The Red Bulletin November 2016 - UK

UK EDITION

BEYOND THE ORDINARY

VOYAGE INTO THE UNKNOWN

Set sail on the world’s toughest yacht race

GOING ROGUE Felicity Jones on reaching for the stars

FREE RADICAL Wild times in the country with

DANNY MACASKILL

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34

FANTASTIC VOYAGE

Yacht racing doesn’t come tougher than the Vendée Globe: 78 days, 40,000km, non-stop, solo and unassisted

In this issue of The Red Bulletin, we take a trip on the wild side, stepping out of the comfort zone and heading for uncharted territory. At its most extreme, that means setting sail on the world’s toughest yacht race, the Vendée Globe, where competitors take on skyscraper-size waves, howling gales and freezing temperatures on a solo, unaided 44,000km voyage around the world. Closer to home, cover star Danny MacAskill takes his belief-defying bike tricks to the Scottish Highlands in search of new challenges for his most amazing film yet. Finally, we go off the beaten track with those who are definitely born to be wild – the partygoers at America’s biggest biker bash, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Enjoy the ride.

10

“You have to be stubborn and see the bigger goal” DANNY MACASKILL, PAGE 50

THE RED BULLETIN

FRED MURRAY (COVER), VINCENT CURUTCHET/DPPI

WELCOME

Android Wear and other marks are trademarks of Google Inc.

Ultra-Rugged 100 Meter / 10 ATM Water Resistant Smartwatch Customize yours on nixon.com

NOVEMBER 2016

64 REBEL RIDERS

AT A GLANCE

Every year, Buffalo Chip in Sturgis, South Dakota hosts the biker party to end all biker parties

GALLERY 18 GOOD SHOTS! Photos of the month

BULLEVARD 27 INSPIRATIONS Unique talents

FEATURES 34 Vendée Globe

32 PAYNE BARRIER

Peak fitness is essential when you’re kicking zombie butt. The Walking Dead’s Tom Payne shares his training secrets

60

50 Danny MacAskill

On set in Scotland with the street trials rider as he films his latest video

LOCAL HERO

Ireland isn’t known for its mountains – but that was never going to stop Greg Callaghan realising his enduro dream

62

58 Heroes of the month

Social entrepreneur Thato Kgatlhanye, enduro ace Greg Callaghan, actress Felicity Jones and singer JoJo

64 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Booze, bikes and burning outhouses in South Dakota

ACTION!

80 TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW

For Felicity Jones, coming up in new Star Wars film Rogue One, acting is about accepting challenges – and nailing them 12

COOL AS FXX K

It may sound like an expletive, but the Ferrari FXX K will have elite-car fans swearing allegiance to the Prancing Horse

75 SEE IT. GET IT. DO IT. The best travel, gadgets, films, games, music, wheels and events. Plus what’s on Red Bull TV this month, our cartoon, and how to disappear completely 93 TIME TRIALS Watches made for racing 98 FLASHBACK Steep challenge

THE RED BULLETIN

RICK RODNEY, EMILIANO GRANADO, RONNY KIAULEHN, YU TSAI/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES

The solo, around-the-world sailing race that few skippers ever complete

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CONTRIBUTORS INSIDE THIS ISSUE NOVEMBER 2016

WHO’S ON BOARD

RÜDIGER STURM

In training: Fred Murray puts Danny MacAskill in the picture

“Great shoot… if not the weather” Fred Murray has been photographing Danny MacAskill for as long as the trials-riding phenom has been landing his astounding tricks. Murray’s latest assignment took him on location in the Scottish Highlands – the setting for MacAskill’s new film – to document the gruelling effort that goes into his mind-boggling stunts. “It was fascinating watching Danny take what he does out of an urban landscape and into a natural one,” he says.

“And to see him do it on a full-suspension bike – a new thing for him – was amazing.” See it on page 50.

IN FOCUS BEHIND THE LENS

The German film journalist has interviewed almost every Hollywood A-list celebrity. For this issue, he talked to British actress Felicity Jones about her secret of success.

And skateboarding. Page 62.

GISBERT BRUNNER

One of Europe’s leading authorities on timepieces, Brunner has written many books about the subject and is a regular speaker at industry meetings.

This issue, he presents watches that capture the spirit of F1. Page 93.

THE RED BULLETIN AROUND THE WORLD The Red Bulletin is available in 10 countries. This cover, featuring rap star Cro, is from this month’s German edition.

Read more: redbulletin.com

Rick Rodney hangs with female biker crew The Iron Lilies

“I was blown away by the stories of the people I met” RICK RODNEY, PHOTOGRAPHER As someone who has travelled the world with his camera, Rodney says it’s not every day that he gets to photograph something he connects with on a personal level. While immersing himself in the motorcycle scene in Sturgis, South Dakota (see our feature on page 64), he enjoyed hearing tales like those of Dave Zien, a former Wisconsin politician who has logged more than two million miles on his Harley.

14

THE RED BULLETIN

MADE FROM RECYCLED BEACH PL ASTIC

O N E I L L.C OM / B LU E

Editorial Director Robert Sperl Editor-in-Chief Alexander Macheck Editor-at-Large Boro Petric Creative Director Erik Turek Art Directors Kasimir Reimann, Miles English Photo Director Fritz Schuster Production Editor Marion Wildmann

THE RED BULLETIN United Kingdom, ISSN 2308-5894 Editor Ruth Morgan Associate Editors Tom Guise, Justin Hynes Music Editor Florian Obkircher Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Davydd Chong Country Project and Sales Management Sam Warriner Advertisement Sales Mark Bishop +44 (0) 7720 088588, mark.bishop@uk.redbull.com Printed by Prinovis Ltd & Co KG, 90471 Nuremberg, Germany UK Office 155-171 Tooley Street, London SE1 2JP Tel: +44 (0) 20 3117 2000

Managing Editor Daniel Kudernatsch Editors Stefan Wagner (Chief Copy Editor), Ulrich Corazza, Arek Piatek, Andreas Rottenschlager; Contributors: Muhamed Beganovic, Werner Jessner, Martina Powell, Clemens Stachel, Florian Wörgötter Web Kurt Vierthaler (Senior Web Editor), SchinSu Bae, Christian Eberle, Vanda Gyuris, Inmaculada Sánchez Trejo, Andrew Swann, Christine Vitel Design Marco Arcangeli, Marion Bernert-Thomann, Martina de Carvalho-Hutter, Kevin Goll, Carita Najewitz

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

Photo Editors Rudi Übelhör (Deputy Photo Director), Marion Batty, Ellen Haas, Eva Kerschbaum, Tahira Mirza Illustrator Dietmar Kainrath Publisher Franz Renkin Advertising Placement Andrea Loprais Creative Solutions Eva Locker (manager), Verena Schörkhuber Country Management and Marketing Stefan Ebner (manager), ­Thomas Dorer, Manuel Otto, Kristina Trefil, Sara Varming Marketing Design Peter Knehtl (manager), Simone Fischer, Alexandra Hundsdorfer, Mathias Schwarz

THE RED BULLETIN France, ISSN 2225-4722 Editor Pierre-Henri Camy Country Co-ordinator Christine Vitel Proof Reading Audrey Plaza Country Project and Sales Management Leila Domas Advertisement Sales Cathy Martin, cathy.martin@fr.redbulletin.com

Head of Production Michael Bergmeister Production Wolfgang Stecher (manager), Walter O Sádaba, Friedrich Indich, Michael Menitz (digital) Repro Clemens Ragotzky (manager), Claudia Heis, Maximilian Kment, Karsten Lehmann Office Management Kristina Krizmanic, Petra Kupec IT Systems Engineer Michael Thaler Subscriptions and Distribution Peter Schiffer (manager), Klaus Pleninger (distribution), Nicole Glaser (distribution), Yoldas Yarar (subscriptions)

THE RED BULLETIN Germany, ISSN 2079-4258 Editor Arek Piatek Proof Reading Hans Fleißner Country Channel Management Christian Baur, Sophie Herkommer Advertisement Sales Martin Olesch, martin.olesch@de.redbulletin.com

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

THE RED BULLETIN South Africa, ISSN 2079-4282 Editor Louis Raubenheimer Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Davydd Chong Country Project and Sales Management Andrew Gillett Advertisement Sales Andrew Gillett, andrew.gillett@za.redbull.com

THE RED BULLETIN South Korea, ISSN 2465-7948 Editor Jung-Suk You Deputy Editor Bon-Jin Gu Publishing Director Michael Lee Advertisement Sales Hong-Jun Park, hjpark@kayamedia.com

THE RED BULLETIN Switzerland, ISSN 2308-5886 Editor Arek Piatek Proof Reading Hans Fleißner Country Channel Management Antonio Gasser Product Management Melissa Stutz Advertisement Sales Marcel Bannwart, marcel.bannwart@ch.redbull.com

General Manager and Publisher Wolfgang Winter Global Editorial Office Heinrich-Collin-Strasse 1, A-1140 Vienna Phone +43 1 90221-28800 Fax +43 1 90221-28809 Web redbulletin.com Red Bull Media House GmbH Oberst-Lepperdinger-Straße 11–15, A-5071 Wals bei Salzburg, FN 297115i, Landesgericht Salzburg, ATU63611700 Directors Christopher Reindl, Andreas Gall

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THE RED BULLETIN Ireland, ISSN 2308-5851 Editor Ruth Morgan Associate Editors Tom Guise, Justin Hynes Music Editor Florian Obkircher Chief Sub-Editor Nancy James Deputy Chief Sub-Editor Davydd Chong Advertisement Sales Deirdre Hughes, redbulletin@richmondmarketing.com

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

THE RED BULLETIN

GALLERY

RIDERS ON THE STORM BUDAPEST, HUNGARY PHOTOGRAPHY: BALAZS GARDI

As Team Hamilton’s Nicolas Ivanoff flies in formation with Martin Šonka at the Budapest stop of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship this July, the cloudless sky and glittering waters of the Danube belie the turbulent conditions looming. So brutal did the weather become that the Final Four couldn’t even take off – though by then both Šonka and Ivanoff had been eliminated. “It’s a big step back,” said Šonka, who failed to score with 13th place. “In these bumpy conditions, the bump can push you over the G-limit.” redbullairrace.com

18

BALAZS GARDI/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

TOUGH BREAK ST PÖLTEN, AUSTRIA PHOTOGRAPHY: YDWER VAN DER HEIDE

YDWER VAN DER HEIDE/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Two days before his surprise show at the Frequency Festival near Vienna, US rapper Machine Gun Kelly suffered an unfortunate accident: he faceplanted while running across the tops of parked cars after a gig in Germany. The result: cracked teeth, a broken elbow, and stitches in his chin. For most musicians, this would be a valid reason to cancel any upcoming shows, but MGK was quick to reassure his fans via Instagram: “Sorry to my body, but I’m finishing this tour.” Not only that, but when fans began moshing to his hit Wild Boy, there was no holding back the 26-year-old, who stage-dived into the crowd, despite his sling and cast. Now if that isn’t rock ’n’ roll…

For more festival action: redbull.com/music

21

WESTERN AUSTRALIA PHOTOGRAPHY: CALUM MACAULEY

One of the most committed and well-respected big-wave surfers around, Sydney native Mark Mathews has ridden some of the gnarliest breaks on the planet. The Right, a notorious monster wave off Western Australia, however, is a whole different beast.

Boasting a reputation as the world’s heaviest, it has chewed up and spat out many a foolhardy surfer. But not Mathews, whose triumphant June 2015 encounter bagged him a nomination for Barrel Of The Year at the World Surf League’s Big Wave Awards. redbull.com

22

CALUM MACAULAY/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

THE RIGHT STUFF

MOUNTAIN HIGHS

VIRGIN, UTAH, USA PHOTOGRAPHY: BARTEK WOLINSKI Nic Pescetto rolled up at the 2015 Red Bull Rampage qualifiers hoping for better luck after crashing at Canyon Gap the previous year. This time round, the Italian freerider nailed the jump, though a place in the finals eluded him. On October 14, 21 of the world’s best mountain bikers will gather to compete in this year’s competition. Expect new, more natural terrain, and thrills as big as ever.

See it live on Red Bull TV on Oct 14: redbull.tv

24

ADVENTURE ISN’T A REHEARSAL. PREPARE ACCORDINGLY. FindMeSPOT.com/RB

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In an emergency, send an S.O.S. with your GPS location to GEOS, who facilitates search and rescue.

TRACK

Automatically send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress using Google Maps™.

CHECK IN

Let contacts know where you are and that you’re okay with a pre-programmed message.

BULLEVARD THE HOME OF PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE, ENTERTAIN, EDUCATE, INNOVATE

SURVIVAL INSTINCT

JEFF VESPA/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES

JAKE GYLLENHAAL HE’S HAD A FEW KNOCKS ALONG THE WAY, BUT NOW HE’S BACK ON TRACK Six years ago, Jake Gyllenhaal’s shot at big movie stardom hit a major stumbling block. Then 30, he bulked up for Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time, which was critically panned – as many films based on video games tend to be. He returned to the mid-budget films that made his name – and went on a run of lead roles in terrific movies: Source Code, End Of Watch, Prisoners, Nightcrawler, Enemy and Everest. Accidental Love, released in 2015, is an unfinished film from 2010 brought out on the back of the ‘Gyllenaissance’; up next is thriller Nocturnal Animals, out in November.

There’s luck in that, of course, but at the end of 2010, Gyllenhaal’s parents got divorced and it rebooted his outlook. “It made me look at myself,” he said, of his parents’ split, “and ask more questions.

Such as, ‘How can I be as honest, too?’”

Honesty, it seems, really can be the best policy if you want to make changes in life.

