Danny Macaskill

Danny MacAskill became a cult idol with a YouTube video. Danny MacAskill didn’t ask to be a celebrity, but thanks to a YouTube video posted by his roommate, Dave Sowerby, MacAskill has become a cult idol in the extreme sports world.

That video, which was posted in April 2009, shows MacAskill doing multiple death-defying tricks on his bike, including riding across an electric fence, riding his bike up a tree, and various shots of him jumping, flipping and spinning over inanimate objects on the streets of Edinburgh, U.K.

The video, which was sponsored by Inspired Bicycles Ltd., has been viewed nearly 20 million times and earned the 24-year-old sponsorships with companies such as Volkswagen, Red Bull and POC Helmets.

Despite MacAskill’s newfound fame, he’s very grounded with how he wants to ride. After becoming a YouTube sensation, MacAskill did a few trick shows with The Clan, a cycle stunt team in Scotland, and a few commercials, but he currently has no plans to participate in ESPN’s X Games, which have been used to promote both extreme sports and their participants and would provide
a great forum to show off MacAskill’s unbelievable talent.

The decision, at least for now, is a mixture of health concerns – MacAskill suffered two broken collarbones during a five-month span last year - and staying true to the type of riding he’s been doing since he was 5 years old. So he’s spent the bulk of his time healing and developing bigger tricks for his friends to film. A quick search of his YouTube gallery shows a bevy of tricks that leave the viewer wondering how MacAskill could do so many tricks that seem to defy gravity and his own personal well being.

But that’s MacAskill’s m.o. Growing up on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, MacAskill is an admitted cycling junkie. When he’s not riding his street bike, he’s riding his downhill or cross country bike and he’s even dabbled with motorcycle tricks. And each time he does a new trick, it’s off something a little higher and it’s a little riskier.

That drive to continually push the envelope earned MacAskill a nomination for Laureus World Sports Awards as Action Sportsperson of the Year. It’s one of the only mainstream awards for whichMacAskill has been nominated, but if he continues elevating his tricks, which appears to be a given, it won’t be
the last.