British BMX rider Kriss Kyle was recently gifted the city keys to tear up Denmark, allowing him to stamp his brand of two-wheeled shred in a video edit that begins with him paragliding with his bike into the dunes of Jutland.
This is swiftly followed by jaw-dropping tricks, like jumping 5m off the top deck of a car ferry onto an Audi, shredding the underwater tunnel in the shark pools of Den Blå Planet, or tearing up the mini ‘burbs of LEGOLAND.
RSNG caught up with him for a behind-the-scenes look at how he picked the spots and rode the tricks…
RSNG What was the inspiration behind your latest project? KRISS KYLE, BMX ATHLETE ‘I pretty much got inspired from my Red Bull video that dropped at the start of the year in Dubai. I had so much fun on that project and just wanted to do more like it. To try and push my limits to the next level. I'm always looking for what’s next!’
RSNG Were you looking to take BMX to a different place with this one in terms of how your riding interacted with the cities? KK ‘For sure, I’m always looking at roofs, buildings and even water to try and see what's possible and how I can express myself, and my riding, to its full potential. With projects like these I get the opportunity to think outside the box even more and get spots and locations to ride that I would have never even dreamed of.’
‘I’ve never been to a city and been able to ride any spot without people saying you can’t. But in Denmark, it was the total opposite. I mean, where in the world would the owner of the world's oldest fairground, Bakken Ruchebane, be completely cool with hammering up wooden boards so I could ride it?’
Even when I'm on holiday I can't seem to switch off! I'm constantly looking for things to ride my bike on
RSNG How does your riding affect how you see the street, wherever you are? KK ‘I always feel like I'm a little bit crazy, haha! As even when I'm on holiday with my missus I can't seem to switch off. I’m constantly looking for things to ride my bike on, even though my bike isn't with me haha! I often wonder when I'm an old man will I still be looking at things the same way?’
RSNG What was the hardest spot and shot to ride on this one? KK ‘On this shoot perhaps the aquarium roof. As that day it was insanely windy and the roof was pretty spongy. I wasn't able to get the pop I wanted and it was so tiring after long shoots. I didn't need that headwind, that's for sure!’
RSNG How much does strength and fitness come into what you do? KK ‘I would say a lot. You need to have a strong upper body but you also need to be able to put in the work on the legs. It's a tough sport but you can take it as serious as you want. I like to stay fit so I can ride to my full potential.’
RSNG What kind of lifestyle do you lead? KK ‘I'd say fun and always up to something. I can never sit still! I love being outside. I also have a great bunch of friends that are always up for doing crazy stuff. It's good to have those boys as we always push each other.’
RSNG What’s been the sketchiest thing you’ve ever tried to land? KK ‘Haha! That's a tough one. There's been a fair few in my time but one that stands out recently, was the jump off the boat onto the Audi car [five metres below]. My clothes were wet from the shot before. I was freezing and it was getting dark quickly. I had no choice but to send it!’
‘I crashed the first one but thankfully somehow landed it second try. I actually thought I was crashing as soon as I took off. No idea how I held on to that one! It was a lot higher than I remembered.’
RSNG What’s the physical toll of riding as you do? KK ‘My body hurts a lot of the time but it's part of it. When you try something 100 times, blood and sweat coming out of you and you have nothing left. When you finally get it and watch it back. There is truly no better feeling than that. That’s why I do it!’
I honestly think it's going to blow up even more next year because BMX freestyle is in the Olympics
RSNG What directions do you see BMX progressing in? KK ‘I honestly think it's going to blow up even more next year, as BMX freestyle is in the Olympics. I think when people who haven't really seen what we do in our sport see that, it's going to go crazy and blow peoples’ minds!’
WHAT NEXT? Watch Kriss Kyle tear up Denmark in this jaw-dropping edit.
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