THE RED BULLETIN

27

BULLEVARD 1980

2016

“I was in the hospital when she was born,” says the infamous OJ Simpson of Kimberly Noel Kardashian’s first public appearance, on October 21, 1980.

The former sports hero is Kim’s godfather, and a close friend of her dad, Robert, a businessman and lawyer who later becomes part of OJ’s successful defence team at his 1995 murder trial.

Ten years on from Kim’s rise to fame, Forbes magazine names her the world’s 42nd highest-paid celeb, with annual earnings of $51 million (Mr West doesn’t even make the top 100). KKW has more than 150 million followers across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and in March this year she finally joined Snapchat, having previously considered it “invasive”. Her popularity and business sense show no sign of waning.

1996 Kim grows up rich, but her dad wants her to learn the value of a dollar earned. Pa buys her a car, but she has to sign a contract: she must wash it weekly, keep petrol in the tank and get good grades, or no vehicle. “And if I crashed it, I had to be responsible for paying for it.” After a prang, she gets a job in a clothes shop, liking it so much that she stays on after the repair bill is paid.

2015

2007

Having become the world’s most Googled celebrity, Kim starts to feel the power of her brand online. But, at 28, she’s already a successful real-world businesswoman: DASH, the California boutique she runs with sisters Khloé and Kourtney, opened in 2006. Miami and NYC branches follow.

28

THE MOST FAMOUS MEMBER OF HER KLAN, KIM KARDASHIAN WEST STAYS TOP OF THE GOOGLE SEARCH CHART THANKS TO AN UNWAVERING TALENT FOR SELF-PROMOTION

2011

2013

Would someone really get engaged (to NBA star Kris Humphries), get married (seen in a double episode of her reality show) and file for divorce (three weeks after the wedding episodes fetch the show’s highest ratings) in 162 days, merely to fan the flames of fame? Kim – previously divorced in 2004, aged 23 – says no way: “I’m not an idiot. I obviously know that that would be a bad business decision.”

Kim heads in a new direction with the birth of North, her first child with Kanye West, whom she marries in 2014. Marriage and motherhood – seen as career obstacles for any celebrity female keen to retain an image of youth and availability – do not “diminish [Kim’s] eroticism”, says GQ, “but, combined, they make it more palatable.

Imbue it with a new élan, even.” Élan – nice.

2014 In November, KKW ‘breaks the internet’ with a naked photoshoot for Paper magazine. It becomes a pop-culture moment and adds heat to an ongoing debate: is Kim empowering women, or selling them out?

The woman herself says, “It’s a skill to get people to really like you for you, instead of a character written for you by somebody else.” And she’s right.

THE RED BULLETIN

TIM MÖLLER-KAYA

2008

HOW I GOT HERE

GETTY IMAGES (4), ACTION PRESS

Following minor fame as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, Kim lands front and centre on TV – in reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians – and on the internet when her sex tape is leaked. A book on the family alleges she arranged the latter, though both Kim and her mom deny it.

Two apps – Kimoji (emojis) and Kim Kardashian West Official App (exclusive freemium content) – are launched and make a ton of cash, though not as much as 2014’s Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. In 2015, the game generates $71.8 million – $20 million of which goes to Kim, who was heavily involved in the creation of all three apps.

“I became intrigued by the tech world… [It’s] going to be the next cycle of my career,” she says.

BULLEVARD

STAR QUALITY

AUSTIN HARGRAVE/AUGUST

COBIE SMULDERS COMES OUT FROM BEHIND THE S.H.I.E.L.D. TO TAKE THE LIMELIGHT

With the new Tom Cruise movie, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, out worldwide from the end of October, you can be pretty sure that audience reactions will be 1) impressed nods at Cruise being a lithe kick-ass 54-yearold and 2) an ‘oh-it’s-her!’ response to his co-star, Cobie Smulders. Nerds know and love the Canadian actress as Maria Hill, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the two Avengers movies and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (and three episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), while sitcom fans enjoyed seeing her in over 200 episodes of How I Met Your Mother. But she has never been front and centre in a Hollywood blockbuster: Never Go Back is her breakout role and she’s excellent in it.

Tinseltown regularly takes flak for bad decisions – feeble CGIfests, unnecessary reboots – and here’s another: waiting too long to give Cobie Smulders the marquee billing she deserves.

THE RED BULLETIN

“JUST DO YOUR BEST. I FIND IF I SET THAT GOAL FOR MYSELF AND NO ONE ELSE, I FEEL GOOD” 29

BULLEVARD

SAY WHAT? GETTING STUFF DONE IS A KEY LIFE SKILL. HERE’S HOW THE BUSIEST, MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MAKE THINGS HAPPEN

“I sleep from 11-5am usually. Blackout shades help… Up at five, meditate for 30, seven-minute workout times three, make coffee, check in [with work]… I look to build a lot of consistent routine. Same thing every day. Allows a steady state that enables me to be more effective when I do have to react to something out of hand”

STEVE JOBS, APPLE MAN

“Remember to have fun”

JACK DORSEY, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, TWITTER

“I have tried to embrace [the motto ‘done is better than perfect’] and let go of unattainable standards. Aiming for perfection causes frustration at best and paralysis at worst”

FOLLOW, LIKE AND RETWEET YOUR WAY TO A SMARTER MONTH

ROAD TO VR twitter.com/RtoVR Now that there are three major virtual-reality systems available – PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift – along with the smartphone-based set-ups led by Samsung Gear, keeping up to date with the world’s largest independent VR news outlet will keep bleeding edgers on the pace.

“I’m fearless.

I don’t complain.

Even when horrible things happen to me, I go on” SOFIA VERGARA, ACTRESS

“Success at anything will always come down to this: focus and effort. And we control both” DWAYNE JOHNSON, WORLD’S HIGHESTPAID ACTOR

“Of course, my wife hates that I read more than three hours almost every day, but it gives me a level of comfort and confidence in my business” MARK CUBAN, DALLAS MAVERICKS AND AXS TV OWNER, 527TH RICHEST MAN ON EARTH

NASA JPL instagram.com/ nasajpl Like many NASA social media accounts, this one has amazing pics of the universe and the new things probes and spacecraft are finding. But follow the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and you’ll get cool stuff from the visionaries, designers, artists and thinkers imagining the future.

THE RUSSO BROTHERS facebook.com/the russobrothersofficial Anthony and Joe Russo are the director brothers about to film the next two Avengers movies.

Their Facebook feed is filled with behindthe-scenes stuff from the last two Captain America movies, which they also made. Expect more of the same.

THE RED BULLETIN

GETTY IMAGES (8)

NOVAK DJOKOVIC, TENNIS ACE

30

EXPAND YOUR NETWORK

SIMONE BILES, OLYMPIC GYMNASTICS GOLD MEDALLIST

“I guess the winner is the one who believes in victory more”

SHERYL SANDBERG, COO, FACEBOOK

“If you just sit and observe, you will see how restless your mind is. If you try to calm it, it only makes it worse, but over time it does calm, and when it does, there’s room to hear more subtle things – that’s when your intuition starts to blossom and you start to see things more clearly and be in the present more….

It’s a discipline; you have to practise it”

7 ZERO BULLEVARD

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

TOM PAYNE

THE WALKING DEAD’S BRITISH STAR NAILS HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT ON THE HIT TV SHOW. HERE’S HOW HE GOT INTO ASS-KICKING SHAPE

DAYS IT TOOK HIM TO MASTER A JUMP SIDEKICK TWD exec Scott Gimple gave Ho a photo of a jump sidekick – the basis for creating Payne’s fighting style.“Tom is agile and co-ordinated, so he mastered it quickly,” says Ho. “He’s a lightweight fighting heavyweights. He just has to be faster.” To achieve that speed, Ho had Payne practise quick-twitch motions and defensive sparring.

Sounds like another near-impossible get-fit promise, but, especially since a 2016 upgrade, this has fitness feats within the grasp of most of us: it’s hard but doable.

Includes: rest days and realistic meal plans. mensfitness.com

32

THE FUEL MATCHA

VITAL STATISTICS

Discipline: Actor Age: 33 Height: 1.7m Weight: 66kg Breakout Role: Plays Paul ‘Jesus’ Rovia in The Walking Dead, which returns to screens in the US on October 23

3

MINUTES HE SPENT DURING A BOXING ROUND “Three-minute rounds keep you engaged and push you past your comfort zone,” says Costich. Each round of boxing on the bags also mixed in work on focus mitts, to sharpen Payne’s accuracy and punch recoil. Every hour-long session ends with 12 minutes of core work, like Russian twists, crossconnects and reverse situps. “I feel more confident in my physicality,” says Payne.

Swapping a latte for a green tea is an instant health boost – for a super-powered jolt, make it matcha. The verdant powder has more than 130 times the antioxidants of regular green tea, and the American Society for Nutrition found it helps burn body fat. ajcn.nutrition.org

THE TECH SENSORIA SMART SOCKS

Analysis of your most recent run directly from your feet. These socks relay info gathered from sensors to an anklet that connects via Bluetooth to your phone. Just make sure you put them on the correct feet: L is for ‘left’, OK? sensoriafitness.com

THE RED BULLETIN

EMILIANO GRANADO, GROOMING: RHEANNE WHITE, STYLING: JENNIFER AKERMAN

LITRES OF WATER HE CONSUMED PER DAY ON SET This was when filming in Atlanta from May to November. “It’s incredibly hot,” says Payne. “My character wears a padded vest, a long leather overcoat, a woolly hat and gloves. I spend the day in a sweatbox of my own making!” Staying hydrated regulates your body temperature and lubricates your joints, especially when you’re engaging in heavy physical activity in sweltering temperatures.

THE HOTTEST THINGS IN HEALTH

THE APP THE 21-DAY SHRED

EXPERIENCE PAYNE HAD IN COMBAT TRAINING BEFORE TWD “I was a gymnast when I was a teenager, but I did it so I could do backflips and impress girls,” jokes Payne. “That was the extent of my training.” To play Jesus, a character known for his impressive fighting skills, Payne turned to martial artist Stephen Ho and Milan Costich, founder of an LA boxing studio. Payne has spent equal time on strength and conditioning. “In between rounds of boxing,” explains Costich, “we’d incorporate one-minute burst intervals of plyometrics, such as jump squats, pop lunges, squat thrusts and burpees.”

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FITNESS TRACKER

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Breitling Emergency: the watch that can save your life.

BR E I T L I N G . C O M

Final checks before circling the globe: Frenchman Vincent Riou off the Atlantic coast in France

AROUND THE WORLD IN 78 DAYS WORDS: ALEXANDER MACHECK, ARKADIUSZ PIATEK AND JUSTIN HYNES

BENOÎT STICHELBAUT

THE VENDÉE GLOBE IS THE MOUNT EVEREST OF HIGH SEAS YACHT RACING. THOSE TAKING PART DO A FULL CIRCUIT OF THE GLOBE: ALONE, NON-STOP AND WITHOUT OUTSIDE HELP

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The Race Anyone hoping to get through the 2016 VendĂŠe Globe will have to put up with storms, waves the size of mountains, icy cold, solitude and a lack of sleep. Of the 138 skippers who have set themselves the challenge since the first race back in 1989 just 71 have made it to the end.

Everyone else has retired, been disqualified or died in the attempt.

On November 6, 30 of the world’s best yachtsmen will set off on this, the eighth edition of the ultimate solo sailing race.

The Red Bulletin speaks to the skippers about the fascination that the ends of the Earth hold for them

VINCENT CURUTCHET/DARK FRAME/DPPI

The VendĂŠe Globe rules are simple and brutal: non-stop means that the competitors cannot go ashore for the length of the race

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CHRISTOPHE LAUNAY, VINCENT CURUTCHET/DARK FRAME/DPPI (3)

In training: UK skipper Alex Thomson (above and below) practises in the rough waters of the English Channel

No assistance: sailors can consult a doctor by phone to seek advice, but no more than that. If they need treatment, they have to do it themselves.

Pictured: Mike Golding (UK) in the 2012 race

“DOING IT ON YOUR OWN MEANS IMMENSE DISCIPLINE. IF YOU’RE NOT DISCIPLINED, YOU MAKE MISTAKES” ALEX THOMSON (UK)

In 2012, a roller capsized Spaniard Javier Sanso within days of the start. He was fished out of the water by helicopter – alive

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VENDÉE Les Sables d’Olonne 6

NORTH AMERICA

EUROPE

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NORTH ATLANTIC HIGH ATLANTIC OCEAN

TRADE WINDS DOLDRUMS

AFRICA

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SOUTH AMERICA

TRADE WINDS SOUTH ATLANTIC HIGH INDIAN OCEAN Cape of Good Hope

Ice limit

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5 Ice limit

PACIFIC OCEAN

KERGUELEN ISLAND

4 Cape Horn

160° 150° 140° 130° 120° 110°

100° 90°

80°

70°

60°

50°

40°

30°

20°

10°

0°

10°

20°

30°

40°

50°

60°

The Route

The race starts at Les Sables d’Olonne in France and then it’s once round the globe, always heading east, skirting the capes of Good Hope, Leeuwin and Horn on your left with the frozen wastes of Antarctica on your right. It’s 40,000km in all and these are the most dangerous parts of the course…

The Bay of Biscay

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THE GRAVEYARD

Beware of storms from the south west. The Bay of Biscay is one of the world’s largest shipping graveyards. And there are also strong winds from the north. If you catch one of them, you’ll sail at high speed past the westernmost point of Spain, beyond Madeira and the Canary Islands and on to Cape Verde.

