Sport-heute: Sailing - MONUMENTAL PERFORMER

05. August 2010, 12:26

MONUMENTAL PERFORMER

He leaps tall buildings with a single jump, backflips bridges and crosses canals 95m above the water.

Robbie Maddison is making something of a habit out of landmarks. Not content with taking on a massive 30m jump onto Las Vegas’s version of the Arc de Triomphe in 2008, followed by a 12m drop off the same building, the Australian daredevil last year staged a dead-of-night raid on London’s iconic Tower Bridge, vaulting the open bridge with a stunning backflip.

Brüttisellen, 5.8.10 - Red. (mk) Words: Justin Hynes- And just last month, having declared he’d avoid statement jumps this year, Maddo couldn’t resist the prospect of a leap across Greece’s Corinth Canal, soaring some 95m above the surface of the water at a speed of 125km/h. Bridges, canals, buildings – there’s isn’t anything, it seems, that go-for-it Maddison won’t take on. “Jumping across the Corinth Canal became a challenge I just could not resist,” he said of the feat. “It involved the greatest degree of risk so far. I am thrilled about managing to pull it off, given that there’s only one opportunity to get it right. I was just stoked and everything went pretty smoothly.” The jump wasn’t without its hazards, though, with Maddison not having the ideal run-up to the ramp used for the jump. “Some people said to me: ‘Oh, it was pretty easy for you because it wasn’t as big as your world record for the longest motorcycle jump,’ and that would be true if it was in an open field,” Maddison told freeridermx.com. “But with this, the run-in started in the swimming pool area of the hotel next door to the set-up and only the previous day, they’d drained all the water out of the pool, which left the surrounding grass area water-logged.

So I started off on polished concrete, then moved on to grass – which wet my tyres – then on to carpet, then I hit concrete again and got major wheelspin. After that I had to ride between two gardens, on to a soccer pitch where I built up my speed, then make a left turn and jump over a fence, land in the property where the ramp was, go down a driveway onto a scaffold and then hit the ramp!” This was the point of no return, with the next stop the landing zone some 80m across the divide. “From the moment I took off, it was crucial not to lose traction so that I could build up speed, and given the wet conditions and changes in surface, that was close to impossible,” he recalled. “A few kilometres under or over when taking off on the ramp would have meant I’d either case the landing, come up short and fall down the gorge, or over-jump, all because the landing wasn’t big enough to allow for error. With all that to consider, the jump was very technical and difficult, and scared the absolute crap out of me!” In the end, it was outrageously successful and another milestone on a remarkable journey that has seen Maddison not only set records for distance jumps and for statement stunts such as the Tower Bridge and Corinth leaps, but also become a major player in freestyle motocross.

The latter reclaimed his attention in the immediate aftermath of the Corinth spectacular, the opening round of the 2010 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour beckoning in Mexico City. It was a key moment for Maddison, who last year finished the Tour as runner-up to Nate Adams. While the defeat in London clearly wasn’t a source of bitter pain – Adams is, after all, a friend and neighbour in the California town of Temecula – it’s obvious that Maddison is ramping up his efforts for this year’s Tour. In the aftermath of the Corinth jump, the Australian was keen to get his preparations right, admitting that he’d had little time for freestyle work over the winter. “I’ve only ridden about 10 hours of freestyle in six months,” he said after the Greece jump. “But after this event I’ve left an open book to train with my trainer Ryan Hughes in the US, and practice some new tricks I’ve got up my sleeve. Hopefully, they’ll work out in my favour as the series goes on. “I’m also working hard on strengthening my knees, so I don’t have to wear braces, as they’re stopping me executing tricks such as Shaolin Flips, Cordova Flips and a bunch of others.

