Trials cyclist Danny remembers his roots
‘Skye is an amazing place to grow up. I always had enough space to explore, ride my bike and be a kid’
A WORLD-FAMOUS trials cyclist has said Skye is the foundation of his career.
Danny MacAskill, who grew up on the island, released his latest video, Cascadia, last month and already it has racked up almost 12 million views online.
In the video MacAskill, 30, flips from building to building in an ‘insane’ journey across the rooftops of Gran Canaria.
Speaking to the Oban Times, he said: ‘Skye is an amazing place to grow up. I always had enough space to explore, ride my bike and be a kid.
‘It has also helped me stay grounded. I’d say Skye is the foundation of my career.
‘Even though now I travel all around the globe, I still see photos of my friends back home and get a slight feeling of jealousy they can be there. Luckily I get a few good times a year to hang out with friends and family.’
Different jobs Growing up MacAskill didn’t have any aspirations of becoming a professional biker and tried his hand at a couple of different jobs.
He added: ‘Riding my bike is something I have always just done for fun.
‘When I lived on Skye I did some labouring for a local firm called Donald Mackenzie Builders in the village and I also worked in a fish farm.’
Filming for his latest video, which is just more than five minutes long, took MacAskill and his team 17 days.
They spent five days scouting out the area and finding the best locations and 12 days of filming.
Beach holiday MacAskill said: ‘It was pretty much a 12- day beach holiday with a wee bit of riding in between.’
But performing some of the tricks and stunts MacAskill does comes with a degree of risk.
He added: ‘When growing up on Skye I didn’t really break many bones.
‘I was younger and less brittle – so I just bounced.
‘Since leaving the island though I have had my fair share of broken bones.’
The biker will be performing in a series of shows all over Europe this year.
To find out more, visit www. dannymacaskill.co.uk.