ASIA

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The Doldrums

EVERY SAILOR’S NIGHTMARE

AUSTRALIA Cape Leeuwin

OLIVIER BLANCHET/DPPI SAEM VENDÉE

DS

70°

The Doldrums are largely calm, but several times a day the serenity is interrupted by torrential rain, thunderstorms and squalls that blow in every direction.

Skippers study weather data hour by hour to find the best route through the weather.

But they’re wasting their time, or at least that’s what old sea-dogs say.

When push comes to shove, the Doldrums will do whatever they damn well like.

ANTARCTIC 80°

90°

100° 110°

120° 130° 140° 150° 160° 170° 180°

E

Indian Ocean

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The South Atlantic

THE SHADOW WORLD

HEADLONG INTO PAMPERO

That’s how Titouan Lamazou, winner of the first Vendée Globe, described the dark wilderness between the Cape of Good Hope and Tasmania. Hardly any light, gigantic waves, freezing, damp weather, howling winds and not another soul for miles.

Heading as far south as possible would be the most direct route, but that way lie icebergs.

So the sailors power their way north of the ice line (marked in red).

No sooner have you passed Cape Horn (exiting the iceberg danger zone and sailed into waters that might lead the inexperienced to believe they’ve left the worst behind them) when you’re confronted by the Pampero, an extremely powerful wind that blows in from Argentina. As the competitors head north east along the coast, the storm hits the yachts diagonally from ahead. The result: extreme tilting, which puts huge pressure on both skipper and boat.

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The Pacific

ICEBERG SLALOM En route to the legendary Cape Horn, the boats come dangerously close to the ice line. Go south of it and the risk of colliding with an iceberg is too great. But even north of the line there are smaller boulders of ice which jut less than a metre out of the water yet still weigh 40 tonnes… and they can’t be picked up by radar.

Création : designe.fr / © Photos : DPPI/Vendée Globe

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6

The North Atlantic

THE ICY MOTORWAY The end is in sight. But first you have to wrap up warm as you’re heading north. The reward is that there’s a zone of reliable westerly winds that constantly blow the boats towards the west coast of France as if on a vast, moving blue-grey motorway.

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Achilles’ heel For all their tech, the yachts remain vulnerable. The most frequent causes of boats not finishing are mast damage, hull breaches and hitting unknown objects

Record under threat This year is a first outing for foils, which help the boats go faster. So sailing around the world in under 78 days (the course record) isn’t unthinkable in 2016

No tricks A seal blocks the connection between the engine and the ship’s propeller. If you break the seal, you’re out of the race.

That way the engine only provides electricity

“YOU GIVE YOURSELF ORDERS AND YOU OBEY THEM: LIKE, SLEEP!” ANDREAS HANAKAMP (AUT)

The Boat

These vessels are stripped back in every way possible to ensure maximum speed on the high seas The Vendée Globe yacht is an Open 60. The number in its name being its length in feet, equivalent to 18.28m.

The boat is 5.85m across at its widest point. The yacht draws 4.5m of water and the mast is 28.10m tall.

All the lines that operate the sail are fed into the cockpit at the rear. For most manoeuvres, the skipper doesn’t have to leave his main workstation at the rear of the boat. However, he has to be in the middle or front part of the yacht if he wants to furl the sails. In these moments the boat is mostly steered on auto-pilot.

The living quarters below deck are reduced to a bare minimum. It’s about 2m long and known as the ‘survival’ or ‘navigation cell’. Only this area and the engine room are freely accessible. The rest of the hull is divided into six socalled ‘collision units’, fitted

with waterproof hatches.

If the boat capsizes or springs a leak after a collision (with an iceberg, say), these individually sealed units help to keep the yacht afloat.

Alessandro Di Benedetto (ITA) grabs a 10- to 30-minute power nap during the 2012 race

Solo mission: it’s one person per boat.

The one exception is if you take on board a shipwrecked competitor until a rescue ship comes to get him or her

OLIVIER BLANCHET/DPPI (2), B. CARLIN/SMA

OLIVER MICHON/GITANA SA

Open 60 boats can reach top speeds of 55kph, which is fast for a sailing vessel.

But this year that top speed should be bettered as foils are being allowed in the race for the first time. These hydrofoils lift the hull out of the water once a certain speed has been reached, dramatically reducing friction.

HOW CAN SUCH A LARGE BOAT BE SAILED SINGLE-HANDED?

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“Zen and the art of sailing round the world in a hurry” Offshore specialist Andreas Hanakamp on the immense discipline required by the Vendée Globe and how to circumnavigate the globe in three months – on just three hours of sleep a day the red bulletin: What does it take to win the Vendée Globe? andreas hanakamp: You’ve always got to do the right thing at the right time and avoid any mistakes as much as you can.

That’s not all that surprising…

Seriously, though, when you’re alone on a racing yacht for three months at a stretch, trying to sail around the world as quickly as possible AGE: 50 and you’re getting three hours of ACHIEVEMENTS: sleep a day – and not even in one Andreas Hanakamp is go, but in 10- to 30-minute naps one of Austria’s finest – it’s all about economising. sailors, having sailed 150,000 miles, and has What do you mean taken part in a number by economising? of Olympic Games. In Any unnecessary movement or 2008/09, he skippered manoeuvre is a waste of time.

Team Russia in the Any wrong decision will use up prestigious Volvo precious time and energy.

Ocean Race series And the lack of sleep must affect your decision-making…

Indeed. It’s like you’re on a downward spiral.

The wrong decision can lead to a loss of energy.

The loss of energy means you’re more inclined to make bad decisions and so on. You end up getting caught in a lull or on a reef or you sail directly into the worst storm you’ve ever experienced in your life.

How do you get out of a vicious circle?

With difficulty. But you can avoid getting into it if you plan well. You usually get weather updates and your rivals’ positions on your onboard computer every six hours. Simulation software works that data into viable scenarios and you can then come up with a strategy. Once there you’ve obviously got to be in good shape to do that work. But you also know when you need to make your next decision and which jobs you need to do before you reach that point. And then set yourself sleep and action times.

ANDREAS ­HANAKAMP

It sounds simple…

It is – as long as you’ve settled on the right strategy. Plus, you need experience. That’s why these races tend to be won by old hands – provided you stick to your plan. You also need self-discipline and self-management. You have to be strict, rigorous and focused on how you carry it through.

Do you sleep to order?

You do. You do everything to order. You have to give yourself clear instructions and obey them. We’re talking procedures and drill. Of course that happens in all top-level sport. Top sportsmen practise procedures in a clearly defined pattern countless times – it’s their drill – until they are confident of their own abilities compared to their opponents’.

What about intuition? Is there room for that?

When we make gut decisions, we intuitively compare what we’ve already experienced with the situation we need to assess. So the likelihood of making the right gut decision increases with your skill and, even more crucially, with experience. It goes further than that, though. When high-performance sportsmen and women take on something very serious, they often make decisions outsiders don’t understand. When [Austrian sailors] Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher went for Olympic gold in Athens in 2004, for example, it looked to the outsider like they’d set the wind to the sails instead of the other way around. Intuition at that high level is also part of Zen Buddhism. I recommend people read Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel.

What role does risk play in the Vendée Globe?

Ideally, none at all. That doesn’t just apply to the Vendée Globe. Basically, we should first always ask ourselves what we want to achieve and then plan our approach precisely according to that goal. In sailing, the result is the aggregate of a number of competitions, and only a downward outlier can be discarded, which means if you sail conservatively and make sure that you’re always in the top 10 in individual races, you’ll be world champion.

RICK TOMLINSON/VOLVO OCEAN RACE, VINCENT CURUTCHET/DARK FRAME/DPPI

The seven editions of the Vendée Globe have claimed two victims. In 1992, Britain’s Nigel Burgess went overboard and in the next race, Canada’s Gerry Roufs was lost without trace

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BENOÃŽT STICHELBAUT

“YOU NEED A STRATEGY BUT ALSO EXPERIENCE – THAT’S WHY THIS RACE TENDS TO BE WON BY OLD HANDS” ANDREAS HANAKAMP (AUT)

Vincent Riou (FRA), winner of the 2004 race, manoeuvres his heavily listing boat during the 2012 event

So close: Armel Le Cléac’h navigates his boat back to Les Sables-d’Olonne in second place after an exhausting 78 days – and just three hours behind the winner

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“I consider this to be a war” Third at the last Vendée Globe, Brit Alex Thomson is banking on a new, faster yacht to take him to victory at the fourth attempt – but first he has to finish the red bulletin: How daunting is the Vendée Globe? alex thomson: You have to put it into perspective. Three thousand people have climbed Everest; almost 600 people have been to outer space but fewer than 100 have sailed solo non-stop around the world. And in terms of racing, only about 70 have ever done it.

In offshore yachting, there is nothing bigger than the Vendée Globe.

This is your third attempt. You didn’t finish the first two, but came third in 2012. What was missing that time?

Last time my boat was four years older than the winning boat. This time we’re turning up with a brand new Hugo Boss boat and we have levelled the playing field.

What do you feel gives you the advantage with this new yacht?

We’re now using aerofoil sections and wings to lift the boat out of the water – it’s a bit like when double diffusers were the thing to have in Formula One. Red Bull built the best one and it won them multiple championships.

The right aerofoil section will give you a clear advantage.

Your preparations haven’t AGE: 42 always been plain sailing. A year ACHIEVEMENTS: Bangor-born Alex ago, the boat was capsized by became the youngest a rogue wave 82 miles off the winner of the Clipper north coast of Spain. How did Round The World Race that incident set you back? at the age of 25 in 1999.

After we capsized last November He came third in the we didn’t go back into the water Vendée of 2012/13 and hopes his new until April. Since then I’ve done boat will help him 10,000 miles, so about 40 per cent triumph this time. of a Vendée Globe. There are two considerations: on the one hand we’re trying to make the boat fast enough to win and on the other we’re trying to make it reliable. We feel that we have a boat that is fast enough to win, the question is: are we reliable enough to finish?

How hard is the race, physically and mentally?

Boats of this size and power should be sailed by 10-12 people, 15 even. We’re doing it on our own. It requires immense discipline. You have to be disciplined about your eating, your sleeping, your work, because you have to be able to make rational decisions. We’re making decisions

OLIVIER BLANCHET/DPPI, YVES SUCKSDORFF

ALEX THOMSON

with risk minute-by-minute and if you’re not disciplined you make a mistake. The best case is that it’s going to cost you miles. The worst case is it could cost you your life. I consider it to be a war and anything less debilitating than war is a bonus. I don’t find it mentally hard.

The first time I found it shocking. It was such a daunting thought to spend 90 days alone at sea. Now I think, ‘three months isn’t actually a long time’. It goes really quickly.

Is there anything you particularly struggle with during those months?

When you’re in the Southern Ocean – maybe 2,500 miles from land – there are no rescue assets, no shipping, there are no fishing boats.

The winds are high and the waves are big. You feel incredibly isolated. When you’re at the top of the wave looking down it, we call that ‘The Runway’. It’s very steep and you’re already doing 20 knots at the top, so you know you’ll be doing 40 on the way down. That’s exhilarating.

But at some point you have to sleep. Imagine sitting in a rally car, driving at full speed, it’s pouring with rain, you’ve got no windscreen and no lights. Your brain is screaming that you are going to die. Adrenalin is flooding your body, your heart is racing and there is no way you can sleep in that state. By visualising looking down at the boat I can see that there are no icebergs, no shipping, no whales. That allows me to reduce my heart rate, the adrenalin levels go down and I can get 20 minutes’ sleep.

What are the toughest things you’ve faced?

I was rescued from the Southern Ocean in 2006 after the keel broke and the boat was going to sink. That was hard, being in a life raft 2,000 miles from land. For the whole of the Southern Ocean in 2012 I had no power: no lights, no computers, no radio, nothing. I managed to get to the finish with 5 litres of fuel.

It’s like The Martian where Matt Damon is stranded on Mars and has to improvise…

That’s exactly what it’s like! Coming up with ideas and somehow making them work. We consider that anything is possible. There’s always a way and ultimately the most important thing is to finish the bloody race!

Danny MacAskill executes a log slide for his latest film, shot in Blair Atholl in Perthshire, Scotland

ATTEMPT, SUCCEED, REPEAT DANNY MACASKILL IS KING OF THE VIRAL CYCLING VIDEO, BUT HOW DID HE ENSURE THAT HIS LATEST FILM TOPPED THE LAST? SIMPLE: HE TOOK A BEATING AND GOT HIS MATES TO FILM IT. THE PROCESS TAUGHT HIM THAT FAILING IN FRONT OF FRIENDS CAN DELIVER PERFECTION AND ALSO REDEFINE WHAT’S POSSIBLE… WORDS: MATTHEW RAY PHOTOS: FRED MURRAY 50

“I’M LUCKY TO HAVE FRIENDS WHO SHARE MY MOTIVATION AND CAN DOCUMENT IT IN A WAY THAT FITS WITH THE IMAGE IN MY HEAD”

S Danny MacAskill’s career highlights range from the death-defying – including his 2014 ride along the knifeedge, 992m-high Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye – to the breathtakingly creative. His stunning 2013 film Imaginate has notched up more than 56 million views on YouTube

ummer in Blair Atholl, Scotland. Shards of sunlight pierce the line of trees, illuminating purple foxgloves on an overgrown bank.

A young bulldog bounds through the undergrowth, snapping at lazily buzzing flies. So far, so bucolic… until the peace is shattered by a jarring mechanical clatter and the crunch of tyres ripping down a trail.

The bike spits dirt up the side of the bank, but rather than it popping off the lip, the rider’s legs buckle, sending his body under the bike and rotating it so he’s upside down and travelling sideways with the top of his helmet about 2ft off the deck.

