Do you have a favourite spot from the project?
Croydon, which was the RideUK cover spot, was the best looking. I found it on Google Earth, and I knew as soon as I went to the spot it was special and that I could get an iconic photo. It just looked incredible.
It was also really scary. It was like three stories high, and it ruined my life for about six months. I knew that nothing in the world was going to stop me trying it, but I had a lot of guilt, like am I going to kill myself? It was like an obsession – I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I couldn’t stop picturing the photo because I knew it would be good. We built setups that were similar to it, but nothing could simulate how big it really was.
How did you psych yourself up to hit it that first time?
I was terribly scared for about four months building up to it. On the day I wasn’t really scared because I’d already made the decision that I was going to do it – some people make their mind up when they get there, but I made it up months beforehand.
Adrenalin kicked in and I was like, ‚right I’m going‘, I just wanted to get it over and done with. Because it was such a big spot, we never expected to ride out perfectly, but the fact that I didn’t completely die was a good thing and we got the photograph that I’d always pictured, which was amazing.
When we were driving home and George [Marshall] sent me the photo I was like, ‚oh my god‘. I knew we had something special. There was a lot of pressure on everyone on the day.
What’s next for you?
The next project is focussing on my bike company, Tall Order. I just want to try and grow that next year, and maybe a continuation of Walls using my Tall Order team riders. There will be something, but I’m not sure yet. We’re trying not to be too serious and keep it fun.
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