After a three-trick freestyle run on the pedestrian streets of the famous Alpine resort , Pagès shifted into fourth gear and accelerated up a seven-metre high ramp at 80km / h . He shot out over 55m from the cliff vface , doing a double front flip in the air then free-falling on his motorcycle at 150km / h before deploying his parachutes for the landing 30 seconds later and 170m below . “ There was no better place for this than Avoriaz ! It ’ s a magical spot : surrounded by nature , with wooden architecture and great infrastructure . The resort really lends itself to freeriding , and it ’ s the only place I found a vertical cliff face over 130m high . All the conditions had to be met , because we couldn ’ t leave anything to chance . Fred Fugen was by my side during the five days onsite to manage all the safety measures and help with my mental preparation . The hardest element to manage was the one you can ’ t see in the video : the wind .”
BASE jumping with heavy motorcycle equipment ( helmet , boots , and protective gear ) reduces the field of vision and blurs ground markers , so Stéphane Zunino specifically developed the parachute for the motorcycle with a manual release integrated into the seat - a technological feat . “ It ’ s a career-defining project : combining the two universes that I adore , FMX and parachuting in the same performance ,” Pagès added . “ It ’ s also a life-defining one , mixing influences in order to surprise people and showing up where they least expect it . For a freestyler like me , creating isn ’ t just inventing a new trick , it ’ s following through on an idea , whether a physical or technical challenge . Inspiring people showed me the way . That ’ s always been my motivation and I want to encourage others to push their own limits . My thoughts are with stuntman Alain Prieur , who I admire enormously , and parachutist Vince Reffet , my friend who I miss dearly .”
ZACH OSBORNE CALLS TIME
After 16 years racing at the top echelons of MX and SX , Zach Osborne has announced his retirement from professional motocross and supercross racing . Over the last seven years , the 32-year-old has secured four major U . S . championships and countless triumphs with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team with recent developments including a season-ending back injury signalling to the American rider that his time at the top was fast coming to a close . “ After 16 years of professional racing , the time has come for me to call it a career ,” Osborne says .
“ I ’ ve tried everything in my power over the last six months to get my health back up to the standard it needs to be to race at the highest level and after just a few weeks of riding supercross at full intensity , I realised it just wasn ’ t meant to be . I ’ m so grateful for the journey I ’ ve had as a professional . I ’ ve met so many incredible people and been a part of some of the finest organisations in motorsports . This was not an easy decision , or one I took lightly , but it was the right decision . I ’ m forever grateful to my family , fans and teams for their support throughout my time as a professional . In the next chapter , I want to
KIWI RIDER 97