Free-wheeling hubs buzz and whine like bullets ricocheting off tin plates as the rider begins to corkscrew out of the barrel roll. He’s coming up short, though, running out of time to fully rotate and land on his wheels. There’s an agonising moment when you think he might drag it back into shape, but the momentum simply isn’t there and he crashes, backfirst, onto some thoughtfully placed mats, although when he pops up again the clods of dirt hanging from his jersey and backpack testify to the fact that he

has definitely decked out. “Raspberries!” howls Danny MacAskill with surprising politeness for a man who has failed to land a trick he’s been pushing for all day.

As the world’s most famous street trials rider, MacAskill has racked up tens of millions of views of his stunning trials and MTB films, regularly breaking the internet with each new release, ever since his April 2009 video for Inspired Bicycles went viral. Slick, lusciously orchestrated and apparently seamless, the Scot’s movies are small works of art, showcasing his jaw-dropping skills.

Today, though, is far from seamless.

Today, MacAskill is just a guy who can’t dial a trick for the cameras. A guy who’s hauling himself up from mats placed in the landing area to test the trick. A guy scrubbing mud and dirt from his pants and resisting the urge to swear violently.

A guy about to hit the reset button for the umpteenth time as he works through hour after gruelling hour shooting his latest film (as we go to press, he’s keeping the title close to his chest). It’s no surprise, though, because the trick MacAskill is attempting is a ‘scrub barrel roll’, which has never been landed before on a mountain bike.

“He did one into a foam pit to learn the movement, but that was three weeks ago now,” explains set-builder and jumpcrafter Nash Masson. But smacking his back off the ground isn’t even the danger 53

for MacAskill: “It’s that his bike hits and spits him off the highside, catapulting him off into the bushes.”

Everyone seems surprisingly relaxed about this possibility – except MacAskill.

“It’s so blind,” he says. “The landing is nowhere to be seen from the top of the run-in; all I can see are rhododendrons!”

He’s grinning, but also nervously stamping down the dirt on the take-off.

Masson offers to spot MacAskill as he preps for another attempt. “Not a bad idea – you can put me in the recovery position,” MacAskill replies drily.

It’s an offhand remark, but the risks are real enough – he has spent a lot of time off the bike while recovering from injuries including three broken collarbones, two broken feet, a meniscus tear, and a torn disc in his back, which required surgery.

“For a few years after the operation, my body was quite weak,” says MacAskill, “so the idea of doing a front flip off a drop or over a sign onto hard ground… well, there’s the feeling that if I land arse-first, is my back going to hold?”

He blasts past again. It’s almost too fast to follow, but very smooth. The mats are dragged away and he wheels his bike back to the top of the steep run-in – a track interrupted by a dry stone wall that he has to ‘American bunny hop’ over.

MacAskill’s on his pedals, holding a track stand. He takes three long, deep breaths and the atmosphere suddenly becomes brittle. “OK… 3, 2, 1, I’m coming in!” This time, there’s no hesitation. He hits the take-off and executes a perfect scrub barrel roll, outrageously close to the top of the bank. It has the whole crew whooping. “Dialled it!” shouts Masson, “straight down the middle of the landing – that was so low!”

Suddenly it’s all smiles and high fives as the tension dissipates. MacAskill has a slightly disbelieving look on his face, the opposite of chest-beating bravado. As his eyes flashed past mid-roll, it looked like he’d spotted the landing, but apparently not. “I can’t see anything from the takeoff to the landing; the first I know is when I’m rolling down the slope. I feel amazing.”

The sense of achievement comes not only from being the first to nail the trick; it’s also reward for a gruelling schedule during which, over several months, he will run through moves hundreds of times before the right trick in the right shot is delivered. On the road to eye-popping fluidity, there are a lot of missed chances, numerous retakes and often a lot of pain.

The film’s log-slide sequence is a case in point: MacAskill spent several days taking a hellacious beating at the hands 54

of his own creativity. He’s not known for BMX-style grinds, but when the crew found a rotten, algae-covered log in the forest, MacAskill thought people would be able to relate to him jumping onto it, sliding along the top on his crank and tyres, then jumping off with a 5½ft drop.

“It was an absolute nightmare,” says MacAskill. “Hang on, let me show you my gear…” He pulls some red shorts from his bag that look like they have been painted with asphalt. They’re beyond filthy. “The log was a bit too rotten. My bashguard and chain ring were digging in, so it gradually deteriorated and caught a bit more each time. I was having a total shit-show.”

So it took a few goes? “Try hundreds – hundreds of takes over three days. In the end, we resorted to buying a few tubs of Vaseline, because we had rubbed off all the algae after 100 takes or so.

“It was a fairly soft landing, but I still put myself through the mill. I tweaked the ligaments in my shoulders that hold down the collarbones. I probably had 40 big crashes onto my face, back and shoulders.”

There was never any hint of admitting defeat, however, and MacAskill admits that completing the sequences often comes down to indefatigable obstinacy.

Above, from top: it’s not easy nailing a trick first time for the camera; the crew – (left to right) Dave Mackison, MacAskill, Stu Thomson and Nash Masson – take a breather. Right: MacAskill pulls off a scrub roll

“THE IDEA OF DOING A FRONT FLIP OFF A DROP OR OVER A SIGN ONTO HARD GROUND… THERE’S THE FEELING THAT IF I LAND ARSE-FIRST, IS MY BACK GOING TO HOLD?”

“YOU DO GO INTO DARK LITTLE HOLES. THE FRUSTRATION, ANGER, WEAKNESS… YOU JUST HAVE TO THINK THIS IS ALL WORKING TOWARDS YOUR END GOAL” Filming is tough: “You might not be able to ride for a few days afterwards,” MacAskill says. Opposite: landing a bunny hop to rear

“Every so often, you get a little sniff and you know that it’s going to go well. You can feel it. You just have to be stubborn.

Sometimes, some of the lines put you through the mill so hard that you’re not even happy that you landed it. You’re past that point; you’re just relieved. You might not be able to ride for a few days afterwards, because you’re bruised, battered and aching. But it’s working towards a bigger goal. You call out tricks and basically go at it until you land it.

Also, I’m often picking things that are on the edge of my ability!”

P

ushing his own boundaries is key for MacAskill; just as important is creating a narrative, going beyond what he calls “an action sports film where it is all rad, slow-motion 4K crops”.

“It’s trying to create something with more of a real feel,” he says. “Compared with a lot of sports, like freeride MTB, what I’m doing is low-end. I’m not going for the hardest or biggest, but something a bit different; tricks that really tie your concept and your riding together.”

Helping MacAskill realise this vision are a dedicated, close-knit crew in whom he has complete trust, and who not only translate his ideas to film but push him to his performance limits. Watching them at work is like being with a group of good friends building ramshackle obstacles in the woods and then daring their most impulsive rider to hit it.

“You’re not carving enough, you’re just flipping now,” Masson laments.

“It’s scary, though,” replies MacAskill.

“Stop your whining,” Masson fires back with a grin.

Set builder John Bailey is more diplomatic. “You haven’t done it enough,” he says. “Just lap it and play with it.”

Clearly, if the crew weren’t such close mates, and therefore able to absorb setbacks and frustrations, this approach to filming might end in tears.

“If I was working with a fresh team, I’d be embarrassed about how I’m stomping about in the mud, throwing a strop,” says MacAskill. Being at ease allows him the confidence to repeatedly and spectacularly fail while striving for that goal.

Still, his friends’ laughter alone can’t be what drives him back onto his bike for another go when the light and his body are failing; part of that must come from the shared vision for the film they’re all creating. MacAskill is in a position where pretty much any set and trick combo he dreams up can be attempted, including riding on a hay bale rolling downhill.

THE RED BULLETIN

“SOMETIMES, SOME OF THE LINES PUT YOU THROUGH THE MILL SO HARD THAT YOU’RE NOT EVEN HAPPY THAT YOU LANDED IT. YOU’RE PAST THAT POINT; YOU’RE JUST RELIEVED” “I’m lucky to have friends who share my motivation and can document it in a way that fits with the image in my head,” he says. “I’ve gone into each clip focused on upping the level or taking it into different places, and we’ve probably done 90 per cent of the stuff we’ve tried.”

Getting to the 90 per cent mark on this film is a marathon rather than a sprint, but MacAskill is intent that the finished product yet again sets the standard.

“We’re pushing hard,” he says. “Pretty much everything I’m picking is unusual in some way or another, maybe in mountain biking or trials – or stuff that has never been done on any bike.

“It’s determination. I don’t necessarily have the skills to do it, but it’s like rolling 10 sixes in a row: it might take you 10 hours, but it’ll happen eventually. You do go into dark little holes. The frustration, anger, weakness… you just have to think this is all working towards your end goal and it’ll be totally worth it.”

Having the confidence to fail publicly while pursuing a dream, and trusting friends’ help to get you there, is something we could all benefit from, whether you’re striving to master a new sport or a recipe for chocolate soufflé. The key seems to be: keep it fun.

“It’s hard to know what drives me to do this stuff,” he says. “It almost goes back to when you’re eight years old, sat on a bike on top of the bottle bank in your village, and you know you can do it. You just keep going until you land it. It’s like a game.”

Perhaps the essence of MacAskill’s riding also explains his broad appeal – even to people who are as likely to ride a bike as do a handstand on the Moon. He has stayed in touch with that eight-year-old, messing with his mates’ heads as he psyches himself up to huck a bike off a bottle bank. It’s something absolutely simple, but increasingly rare, in a world where overachieving as an adult is usually so bloody serious. redbull.com

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HEROES

“WE NEED TO STOP LIVING FOR OURSELVES” THATO KGATLHANYE The social entrepreneur and

eco-industrialist has a revolutionary view of waste as a resource. She’s also impressed Bill Gates

the red bulletin: How and when did you first develop your awareness of the need for social change? thato kgatlhanye: When I was 20, I attended a conference in Dublin. They talked about the ‘circular economy’ and how, with decreasing resources, we should think about waste differently. It was a real awakening. It taught me that you shouldn’t look at things as they are, but as they could be.

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Are you constantly on the lookout for potential changes you could make, things that could be approached differently?

Yes, I am. Look at the way we view waste, the way we collect and process it. I’m involved in building a company for the future. Many of the lessons we’re able to draw from, and the work that we do, will set the tone for how governments and some companies view the economy, and will help them realise what’s possible.

Take our school bags – this gave us the opportunity to

strife. People shouldn’t have to struggle, environmentally, socially or economically.

Would you call yourself an environmentalist?

I would say I’m an industrialist and I have an eye that looks for gaps that humanity has yet to close. I’m a circular economy industrialist!

Your product idea and its development has been widely praised. And now you hang out with Bill Gates and are praised by him. How does that make you feel?

The work that’s being talked about is stuff that we worked on three years ago. But now people are starting to understand what’s possible.

The purpose of our work is

“WHAT SORT OF IMPACT WILL WE LEAVE BEHIND, SO THAT IN THE FUTURE PEOPLE WILL BE BETTER OFF THAN US” build a case study from end to end with a project that looks at waste as a resource.

How far away do you think we are from mining landfills and dumps?

We already mine landfills.

Many companies claim that they recycle, but they don’t really, they just sell the waste on to the next guy.

And you see value in landfills and dumps?

Yes. And it’s not just mining for the sake of it and then

already seen it through.

What is the one thing that we could do now to change the world for the better tomorrow?

We need to stop living for ourselves and we should start to concern ourselves with what we’re doing to future generations. We have to ask ourselves what sort of impact we’re going to leave behind, so that in the future people will be better off than us and won’t be born into pain and

to encourage people to think differently. This is the thing that makes me happy, creating a legacy which is going to help business leaders run their organisations better.

Hopefully, this will benefit not just South Africa, but the whole continent of Africa.

Do you have a motto?

Think in years, plan in months, work in days.

Louis Raubenheimer repurposeschoolbags.com THE RED BULLETIN

SYDELLE WILLOW SMITH

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hato Kgatlhanye is CEO of Rethaka, a South African company whose best-known product is a school bag made from recycled plastic waste. Each bag has a solar panel that charges during the day so children from impoverished rural areas, who often don’t have access to electricity, can study at night. A graduate of the Red Bull Amaphiko Academy, an initiative which empowers people who’ve come up with solutions to social problems affecting their communities, Kgatlhanye believes this is just the start. She sees opportunity all around her, even where others only see waste…

selling it off in the way we do with our natural resources in Africa. I’m talking about things like the way we mine platinum in Rustenburg, send it to Europe to be processed, and when it’s returned, we can’t even afford to buy it.

It’s about using the resources we extract. I’m trying to take traditional thinking and turn it on its head. Ask how we, as a business, not just make money, but create products that currently don’t even exist. Which is a very different way of thinking.

What motivates you?

Being able to create something out of nothing. I’m grateful I found my purpose so early in life and that I’ve

Thato Kgatlhanye, 23, sees beauty where others see only waste

Greg Callaghan, 24: “Once you’re willing to do what it takes, you get into a certain mindset, and if you keep going, you can do it”

“EXPECTATION IS NO PRESSURE FOR ME” GREG CALLAGHAN A year before he first stood on the

podium, the enduro star was living in a van and racing on the margins. Then inspiration struck…

CUBE BIKES

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eing a world-class athlete is one thing, but it’s quite another to be the only world-class athlete in a sport in which your country has no tradition. Ireland has produced a stream of great road cyclists, but there’s no history of the green, white and orange flag being waved when the bikes are off the tarmac. Greg Callaghan changed all that.

The 24-year-old Dubliner competes in the Enduro World Series, perhaps the most demanding MTB discipline.