Plus, I’m building a new foam pit, something I haven’t used for four years now, so with that to learn new tricks and my fresh approach for 2010, I believe I’ll get stronger as the season progresses.” The work paid off in Mexico. Despite the opening round being cut short by torrential rain, Maddison finished third in the qualifying session that determined the result behind Adams and event winner Andre Villa. Indeed, Maddison managed to get a run in during the main event and even here, on a wet and treacherous course, outmanoeuvred Japan’s Eigo Sato in the quarter-finals. It leaves Maddison on the cusp of another landmark event. Having taken on Las Vegas, London and the Corinth Canal, he’s set to compete in the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour. And the fearless rider reckons the Greek jump has taught him a thing or two that might help out. “When it comes to the crunch, in those stressful moments when I’ve got to perform, I should be able to deal with it more easily,” he said. “I’m stronger mentally, so I think I’ll be able to stay more focused and keep a clear head. “Most mistakes with tricks happen when you second-guess yourself right before leaving the ramp, but I’m not fearful of any tricks I’m doing at the moment. Of course, there are consequences if I screw up, but any fear those tricks might hold for me is far less than the Corinth jump, so to face that fear and come to Red Bull X-Fighters is almost like going to Sunday school for the weekend!” And that attitude should bode well for Maddison’s assault on the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour this year.

In 2009, he missed the opening round due to injury and still managed to stitch together a sequence that included one win in Calgary and third, fourth and fifth-placed finishes at the remaining rounds. In the words of Radiohead, the 2010 version of Robbie Maddison is ‘fitter, happier’ and injury-free heading into the season. He has married fiancée Amy Sanders and recently learned that he will soon be a father. It all points to the possibility that this could be his year in Red Bull X-Fighters. He agrees that a new sense of calm, inspired by home life and his recent exploits in Greece, could help him attain that dream goal.“ Last year I came into the series really prepared and psyched, and won the first round I competed in, but then I lost my mojo and couldn’t keep the momentum you need to win through to the end,” he says. “This year, I plan to be the tortoise instead of the hare, build steadily and then finish off with a bang!”

Quote:
“ Most mistakes with tricks happen when you try to second-guess yourself just before leaving the ramp.”

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Athlete: Robbie Maddison Event: Red Bull Tower Bridge Jump Discipline: Motocross Freestyle Photocredit: (c)Michael Regan/Getty Images for Red Bull Photofiles Location: Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom Country: United Kingdom Exposure date: 13.07.2009

Athlete: Robbie Maddison Event: Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid Discipline: Motocross Freestyle Photocredit: (c)alexschelbert.de/Red Bull Photofiles Location: Madrid, Spain Country: Spain Exposure date: 14.09.2006

Athlete: Robbie Maddison Event: Red Bull X-Fighters Egypt , Giza Discipline: Motocross Freestyle Photocredit: (c)www.flohagena.com/Red Bull Photofiles Location: Sphinx, Giza Country: Egypt Exposure date: 14.05.2010

Athlete: Robbie Maddison Event: Red Bull X-Fighters Mexico Discipline: Motocross Freestyle Photocredit: (c)balazsgardi.com/Red Bull Photofiles Location: Plaza de Toros México , D.F., Mexico Country: Mexico Exposure date: 16.04.2010

Athlete: Robbie Maddison Event: Red Bull X-Fighters Mexico Discipline: Motocross Freestyle Photocredit: (c)Jörg Mitter/Red Bull Photofiles Location: Mexico City, Mexico Country: Mexico Exposure date: 16.04.2010

Athlete: Robbie Maddison Event: Red Bull Corinth Gap Discipline: Motocross Freestyle Photocredit: (c)Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull Photofiles Location: Corinth Channel, Greece Country: Greece Exposure date: 08.04.2010

Athlete: Robbie Maddison Event: Red Bull X-Fighters Egypt , Giza Discipline: Motocross Freestyle Photocredit: (c)Jörg Mitter/Red Bull Photofiles Location: Sphinx, Giza Country: Egypt Exposure date: 13.05.2010

Athlete: Robbie Maddison Event: Red Bull Tower Bridge Jump Discipline: Motocross Freestyle Photocredit: (c)Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images for Red Bull Photofiles Location: Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom Country: United Kingdom Exposure date: 13.07.2009

Athletes: Robbie Maddison Mathieu Rebeaud Event: Red Bull X-Fighters Madrid Discipline: Motocross Freestyle Photocredit: (c)Christian Pondella/Red Bull Photofiles Location: Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, Madrid, Spain Country: Spain Exposure date: 17.07.2009

MONUMENTAL PERFORMER

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