The Cyclocross World Championships get underway on Saturday 29 January in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, and nine-time trial bike world champion Kenny Belaey has welcomed it in with an audacious bike stunt.
Posting the video to YouTube, Belaey hangs onto the side of a helicopter while clipped into a cyclocross bike, before jumping off onto the World Championship track.
“I suggested testing the course, they came by helicopter,” said Belaey. “At first as a simple drop off, but then I got it in my head to jump out. A nice idea on paper, but once those rotors above me were at full speed, it was a bit of a struggle.
"Balancing on one leg on a helicopter that goes up and down is really not obvious. Let alone push off, get feet on the pedals and land safely. Fortunately I have a lot of experience. After four attempts I had it right, so it was a really great feeling.”
The 38-year-old then proceeds to perform impressive tricks on the track, before heading into the centre of the Arkansas city and showcasing his considerable trials talent.
Belaey rider confidently traverses narrow edges on his two wheels - or at one point while popping a wheelie - and highlights his ability to bunny hop up just about anything throughout the course of the video.
Ending the video where it started, Red Bull-sponsored athlete Belaey climbs back into the helicopter, with his bike attached to a rack on the side of the aircraft.
Belaey has a special affinity to Arkansas too, having founded the Bentonville Bike Fest in 2019, located just 25 miles north of Fayetteville. It is an all-inclusive event that celebrates everything you can find in the mountain bike capital of the world.
Currently the holder of the UCI record for the most podium spots at a world championships in the discipline of trial, the Belgian rider has focussed on larger projects in the United States in recent years, such as performing shows at NBA games or riding over a slackline in the French Alps.