Competitors can be in the saddle for up to eight hours, on a looped course with downhill and uphill sections.

Some downhills are assigned as timed stages, to be raced through five or six times, with these added to an overall time.

Some uphills have time limits, too: there’s no respite, and a loss of focus is simply not an option. This year, Callaghan won the Ireland round of the EWS for the second season in a row and is breaking into the top 10 overall. the red bulletin: How does it feel to be Ireland’s THE RED BULLETIN

only world-class mountainbiker of any kind? greg callaghan: It’s very special. There has always been the idea in Ireland that we’re at a disadvantage because of small mountains. The real issue is that there are no teams and hardly any races; if you want to race against the fast riders, you have to cross the sea. But there’s no reason why we can’t do it. It didn’t stop me.

Do you feel pressure?

You can look at it both ways.

This year, at the Ireland stage, I really wanted to win it again, and I was favourite. That could

a third in the World Series – but then I crashed during training in the Alps. I broke two metacarpals in my hand and put a big hole in my knee.

I missed one round and rode half-injured for another. In hindsight, it gave me a chance to stop and reflect. Sitting at home watching a race and thinking, ‘I’m up there with those guys,’ makes you realise how far you’ve come. It was only a year from living in my van, working winters and funding everything myself to riding for a professional team and being on top of a podium.

When did you realise you could be an EWS winner?

At the end of 2013, when I was getting a few top 20s and we

seem so far away. Once you’re willing to do whatever it takes, you get into a certain mindset, and if you keep going, you can do it. There are guys out there who have the skills and physical strength to be great, but they’re not mentally strong. But that side of things can be developed, too.

Can you still feel yourself improving as a rider?

All the time. The bikes, the set-up, my fitness, nutrition: everything is constantly improving. I can see it in my numbers – reps in the gym, power metres on the bike – but I’m in this because I love bikes, so I mix it up in training.

I’ll ride three or four different bikes a week, to keep it fun.

“SITTING AT HOME WATCHING A RACE AND THINKING, ‘I’M UP THERE WITH THOSE GUYS,’ MAKES YOU REALISE HOW FAR YOU’VE COME” have felt like huge pressure that I might crack under, but I don’t see that expectation as pressure; it’s people feeling positive energy and wanting the best for you. I was proud to have so much support. All you can do is do your best – if that’s enough to win, brilliant; if not, you’ve done your best.

You’ve suffered lows with the highs, including a big injury last year. How did you cope?

I was on a massive high at the time – I’d just got a first and

were breaking down how far I was from winning. My coach, Chris Kilmurray, said that we all have two arms and two legs and there was no reason why I couldn’t make up that five per cent to catch those leaders and beat them. That convinced me it wasn’t such a big task.

But anyone can think about making a change. What actually changed in you?

The willingness to sacrifice a lot. It’s not easy, and there are times when your goals

How does your bike-riding dad feel about you following in his footsteps?

At his motorbike events, he was the guy to beat. To see that from a young age was hugely inspirational. I always wanted to be a top guy riding for a big team. Everywhere I went, I was ‘Stanley’s son’; now it’s switched and he’s ‘Greg’s dad’. He’s getting used to it.

Paul Wilson facebook.com/greg.callaghan2

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Felicity Jones: always pushing the boundaries – both in her movie career and in everyday life

“I’M NOT AFRAID OF CHALLENGES”

JoJo: the former teen chart-topper planning to make up for lost time

FELICITY JONES The Oscar nominee stars in two

very different roles over the next few months – but how does she mix things up in real life?

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YU TSAI/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES, WARNERMUSIC

ritish actress Felicity Jones made her big Hollywood breakthrough in the 2011 romantic drama Like Crazy, and four years later she earned a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards for her role as Professor Stephen Hawking’s wife, Jane, in The Theory Of Everything. Over the next few months, we’ll see her play an adventuring medic in the new Dan Brown adaptation Inferno, and an interstellar criminal in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The Red Bulletin talked to the actress about pushing boundaries and facing new challenges… the red bulletin: You’ve acquired a lot of different skills for your movie roles, including skateboarding and snowboarding. What’s the secret of mastering new disciplines? felicity jones: Time and effort: a lot of both. It’s pretty laborious. Whenever I pick up something new, I have to do it over and over again.

Great golfers always say it takes practice to achieve that moment of ease and spontaneity, which means you have to keep on doing it afterwards, too. I haven’t been snowboarding for six years – I’ll have to get back on the slope to see if I can still do it.

Mustn’t you also overcome the fear of failure?

Sure. But I’m not afraid of challenges. I embrace every opportunity to do something new. I grew up in quite an THE RED BULLETIN

adventurous, outdoorsy family; we went horse-riding, biking, surfing and skiing.

Most kids rebel against their parents’ lifestyle.

Did you?

No. My brother and I were always pushing our parents, because we wanted to go further and faster. When he became adept at rollerblading, I had to be good, too. We always pushed the boundaries of how late we could stay out doing those things.

If you were a mother, would you support your kids in doing the same?

Children need boundaries.

Even though it’s horrible being the ‘boring parent’, my instinct is that you need to be a bit boring for your children to grow up disciplined.

Have you kept on pushing the envelope as an adult?

In my work, yes. I have late nights where I’m constantly thinking, “Can we get it better? Did we do it justice?”

As a creative person, you don’t have a choice.

What did you learn while making Inferno?

How to navigate through high-density tourist areas like St Mark’s Square. I also picked up some Italian.

How about Rogue One? I loved working with stunt people and learning to fight.

So could you take us on right now?

You’re too big. Right now, I could hold my own only with a small person. Like I said, it all comes down to practice.

Rüdiger Sturm infernothemovie.com; starwars.com/films/rogue-one

“TAKE THINGS A STEP AT A TIME” JOJO After 10 years in record-label limbo, not allowed to sing, the child superstar returns the red bulletin: In 2004, at the age of 13, you were the youngest solo artist ever to have a US number one, but then, around 2006, your career came to a standstill… jojo: That was because my record label no longer had distribution and wouldn’t allow me to sign other options to release my music officially. For almost 10 years I didn’t own my own voice. It was a horrible time. I’m glad I’m free now.

You lost control over your career?

Totally, and I felt helpless and angry. But then I began reading interviews with top athletes, which inspired me. I learned that you can choose how you perceive things. You need to focus on the things you can control, in order to shake off any ill feelings.

How do you do that?

Break down life into intervals. Take things a step at a time.

It’s like when you’re on the treadmill: you run your ass off for three minutes, then you slow down for the next two. In those two minutes, you recover and prepare yourself so that you can take the next sprint fully charged. Florian Obkircher Her comeback album, Mad Love (Warner), is out now; iamjojoofficial.com

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The Seattle Cossacks, seen here on their vintage Harleys, have performed stunts since 1938

EVE RY Y E AR , HA L F A M I L L I O N BI K E RS D ESC EN D O N TH E B UF FALO C H I P CA M P S I TE N E A R STU R GIS, SO UT H DAKOTA, FOR T H E WO R L D’S L A R G EST M OTO RCYC L E R AL LY. B URLY BI K E RS A N D A N E W BR E E D O F WO MEN R IDE RS F IN D CO MMO N CAU S E AT TH E BI G G EST PA RT Y IN TOW N , W H E RE TH E I R ATTI TU D E IS SUMMED UP BY THE MOTTO ‘YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE’ WOR DS: N ORA O’DO N N E L L PHOTOG RAPHY: RIC K ROD NE Y 64

FEEL THE

On a sprawling acreage in the Black Hills of South Dakota, plumes of milky exhaust swirl across a racetrack, forcing a throng of spectators to take a step back and block their nostrils with their dirty forearms.

It’s a sticky day in early August and the grit clings to sweaty flesh like socks fresh out of the dryer. But the mood of the crowd is fervent as two motorcycles from different clans – a Honda and a Harley – rev their engines with total bloodlust.

“They’re hell-bent on self-destruction!” an announcer yells over the PA system.

“These guys are crazy!”

“That damn Honda ain’t gonna win,” mutters a silver-bearded onlooker as the start flag is raised in the air and then dropped. The Honda and the Harley take off towards the finish line, their tyres shrieking like a chorus of banshees.

They accelerate to a speed of more than 190kph and cover the 170m of track in a matter of seconds. To the chagrin of the onlooker, the Honda wins.

Overseeing the street drag is Rod ‘Woody’ Woodruff, a 70-year-old retired country lawyer sporting rimless glasses, cowboy boots and smile lines as deep as the valleys of South Dakota. Woodruff is the founder of the Buffalo Chip, a 600-acre campsite about 6km from the small town of Sturgis and, since 1938, home to one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the world.

For the past 35 years, it is said, the rowdiest of the bunch have found a safe haven at the campsite. Like the fiercest of their biker brethren, the people of the Chip live by the motto ‘Ride fast, live hard’. It’s a passionate ideology that celebrates freedom and independence above all else, even at the risk of death.

For newcomers to the rally, the advice from veterans – “Pack some heat and, no matter what, do not touch anyone else’s stuff – can sound a bit alarming. Unlike other music festivals or arenas that house thousands of fans, there are no metal detectors, bag checks or armies of security guards patrolling the campsite. If you want to smoke a cigarette while sitting next to several cans of petrol, no one will bat an eyelid.

“It’s about freedom and two wheels,” says Rod, who muses like a cowboy philosopher as he relaxes in an easy chair in the comfort of the campsite’s air-conditioned main office.

This is the common thread between the bikers who come to South Dakota every August, he says. “Two wheels is the key. When you get on a motorcycle, you forget about all your little worries.

You feel things differently. You smell the air. You notice the changes in the temperature, all these little environments.

We live in the city, in an air-conditioned office, where everything is controlled.

But when you get on the road, you’re out there experiencing the world.”

BAC K I N 1 981 , about 20,000

people came to Sturgis for the rally, tripling the town’s population for several weeks. Many bikers partied and camped in City Park and, as Woodruff admits, “were a little unruly”.

Pressed for specifics, he says, “Well, they had a little annual ceremony of burning the outhouses, and they did little sexual things that upset the lady on the hilltop with her binoculars. She and her friends complained, making it pretty hard for local politicians to support the rally. It got to the point where the police decided that everybody who rode a motorcycle was probably a career criminal, and they were all treated that way.”

The city took a vote and decided that the bikers could still come to Sturgis, but they were banned from the park. Seeing an opportunity, Woodruff and a few locals started discussions about finding a natural amphitheatre outside town where everyone would be welcome. What Woodruff found was a ranch owned by an elderly couple. After leasing it for

After the 1981 Sturgis rally, politicians banned bikers from a local park for ‘unruly’ behaviour.

These days, the town’s mayor throws an official welcome event for them

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THE RED BULLETIN

Leticia Cline is one of an allfemale group of Harley-Davidson riders called the Iron Lilies

‘RIDE FAST, LIVE HARD’: THAT’S THE BIKERS’ MOTTO, AND THEY TAKE THEIR PASSIONS VERY SERIOUSLY. RIDING AND PARTYING

ARE A CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE

Crazy John Markwald (far left) watches over one of the drag races, where riders hit speeds of more than 190kph

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IT’S A PARTY. THOSE THREE LITTLE WORDS HAVE ALLOWED

ORGANISERS TO STICK TO THE SPIRIT OF THE ORIGINAL EVENT,

WHILE ATTRACTING TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE

a bit, he bought the property and slowly started making improvements.

In those early years, only a couple of hundred people came to the ranch to camp and listen to music. The headliners back then were Grand Ole Opry members such as Johnny Paycheck, best known for popularising the outlaw country song Take This Job And Shove It. Before long, Woodruff had a makeshift stage, a small bonfire, and a loyal crowd of people having a good time, drinking beer and telling jokes. One visitor was a reporter from the Rapid City Journal, who wrote a big article about the gathering and deemed it the equivalent of an old mountain man rendezvous. The next day, the cars poured in from Rapid City – and they haven’t stopped coming.

TODAY, THE BUFFALO CH I P is an adult theme park for gun-slinging, leather-clad bikers and women who enjoy painting their breasts with the stars and stripes. A sea of vendors form a perimeter around the main amphitheatre, selling everything from burgers and beer to bandanas with flaming skulls and bodices made of lambskin. Those who want a permanent souvenir of their visit can 70

PEOPLE

Your background, age or upbringing don’t matter at the Chip – it’s all about getting together once a year for some serious racing, music and drinking, with a few weddings, tattoos – and sex – thrown in

brand themselves at a tattoo parlour.

The headliners are no longer Johnny Paycheck, but Kid Rock, Willie Nelson and US country star Miranda Lambert.

Beyond the old-timey bonfire sessions, there are now stunt shows, flat track races and whatever ideas the combination of alcohol and exhaust fumes can inspire.

Take, for instance, the Super Hooligan races. A throwback to the days when riders would make modifications to their machines for track races, this ‘run what you brung’ concept was given a modern update by former pro racer and custom motorcycle designer Roland Sands, and the organisers of the rally jumped at the opportunity to showcase the event.

“Last year, we couldn’t foresee we’d be doing a flat track race,” says Daymon

Woodruff, Rod’s son. Like his dad, Daymon speaks slowly and deliberately, but his cowboy demeanour has an urban update.

He’s keen on making the rally as big as any outdoor festival, without the sterile feeling that plagues so many events today.

The morning of the flat track race, bulldozers are digging up dirt in front of the main stage where concertgoers were standing the night before and will be standing again just a few hours after the races. Putting a bunch of high-speed riders on a freshly made track might work, or it might not, but at the Chip the organisers will try anything once.

