PREVIEW

French freestyle motocross legend Tom Pagès has an unusual way of mountain biking. He uses his motorbike to launch into a paraglide and fly down the Alps. In his video, Ride & Fly, he careers down the steep, rugged Alpine terrain of Les Portes du Soleil in Haute-Savoie, France. As his paraglider takes flight, he soars parallel to the mountain at speeds of nearly 100 km/h (80 m/h) before skillfully landing and continuing his ride. Pagès not only jumps, but flies with speed, control, and precision. Speedriding, a hybrid sport combining paragliding and freeriding, has never before been attempted with motorbike riding, marking a true world-first. Pagès meticulously designed custom gear, including a suspension system, to make this feat possible. He trained with expert Albert Baud, who prepared Tom Cruise for Mission Impossible, and spent over two years perfecting the project. The take-off required careful control to keep the paraglider wing inflated, with Pagès reaching speeds of 80 km/h in tight turns close to the ground. Despite the technical challenges and unpredictability of nature, Pagès pulled off this groundbreaking achievement.