world champion Takahisa Fujinami. www.redbull.com September 15-22 October 3-5

The new class

September 13-15

Gale force Pro windsurfing and kiteboarding competitions, plus a whole lot more at the Scottish Wind Fest 2013. www.facebook.com/ scottishwindfest

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For the past decade the Hard Working Class Heroes festival has built a reputation for showcasing the best new Irish music.

Each year, 100 bands are selected to play six major Dublin venues in three days. The Strypes (right) were the main attraction at last year’s event. www.hwch.net

The Tour British cycling greats, such as Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins, have raced in the Tour Of Britain, the UK’s biggest professional bike race. This year’s eight-stage, 1,045km route will take competitors from Drumlanrig Castle in Scotland to the finish line at Whitehall in central London. As they attempt to cross countries in the fastest time, they will take in the sights, including the Lake District and Dartmoor. www.tourofbritain.co.uk

29 september

Might A regular season NFL match will be played in London for the first time, when the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers do battle at Wembley Stadium. www.nfluk.com

the red bulletin

Words: Ruth Morgan. Photography: Margo James, Tour of Britain Cycling, Rutger pauw/REd bull Content Pool, Jill Furmanovsky

Thousands will line the River Liffey in Dublin to catch a glimpse of FlightFest, a 30 commercial aircraft-strong fly-by, including both historic and brand-new planes and helicopters, along the route of the waterway. www.flightfest.ie

Time warp

Ski jump

the next issue of the red bulletin is out on october 7 (UK) and Oct 1 & 11 (irEland) 98

the red bulletin

Photography: Alan Band/Fox Photos/Getty Images

A waterskiing team reach a high-water mark during a high-speed demonstration at Cypress Gardens, Florida, USA, on November 25, 1965.

Today at this place, stacking of a different kind: it’s the site of Legoland Florida.