“One time, we had a guy jump through a flaming shithouse,” says Daymon. A flaming shithouse? “Yeah, you just start an outhouse on fire and have a rider jump THE RED BULLETIN

The Seattle Cossacks perform daredevil stunts – including blasting through wooden frames that are ablaze

Former professional racer and bike designer Roland Sands introduced flat track races to add more spice

through it and land. It was a success!”

But there were epic failures, too. In 2013, daredevil Clint Ewing tried to set a world record by riding through a 300ft tunnel of fire. He didn’t make it. About two-thirds of the way through, Ewing couldn’t see, and his gloves started melting into his hands. He needed skin grafts, but he lived.

“Man, I probably wouldn’t have done that,” Daymon says with a laugh. But the freedom to see an idea through from start to finish – even if dangerous or ridiculous – is what the Buffalo Chip is all about.

A CO UPLE OF H OURS

before the flat track races, the rain starts to pour.

The South Dakota winds are merciless and can blow thunderstorms in and out of the campsite in a matter of minutes.

Finding cover beneath the race tents, the competitors watch as the track is seemingly washed away.

“It’s going to be a massacre out there!” the PA lady yells. “These riders are here to battle it out for your entertainment!”

During one heat, a racer hugging the inside of the track slams into the rider in front of him, spins out of control and splats onto the wet ground. Racers whip past him and there’s a split-second of panic when the chances of him getting trampled are tenfold.

“EMS to the track!” the announcer shouts. But the rider waves them away, shakes it off and gets back on his bike.

Although the first turn on the course is tight, it doesn’t take long for the riders to get the feel of it. And the rain, it turns out, actually improves the conditions by making the track stickier.

In another heat, Leticia Cline, one of two female racers competing today, goes up against Jason Paul Michaels – her husband. Neither holds back. Cline takes an early lead, but Michaels closes the gap and comes out on top. On the podium, she playfully flips him the finger.

Cline is here with three other members of the Iron Lilies, an all-women, allHarley biker group from Orlando, Florida.

Cline, a motorcycle journalist who’s been riding since she was a kid, has logged around 13,000km on her Harley 883 Sportster in the past two months.

“People come here for two things,” she says. “To party, and to ride in one of the most beautiful areas of the country.”

As far as the partying is concerned, Cline – like everyone else here – certainly knows how to partake. At a bash that night for racers and hangers-on, she THE RED BULLETIN

The Buffalo Chip campsite covers 600 acres and has its own zip code, but despite its size it has kept its special appeal and many return year after year. “We’re a family,” says organiser Rod Woodruff

enjoys a round of bar-stool derby, downing her beer while Roland Sands spins her chair as fast as he can.

“Two years ago, I got kicked out of the Chip!” Cline says with a wide smile. She was wrestling with a friend, she explains, when she rolled down a hill and managed to knock out the power. Although you can get away with pretty much anything here – public sex, burning outhouses – cutting the power is the last straw. That said, she was welcomed back the following year.

Cline and her fellow Iron Lilies are the antithesis of the grizzled, burly and brutish biker stereotype. Although many of the people here fit the latter description, a quick conversation erases any preconceptions. The Buffalo Chip is where people from every section of society – from engineers and truck drivers to shop assistants and dental hygienists – come together to drink and talk engines.

This is a place where, if you wish, you can marry your motorcycle at the on-site chapel. Or you can marry your human partner. Or you can have your ashes scattered after you’ve passed away.

“Bikers have had a poor rap over the years because of a few bad apples,” Daymon says. “But really they’re the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.

And they look out for each other.”

For stunt performers like the Seattle Cossacks, the reliance of one biker on

another is more than just part of an unspoken code; they require that trust in order to avoid serious injury. Ever since 1938, the Cossacks, who range in age from 12 to 58, have formed human pyramids, done back bends and flown through burning walls while riding vintage Harleys, all for some applause and a few hearty slaps on the back.

“It’s a lot of practice and a lot of trust,” says longtime member Andrew Nicholson, a man with a handlebar moustache and twinkly eyes, who’s been coming to the rally since 1990.

Nicholson marvels at the legacy that’s been built. “You know, you thought it would get more commercial,” he says of the Chip, “but it hasn’t. It’s really cool how people from all over come every year. It has its own community!”

“It’s not a picnic to stay here,” he adds, “we’ve had thunderstorms every night and we’re in tents. But you know what?

We wouldn’t change a thing.”

Neither would Woodruff. “This is more than just a business, more than just a camp,” he says. “There’s something in the spirit of the people that you can’t really quantify. It’s a kind of magic.”

To learn more about motorcycle culture, check out The Greasy Hands Preachers on Red Bull TV on October 23

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See it. Get it. Do it.

AC T I O N !

TRAVEL

MAKING THE DROP Swing by one of the world’s most lethally powerful waterfalls – on a rope

Looking for an adventure that someone hasn’t already laid claim to on their Instagram? Try abseiling to the bottom of the Kaieteur Falls in the Amazon jungle of Guyana. A rare few have dared, however none have yet gone the whole distance. But if you’ve got the money and know who to call, perhaps that person could be you…

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TRAVEL

Taking the plunge: once you’re over the edge, the only way is down

Guyana, on the north-east coast of South America, is one of the least-densely populated countries in the world – by humans, that is. Eighty per cent of it is covered in tropical rainforest rich in flora and fauna so rare some has yet to be recorded. And the interior is almost untouched by man.

“A lot of things have never been done here,” says Ian Craddock. He should know – his company, Bushmasters, specialises in brand-new wilderness experiences.

“Most people don’t know what they want. They say, ‘We’ve got two weeks, we’ve got this amount of money, we want to do cool things in whatever environment, what do you suggest?” explains the former British Army officer. “I say: we’ve got to have helicopters, we’ve got to jump out of them and we’ve got to abseil off the biggest waterfall there is.”

That waterfall is Kaieteur. At 251m high, over 660,000 litres of the Potaro River

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Georgetown GUYANA Cheddi Jagan Ready to abseil?

Take the plunge at bushmasters.co.uk

gush over its 152m-wide ledge per second, forming the widest single-drop waterfall in the world, and one of the most powerful.

“It’s a real butt-clencher,” says Craddock.

“As soon as you’re off the rock you realise how tiny you are. You’re spinning, there’s a big mist, you’ve got an earpiece with people talking to you, but that normally falls out.

And you’ve got to control your descent.”

Abseiling from the top to the plunge pool at the bottom is an operation that requires meticulous planning – “The water is close to terminal velocity and creates air swirls that can pull you in” – it also necessitates specialised equipment: “Over such a long distance, only certain metal objects can cope with the friction. Your normal abseiling harness will melt.”

Such a unique experience naturally draws special THE clientele. “We had INSIDER some movie-star guys “This is a 250m- come down on a trip. long abseil and You know, Channing you’ve got nothing Tatum. I had no idea to put your feet who they were, I don’t against,” says have a TV. They were Craddock. “You’ll just normal people.” need plenty of But, says Craddock, bottle. Keep anyone is capable of calm and take doing it. “I’ve put it slow, because 12-year-old kids down if you descend that rope. You just too quickly that causes heat build- need to be able to go over the edge up, which can mess up the rope without shitting or abseil device.” yourself” – providing you can afford it.

“The biggest cost is the helicopter.

They’re stupidly expensive, and what we’re doing with the helicopter is not normal, so we’re bringing in a specialist pilot,” says Craddock of a trip he’s planning, which involves jumping from the chopper into the river, to be collected from the bottom of the rapids by a cargo hook. It will be the first full abseil of the falls. “Something like this for two weeks is close to US$100,000, and half of that is helicopters.”

Still, if you win the lottery you may want to consider a trip he’s formulating for 2018. “I’m sure you’ve heard of tepui, the tabletop mountains. The biggest, Roraima, is over 2,800m. It’s so large it has its own weather system, and we want to abseil off it. To get to the bottom it will be two-three days, if not more. We’ll have to camp on the rock face – just hanging there.

“People have climbed it, but no one’s come down like this. This will be the first time. This is just a big one.”

STAYING ALIVE All-terrain survival situations

Just deserts If humidity isn’t your thing, try the dry heat of the desert at Wadi Rum in Jordan. Learn to ride Arab horses, drive a 4x4 across dunes and escape the unending sands on foot with little sustenance. bushmasters.co.uk

Lonely planet

How long would you last marooned on a desert island?

A while if you take Bushmasters’ survival course, which includes hunting, fishing, extracting fresh water and salvaging aeroplane wreckage. bushmasters.co.uk

Stay frosty

Ice Trek runs annual expeditions to the North Pole, plus wilderness training courses in Svalbard, Norway, to prepare you for everything from frostbite and polar bears, to falling through the ice. icetrek.com

THE RED BULLETIN

BUSHMASTERS LTD, ICETREK

ACTION

GEAR

ACTION

HERO’S JOURNEY

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Detach the gimbal along with your Hero5, 4 or Session and plug it into a ‘Karma Grip’ for smooth handheld or shouldermounted footage

GoPro Karma Drone Pro aerial filming made easy. With its backpack and touchscreen controller, it’s ready to go. Passengers ride along via an app, and geofenced no-fly zones and GoPro crash cover have your back. gopro.com

GoPro Hero5

Birdie

The world’s greatest action cam is reborn with two simple buttons, a touch display, voice commands and instant GoPro Plus cloud uploads. Also waterresistant to 10m without a case. gopro.com

Plug your action cam into this shuttlecock-shaped device and throw it into the air for bird’s-eye views.

Foam bumpers keep it buoyant on water and shockproof on impact. birdiepic.com

TomTom Adventurer Built for those treks and trail runs where a fitness watch won’t do, the Adventurer has a barometer, compass and GPS tracker, as well as sensors for pace, altitude and other live stats. tomtom.com

THE RED BULLETIN

LowePro Droneguard BP 450 AW backpack Armoured protection for quadcopters such as the DJI Phantom and 3DR Solo, with an all-weather cover to keep out rain, snow and dust. lowepro.com

GoPole Scenelapse Fix your GoPro to this slowly-rotating carousel, wind it up and capture epic 360° panoramic timelapse videos. The Scenelapse can also be mounted onto a camera tripod. gopole.com

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ACTION

GEAR

INNOVATIONS: FLYING ON EMPTY This plane has unbeatable fuel economy – around the world on zero litres

Solar Impulse 2 72m

Boeing 747-8I 68.5m

The cockpit has room for one pilot. “The toilets are in the seat, which reclines flat. Here you heat up your food and change clothing”

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In 1999, explorer Piccard made the first non-stop around-theworld balloon flight.

“Every day I was afraid of running out of gas.

We landed with almost nothing left,” he says.

“I thought, ‘Now I have to do another flight, but with no fuel.’ Teaming up with engineer and pilot Borschberg, they built Solar Impulse 2 – a plane that this July completed a 40,000km circumnavigation of the globe powered by nothing but sunshine. solarimpulse.com

So, could this plane fly non-stop around the globe?

André Borschberg: When we proposed it to the aviation industry, they told us it was impossible.

Bertrand Piccard: Nobody in the aviation world could build the carbon-fibre pieces for Solar Impulse – so light and big – so we went to a shipyard, to the people who build the Alinghi catamarans for the America’s Cup. These guys have no idea how to build an aeroplane, but they know carbon fibre. By putting together our engineers and this company, we got new materials and ways of construction.

AB: Theoretically yes, but practically it will be a hell of a challenge with existing technology. Firstly, there’s sustainability for the pilot. I flew five days, I could fly seven, but to fly 20 we’d need to rethink life in the cockpit; it’s not impossible. Also, each day we go up to 9,000m [to charge the solar panels] and each night we glide down, so we need weather that allows that. Over a quarter of the globe, it’s feasible; over the entire globe, it’s difficult.

How close were you to a dead battery each sunrise?

AB: In good weather, air goes down and it’s easy to fall 2-3cm a second, which for us is 10 per cent of performance. By sunrise we’d only have 10 per cent battery left, so we’d be really close to the limit.

When we reached the Pacific, we hadn’t flown an entire cycle and now I was going to be in the plane for five days and nights. After two months in Japan, I saw the weather improving and took off, but the equipment that monitors the plane as I sleep stopped functioning.

The engineers called me back, but I decided otherwise, because the weather is critical. They were threatening to resign because they didn’t understand the risk I was taking. It created a lot of emotion in the mission.

Is that the ambition?

AB: First I’d like to build an unmanned version capable of flying above bad weather for six months, replacing or enhancing what satellites are doing in a more flexible, sustainable way. Bring the plane down, change equipment, send it back up. That’s something we’re working on.

BP: My goal is not to make a third flight around the world, but to leverage the success of Solar Impulse to promote clean technologies. I’ve been appointed goodwill ambassador for the United Nations and I’m working to shape the world’s energy policy. The limit is not technology, but people who are prisoners of old beliefs. We have to do something real for the world.

HERI IRAWAN

“The plane has been designed to be extremely energy efficient. The wingspan is bigger than a 747 and it’s extremely light – the weight of a car”

THE IDEAS MEN André Borschberg, 63, and Bertrand Piccard, 58

How hard is it to build a solar-powered plane?

In daylight, the plane ascends to 9,000m to charge its solar cells. At night, it uses stored battery power to maintain altitude

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A CROSS OVER FULL FACE HELMET

VORTEXTM IN-MOULDED VENTILATION | FRPTM FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER SHELL | XRAILTM - INTERNAL ABSORPTION | EPRTM - EMERGANCY PAD RELEASE

TRAIL • FREERIDE • RACE iXS.COM/SPORTS

ACTION

WHEELS The Ford Focus RS: fierce, powerful and a lot of fun

MOTOR MERCH Adding acceleration to your accessories

Piloti Competizione driving shoes The most high-tech footwear you’ll ever buy just to wear while seated, these have Roll Control heels and side cushioning to help prevent painful injury in the footwell. piloti.uk.com

SUPREME FOCUS

Bugatti boutique

A supercar aficionado falling in love with a hot hatch? Shmee ended up smitten…

As the owner of a McLaren 675LT Spider, Ferrari FF and Porsche Cayman GT4, I don’t often drive cars like the Ford Focus RS, with real seats, rear doors and actual room inside.

