Backflips are Andreu Lacondeguy’s speciality – even on slippery terrain. At the Snowboard Big Air World Cup in Graz he was the first mountain biker in the world to do a backward somersault from a snowboard ramp.
One week exactly before his 19th birthday Andreu Lacondeguy, the Spanish mountain bike freerider, already felt “a little bit nervous.” The drum’n’ bass rhythm of his pulse, though, had less to do with the imminent celebrations – but rather with the somewhat dizzying view from the saddle of his bike.Monster jump with FMX dimensions
Because at the Snowboard Big Air World Cup in Graz, Austria, the young Spaniard was looking down the same ramp as his winter sports counterparts do – and from it into the arena he jumped a good six meters high and 20 meters in distance. Although the run-up itself was dangerous enough over a slippery, icy surface, the gutsy Lacondeguy amazed the 7000 spectators post take-off with a risky world record, and became the first mountain biker ever to do a backflip on snow.
Only one test-run
He’d only tested the ramp once before: “That’s why I didn’t really have the safest of feelings at take-off,” Lacondeguy said. “I had no idea whether I’d be able to land the backflip cleanly, or whether I’d end up face-down in the snow. Now I’m incredibly relieved I managed the biggest backflip I’ve ever attempted.”
Double-back(flip) to summer
At the tender age of 19 the junior star can already look back on two historical successes, the first one already celebrated in Austria a couple of (temperate) seasons ago: at 26 Trix in Leogang in June Lacondeguy was the third rider ever to successfully do a double backflip on a mountain bike. In contrast to Graz, though, it was on a dirt ramp with good grip.
Andreu Lacondeguy
Andreu Lacondeguy
Andreu Lacondeguy