It’s too sensible, and yet, when I took this 345hp super-hot hatch to the Le Mans 24 Hours in the summer, I loved it. It’s a menacing-looking eco-beast with monstrous twin tailpipes and a gaping maw of a front grille, and the 2.3-litre, four-cylinder engine with twin-scroll turbo – capable of 0-100kph in 4.7s – generates power to match. The ingenious AWD system can channel 70 per cent of available power to the rear wheels and 100 per cent of that torque to one side for improved cornering. A consequence of this torque vectoring is Drift Mode – activated at the touch of a button, it’ll blow your mind. Before that, there’s enjoyment to be had with the road-driving modes: Normal is quiet and comfortable; Sport picks up and keeps going, while Track feels more pointy – you’d only use it on an actual track, but it’s clearly set up for fun. And that was my impression of the Focus: it wants you to have fun and not fear its power, but it’s also an all-purpose vehicle. Like I said, I don’t often drive cars like this, but now I will. I was so impressed I bought one. ford.co.uk

CAUTION: STRONG LANGUAGE

Tim Burton, aka Shmee150, is one of social media’s mostfollowed supercar connoisseurs. Now he brings that expertise to The Red Bulletin.

Watch Shmee’s full video review of this month’s cars at redbulletin.com

A track-only Ferrari you’ll never see competing… what the FXX K? The latest model in Ferrari’s XX programme, the FXX K hypercar, is based on the LaFerrari, but is very much its own beast. Just four letters, and if you get to ride in one, as I did at Goodwood, you’ll be exclaiming something similar – the experience is insane. The ‘K’ stands for KERS, a kinetic energy system that maximises track performance and, in tandem with the

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6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine, provides 1,036hp.

Definitely not roadlegal, but also never intended for racing, there are crazy aerodynamics, with winglets and an active spoiler, ensuring more than half a tonne of downforce at 200kph.

The price, which includes two years’ access to XX events, is €2.5m. An elite car for an elite club. ferrari.com

No need to drive your Veyron to the shops – Bugatti’s online store sells apparel from the EB Ettore Bugatti, Bugatti Performance, Chiron and Bugatti Vision GT capsule collections. lifestylebugatti.com

The Outlierman Authentic Race gloves Get a grip behind the wheel with these, handmade in Italy by craftsmen using nappa lambskin. You even get a protective leather case for when the gloves come off. theoutlierman.com

THE RED BULLETIN

A step into the unknown, a rush of adrenaline, a surge of emotion and memories that last a lifetime. Epic adventures in Wales come in all guises and sizes.

Where will you find yours? visitwales.com #FindYourEpic

This is Wales.

ACTION

CULTURE PARALLEL UNIVERSES

Forget 3D movies – enjoy some shows set in the fifth dimension

Altered States Season two of The Man In The High Castle comes to Amazon, continuing a past that sees the USA colonised by Nazi Germany and Japan after the Axis Powers win World War II. But other works of fiction ask what would have happened if major world events had ended differently (spoilers ahead)…

Miles Teller goes beyond the call of duty in Bleed For This

For boxing biopic Bleed For This, Miles Teller plays champ Vinny Paz. His fight trainer, Darrell Foster, reveals what it took What’s the key to creating a convincing boxing scene?

We teach real fighting, not ‘picture fighting’. When actors show up on set on day one, they’re confident in their ability to fight. Often the director will call for things unrehearsed, so their ability to know the punch sequences allows us to create fights that are realistic on screen, even last-minute ones.

Teller’s better known for bookish roles. How did you teach him to box like a champ?

We moved directly to ring generalship – knowing who you are in the ring, owning the ring. The first thing I told him was, “You’re going to become Vinny Paz. You have to develop the attitude that it’s yours. The attitude that it’s ‘my house and you don’t belong’.” The transformation he made from ‘training day one’ to ‘shoot day one’ was incredible.

You also trained Will Smith for his performance in Ali. Will had to go from 87kg to heavyweight, so training had to be an all-round physical transformation. He was on a professional fighter’s daily regime. We started at 6am and ran five miles, then did intense boxing training. I brought in real, heavyweight boxing pros to train with him. By the time the movie was about to shoot, Will could stand toe to toe with any of them.

He learned the intricacies of Ali and could fight for real. But it’s also the psychological aspects of what it means to be a real fighter – the way we walk, hold our hands, the way we stand in public – a lot was character development.

When most people think boxing movies, they think Rocky.

What’s your opinion?

The Rocky movies are about the story, about the underdog triumphing against life’s circumstances. The fight scenes are strictly theatrical, they’re fantasy. They are so preposterous that nobody takes them seriously as real fights.

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TRADING BLOWS

Three actors who pushed themselves to the limit to portray boxers on screen Robert De Niro, Raging Bull (1980) There are many stories surrounding De Niro’s preparation for his classic performance as Jake LaMotta.

Most surprising was that he fought three actual boxing bouts in Brooklyn, winning two, and LaMotta was his trainer.

Daniel Day Lewis, The Boxer (1997) “Daniel Day Lewis in The Boxer is the best boxing performance I’ve seen,” Foster enthuses.

High praise for the star who spent 18 months training with former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Southpaw (2015) Having slimmed down for his previous film, Nightcrawler, Gyllenhaal underwent a brutal regime which included working alongside real fighters in Floyd Mayweather’s gym, resulting in one of cinema’s greatest physical transformations.

War Is Swell Two popular storytellers have rewritten the ending to famous wars.

Alan Moore’s Watchmen sees Nixon coast to victory in Vietnam thanks to the help of superheroes. Quentin Tarantino wraps up WWII a lot quicker in Inglourious Basterds, when Brad Pitt and Co assassinate Hitler four years before the real conflict ended.

Dark Pasts Other reimaginings have less fortuitous outcomes. Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel The Years of Rice and Salt chronicles 600 years after the Black Death kills 99 per cent of humanity (instead of a third). Similarly cheery is video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert – Soviet Russia conquers Europe after a time-travel mission halted the Nazis’ rise to power.

THE RED BULLETIN

OPEN ROAD FILMS, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, GETTY IMAGES, WARNER BROS.

RING MASTER

JAMES LUXFORD

FILM

ACTION

CULTURE

MY LIFE IN GAMES BILL HARMS

BRAIN TRAINING Get your grey matter into shape with Red Bull Mind Gamers

Mafia III is about history, loyalty and revenge. Harms is its lead writer and here, he reveals the titles that have shaped his own story FIRST GAME I PLAYED: PITFALL 2

Platform game, 1984, Atari 2600 “I was about 14, playing with my neighbour, Mike Linderman, and this game blew our minds.

One of the things that made it so memorable was it made me feel I was part of the adventure.

There’s a section where you fall off a waterfall and into this cavern – it was so immersive.

I felt I was in the game.”

Action-adventure, 2016, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac “Mafia III follows the story of Lincoln Clay – an orphan and Vietnam veteran, determined to get revenge on the Italian Mafia after they slaughter the Black Mob, the only family he’s ever known. Set in our New Orleans-inspired fictional city of New Bordeaux in 1968, creating the story has been really interesting – the late ’60s is such a fascinating time in US history, and it’s an honour to take the narrative reins of a franchise with millions of fans.” Out on October 7

MY CURRENT FAVOURITE GAME: THE LONG DARK

HARMS’S TOP TIP “In Mafia III, you have an associate with the ability to kill the phone lines, so use them early and often.

This can stop your adversaries calling reinforcements when you’re on the attack, and stop bystanders reporting you to the police.”

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First-person survival, 2014, Steam, Xbox One The play mechanics of this open-world survival simulation are incredible.

Deleting your save position adds an amazingly intense element to the whole experience – the very idea of death in a game. It’s a really bold development move and completely changes the way you play the game.

THE GAME I’D TAKE TO A DESERT ISLAND: LEFT 4 DEAD 2

Survival horror, 2009, Xbox 360 The mechanics lend themselves to replayability. You can keep upping the difficulty and there are a number of modes. Plus the characters talk, so I won’t be alone. Also, I love killing zombies.

THE GAME THAT MOST INSPIRED ME: SYSTEM SHOCK 2

Action role-playing, 1999, PC There’s a scene early on where you come across a hanging corpse and it reinforces how bad things are aboard the Von Braun [the starship you’re travelling on]. It really enhances the game’s atmosphere and, as a writer, shows the power of telling a story within the video-game medium. Plus, it’s scary as hell.

The Last Ritual Some of the games, like this Secret of Monkey Island-style point-and-click one, more closely represent physical escape rooms where you have to try and break out.

Mission Unlock Enoch This is the most important test on the Mind Gamers site.

Your performance is measured to qualify for a global mindgaming tournament.

More info: redbull mindgamers.com

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AMAZON PRIME

MY LATEST GAME: MAFIA III

Streamline Mini-games like this Snake-style maze puzzler have been created by games studios and experts at MIT to test your mental agility.

Score skill points and map a graph of your mind.

CULTURE

ACTION

CAN ART

DIETMAR KAINRATH

Dietmar Kainrath’s pointed pen

NEW YORK CITY MARATHON, NOVEMBER 6

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CULTURE

THE PLAYLIST TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

PIXEL POP What do Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Britney Spears have in common? They’ve all released their own mobile games this year. But they are far from the first pop icons to venture into the video-game market…

The Northern Irish indie-rock band are riding a wave of success, but it hasn’t always been so.

Originally called Life Without Rory, the trio entered a local band battle and came last. They changed their name to Two Door Cinema Club and recorded Tourist History, the acclaimed debut album which scored lead singer Alex Trimble a solo at the London Olympics opening ceremony.

With their third album, Gameshow, about to be released, bassist Kevin Baird reveals his five most important songs. twodoorcinemaclub.com

JOURNEY ESCAPE (1982)

The Specials

At The Drive-In

A Message To You Rudy

Rolodex Propaganda

“I remember this song from being a kid in the back seat of my dad’s car. He literally owned only three or four cassettes: October

by U2, a Van Morrison album and The Specials’ debut. I remember going, ‘Please, Dad, play The Specials!’ I just loved the way the guys sang and their accents.

It just felt so cool and different. Also, I started playing the trombone because of the trombone solo in this song.”

“This was the soundtrack of my teenage years. Me and my bandmates grew up in a small town in Ireland that wasn’t a general stop on bands’ touring schedules, so instead we watched videos of rock bands like At The Drive-In. We would base our band’s live performances on how they played. This song in particular, I just love the energy and the craziness of it. It taught me a lot about writing songs.”

Tom Petty

Todd Terje

I Won’t Back Down

Ragysh

“He’s one of the best songwriters of all time. Take this song – it’s so uplifting and inspiring, it feels very suitable for the times we live in. There are many musicians who take all the glory for their past work, but Petty has been a great storyteller, varying themes and not rehashing himself throughout his career. He strikes me as someone who still absolutely loves it. In that sense, he’s also a big inspiration.”

“A few years ago, we were playing a festival in the US and James Murphy [LCD Soundsystem] was DJing after us. This track from his set blew my mind and started my passion for Scandinavian spacedisco artist Todd Terje. This nineminute tune is dance music at its best. On the surface, not many changes are happening, but if you hear it in a club, these subtle movements turn into peaks that make you go nuts.”

4 Degrees “I find myself grinding through so much new music that I’ll never come back to, but this song stood out immediately. I love the electronic textures, the way that ANOHNI approaches global warming without being preachy. It’s the most refreshing protest song I’ve heard in a long time. It’s similar to the lyrical approach on our new album, voicing opinions instead of singing about break-ups and having a great time.”

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MICHAEL JACKSON’S MOONWALKER (1989) To promote his bizarre Moonwalker movie, MJ launched this considerably superior video game. Backed by tinny versions of hits like Beat It, he fights through a series of levels to save kids from Joe Pesci’s evil mobster, Mr Big.

THE GADGET BeatBringer

Taking the ghettoblaster into the 21st century, this hardshell backpack houses a high-end audio system with an output of 110 decibels – equal in noise level to a rock concert. Connect your smartphone to this 5.8kg boombox and with 15 hours of sound from one charge, you’ve got enough juice to power your own mobile rave. beatbringer.com

WU TANG: TASTE THE PAIN (1999) Taking the Wu myth – nine rappers obsessed with KungFu films – a Mortal Kombatstyle game based on the clan makes perfect sense. Sadly, it was a critical failure, but is remembered for the controller shaped like the band’s W logo.

THE RED BULLETIN

WARNER MUSIC, BEATBRINGER.COM

ANOHNI

Opening this Atari 2600 game with an 8-bit rendition of their hit Don’t Stop Believin’, ’80s group Journey were the first band to star in a video game. The aim is to navigate the band members past paparazzi, groupies and promoters to their space ship.

ACTION

“The track is rough, it’s cruel. It’s so heavy, it’s really demanding on your body” Jeffrey Herlings, Double MX2 world champion

Red Bull Knock Out is the toughest and biggest beach race in the world

WHAT’S ON IN NOVEMBER

LIVING IN THE FAST LANE

From racing cars and bikes, to the thrills of skiing the world’s best powder, to the highs and lows of the eSports industry – it’s all on Red Bull TV this month

RED BULL KNOCK OUT LIVE NOVEMBER 19 Fifteen hundred motocross racers gather for the ultimate beach race at The Hague in the Netherlands. Attracting thousands of fans, this epic annual event sees The Hague’s beach transformed into a 5km long track, helping both pro and amateur riders reach speeds of up to 200kph.

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THE RED BULLETIN

CULTURE RED BULL TV HIGHLIGHTS

RED BULL BATTLE GROUNDS: STREET FIGHTER V LIVE NOVEMBER 6

Following the Street Fighter V final, this two-hour aftershow will feature the most popular players in the Fighting Game Community, with commentary of the final battles and post-match interviews.

SHADES OF WINTER: BETWEEN MOVIE PREMIERES NOVEMBER 14

WATCH RED BULL TV ANYWHERE Red Bull TV is a new global, multi-platform channel that features inspirational and entertaining programming beyond the ordinary. Available across devices, watch Red Bull TV anytime, anywhere.

To learn more, visit redbull.tv

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RUTGER PAUW/RED BULL CONTENT POOL (2), JARNO SCHURGERS/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, GARTH MILAN/ RED BULL CONTENT POOL, MATTIAS HARGIN, DAVID CLANCY, ULRICH GRILL/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Sandra Lahnsteiner returns in her third Shades of )Winter feature, which tells the story of some of the world’s best female freeskiers, including Lahnsteiner herself, Janina Kuzma and Julia Mancuso.

DRIVING DIRTY: BAJA 1000 DOCUMENTARY NOVEMBER 11

Five wildly diverse desert race teams risk money, machinery and personal safety as they prepare for, and race in, the toughest off-road event in North America.

MCCONKEY MOVIE NOVEMBER 20

Shane McConkey is a revered pioneer of freeskiing and ski-BASE jumping. This film is a heartfelt examination of the late athlete’s legacy and celebrates the life of one of skiing’s ultimate innovators.

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ACTION

EVENTS SAVE THE DATE

Making a splash: revving up the action in Wales

This month, fire, ice and some super-chilled electronica

5

November Flame on

October 27-30 True grit Deeside, Flintshire The 44th season of the most challenging motorsport competition going – the World Rally Championship – heads to the hills, valleys and gravel tracks of north-east Wales. Thursday sees the pre-event shakedown before the competition proper kicks off on Friday. WRC champ Sébastien Ogier will be eyeing victory, while Red Bull’s Elfyn Evans is hoping for home success in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta R5. walesrallygb.com

November 11-20 Picture perfect

November 7-8 Spinning kicks

Cork, Ireland

Roundhouse, London

Now in its 61st year, the Cork Film Festival brings big-budget movies, indie flicks, docs and homegrown films to venues across this beautiful city. Last year, 239 films were shown; this year promises even more craic. corkfilmfest.org

The planet’s greatest freestyle football tournament – Red Bull Street Style – brings this year’s final to the perfect venue for showing off supreme soccer skills – the Roundhouse in Camden, a 360-degree venue built originally as a railway turntable.

Among the stars from over 40 nations taking part is Britain’s very own Andrew Henderson. redbull.com

November 20 Throne of games Library of Birmingham Britain’s newest eSports tournament, Red Bull 5G, reaches its final battle. For months, competitors from the North and South have been battling it out in five games: one-on-one Street Fighter V, arenabased League of Legends, real racer ProjectCARS, football-on-wheels Rocket League and strategy card game Hearthstone. Now, the victorious team will win an all-expenses-paid trip to 5G’s homeland – Japan.

Come watch it live or tune in on redbull5g.com

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Got his eye on the ball

17

November Ice, ice baby No sooner are the bonfires out than the big freeze sets in, starting with Britain’s most glamorous ice rink at London’s Somerset House. The original and best of the outdoor rinks has posh nosh and ‘skate till late’ club nights with top DJs. somersethouse.org.uk

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November Royk ’n’ roll One of the world’s greatest electronic music acts, Royksopp, bring their chilled yet sweeping soundscapes to Avant Garde on London’s South Bank, with an extended DJ set at the cavernous Bankside Vaults. skiddle.com

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JAANUS REE/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, JED NIEZGODA, JASON HALAYKO/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, RYAN MATTIS/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Guy Fawkes Night has grown bigger than ever, but one blaze outshines them all – the Lewes Bonfire in East Sussex.

Britain’s largest fireworks celebration sees seven societies parade in front of tens of thousands. lewesbonfire celebrations.com

ACTION

HOW TO

DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY

Take yourself off the grid with tips from the man who can track you down Frank M Ahearn has a very special set of skills.

He’s a professional ‘skip tracer’, hunting down fugitives by the clues they’ve left. It’s a talent he can put into reverse – helping high-net-worth clients simply vanish. It doesn’t require disguises or hacking, just a skilful mind and the ability to cut loose friends, family and colleagues. “Assume your predator is here with you now – live as if they’re around the corner,” says the author of How To Disappear. “I teach my clients how to accomplish things without creating connections.” Now he’s going to teach you.

1

To lose yourself, first find yourself

“Disappearing is about being a strategist. Step outside yourself – look at the life you’re leaving behind and the things that will lead a predator to you. Six months ago, what did you search for on the internet? What habits do you have? What are your mannerisms? Change anything that could make people curious about you.

Don’t walk around looking like you’re from Miami when you’re actually in the west of Ireland. And if you’re in a rowdy bar, don’t act like a wallflower – be rowdy.”

EDDIE LAWRENCE

MARK THOMAS

2

The getaway

“Don’t travel with all your tools, because what will happen if you lose them?

Prepaid phone, prepaid debit card, major ID, those are the essentials. You can buy clothes. If you have a passport and driver’s licence, carry one and ship the other. If you’re not running from the government, you don’t need a new identity.

Get pulled over with a fake ID, loads of cash or 75 prepaid debit cards and law enforcement are going to find that suspicious.”

THE RED BULLETIN

3

Leave a trail of breadcrumbs

The art of disappearing is disinformation – it doesn’t have to be believable, but it has to be findable. In one case, the predator was my client’s husband. I stuffed her wallet with euros and dropped it in a hotel in Paris knowing that someone would hand it in. Bingo – her husband is hunting my client down in Paris and she’s tucked away in Lisbon. Keep them busy with fake information or they’ll find real information.”

4

Minimise your footprint

“Wherever you go there’s going to be a trace; the key is leaving the fewest traces and breaking the connection between each step. Don’t walk in Times Square – take a taxi, reduce the number of people who can see you.

If you run into someone you know, tell them you’re heading to Belgium in two days. If they post it on Facebook, you’re spreading more disinformation.”

5

Live off social transactions

“You still have to operate in the world, but it’s how you manipulate situations to accomplish this that matters. People think pay-as-you-go phones are anonymous – they’re not.

Walk into a store and a camera captures the transaction. Instead, find some homeless guy and say, ‘Here’s 100 bucks, go buy me a prepaid phone.’

They make the physical transaction, their picture’s on the camera, you have no connection to the phone.”

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getredbulletin.com

FORMULA WATCH IN THE GLAMOROUS, HI-TECH WORLD OF FORMULA ONE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE IS MEASURED IN HUNDREDTHS OF A SECOND. LITTLE WONDER, THEN, THAT F1 HAS FORGED LINKS WITH THE MAKERS OF CUTTING-EDGE TIMEPIECES… EDITED BY GISBERT L BRUNNER

CHARLES COATES/GETTY IMAGES/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

DANIEL RICCIARDO RED BULL RB12 2016 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

TAG TEAM

Tag Heuer Formula 1 Red Bull Edition Official F1 timekeeper from 1992 to 2002, Tag Heuer partners the Red Bull Racing team. This stainlesssteel chronograph, accurate to a 10th of a second, celebrates the relationship. tagheuer.com THE RED BULLETIN

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FO R M U L A WATC H

SPORTING ICON

Porsche 1919 Chronotimer While it has always championed sportscar racing over F1, Porsche is a true motorsport legend. It also makes stylish watches such as this, with its titanium case and self-winding movement. porsche-design.com

RACING SMART

Fitbit Blaze This is the smartwatch you need when your adrenalin surges into the danger zone during a grand prix. It syncs with your smartphone to put text messages, pulse-rate info and more on your wrist. fitbit.com

EXTREME MACHINE

Oris Williams Chronograph Carbon Fibre Extreme This watch’s name is a reference to Oris’ long-standing partnership with the Williams F1 team. It has a patented durable carbon-fibre case and a self-winding movement. oris.ch

TRUE BRIT

Bremont ALT1-C/PB F1-level precision is writ large in this British chronograph. Each automatic movement must pass the official Swiss chronometer test before it can go into the 43mm stainless steel case. bremont.com

VALTTERI BOTTAS WILLIAMS FW38 2016 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

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THE RED BULLETIN

RED BULL CONTENT POOL, FERRARI MEDIA

DATA STREAM

Samsung Gear S2 x Atelier Mendini Anyone wearing this smartwatch will be kept right up-to-date, even during the heat of racing action.

Compatible apps send notifications – about F1, for example – to its colour display. samsung.com

FO R M U L A WATC H

JOLYON PALMER RENAULT R.S.16 2016 GERMAN GRAND PRIX

LAP RECORDER

Bell & Ross BR-X1 RS16 Made in partnership with the Renault Sport F1 team, this chronograph – a limited edition of 250 – has a 45mm case made from carbon fibre, rubber, titanium and ceramic. bellross.com

LEFT TURN

Nixon 51-30 Chrono Lap timing is no problem with this striking timepiece, which is waterresistant to 30 bar. And with its buttons on the opposite side to most chronographs, it’s ideal for the left-handed. nixon.com

THE RED BULLETIN

HIGH FLIER

Richard Mille RM 011-02 Flyback Chronograph Dual Time The ultra-luxe Swiss firm has signed up to a 10-year partnership with McLaren-Honda F1. The RM 011-02 features a stopwatch, large date and dual time-zones. richardmille.com

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FO R M U L A WATC H

LEWIS HAMILTON MERCEDES F1 W07 HYBRID 2016 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX

TOUR DE FORCE

Tissot T-Race Tour de France 2016 Special Edition This year, the official timekeeper for MotoGP also signed a deal with the Tour de France. The multifunctional T-Race would cut a dash at any racetrack. tissotwatches.com

LEADING LIGHT

FEAT OF ENGINEERING IWC Ingenieur Chronograph W125 Limited to 750 pieces, this watch from IWC and partner Mercedes F1 pays homage to the Silver Arrows of the 1930s. The new, in-house 69370 self-winding calibre with columnwheel control sits in a 42mm titanium case. iwc.com

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MILES AHEAD

Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Automatic Speed Black Chopard is synonymous with motorsport, and this limited edition of 1,000 pays homage to the classic Italian race. The steel case has a very durable DLC coating. chopard.com THE RED BULLETIN

MARK THOMPSON/GETTY IMAGES, GEPA PICTURES/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Luminox F-22 Raptor 9249 This chronograph is all about velocity – the tachymeter scale is ideal for calculating average speeds.

The watch has a quartz movement, titanium case and is water-resistant to 20 bar. luminox.com

FO R M U L A WATC H

FULL MONTE

ITALIAN STALLION

Tudor Heritage Chrono Blue The Tudor Monte Carlo of the early ’70s serves as inspiration for this stainless-steel automatic chronograph, which channels the heritage of F1’s most glamorous grand prix. tudorwatch.com

Hublot Big Bang Ferrari Speciale Ceramic Hublot has teamed up with an iconic marque. You can see it in the red elements, yellow date display and horse motif on this chronograph, which has a ceramic case. hublot.com

SPORTS STAR

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona Named after one of the world’s most famous sportscar races, this watch from F1’s official timekeepers has an automatic movement and a scratchproof Cerachrom bezel. rolex.com

TIME’S ARROW

Swatch Sistem51 Irony Arrow F1 is all about making everything as light and functional as possible; likewise the Sistem51 Irony, with a single screw attaching the rotor to the movement. The new Arrow model exudes that driver look. swatch.com THE RED BULLETIN

SEBASTIAN VETTEL FERRARI SF16-H F1 TEST, BARCELONA 2016 97

MAKES YOU FLY

Fifteen of the Alps’ steepest slopes, all of them on peaks higher than 4,000m. For his freeski documentary La Liste, Swiss skier Jérémie Heitz (the dot in the picture above) created a wish list of extreme trails he wanted to take on – then mastered every one of them. The resulting film is an homage to tackling 55° inclines at 120kph.

Watch La Liste on Red Bull TV on November 5

Freeskier Jérémie Heitz, 27, speeds down near-vertical slopes at 120kph

TERO REP/LA LISTE

BRUNEGGHORN, SWITZERLAND JUNE 6, 2016

“I’m looking for luck, not risk”

THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE RED BULLETIN IS OUT ON NOVEMBER 8 ALSO WITH THE EVENING STANDARD ON NOVEMBER 11 98

THE RED BULLETIN

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Tiguan 2.0 TDI 150hp CO2 emissions (g/km) 125. Combined fuel consumption 4.8 (l/100km). Model shown for illustrative purposes only. Typical Finance Example: Tiguan Trendline 1.4 TSI BMT OTRP €30,495. Deposit / Part Exchange €8,800.22. 36 monthly payments of €359. 5.9% APR. Optional Final Payment €11,590.80. Total cost of credit €2,970.02. Total cost of credit includes acceptance fee (€75) and completion fee (€75). Minimum deposit is 10%. Subject to lending criteria. This offer is made under a hire purchase agreement. Volkswagen Bank GmbH is authorised by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority in Germany and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. Please contact your local Volkswagen retailer for full details.*Please visit your local retailer for the latest pricing.

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