the red bulletin june 2013 – uk
DESCRIPTION
Three leading Lions: Owen Farrell, Jamie Roberts and George North take on Australia.TRANSCRIPT
June 2013a beyond the ordinary magazine
t w o w e e k s i n t h e m o u n ta i n s
the hardest race in
the world
v i c t o r i a a z a r e n k a
wimbledon winner?
o w e n Fa r r e l l , J a m i e r o b e r t s & G e o r G e n o r t h ta k e o n a u s t r a l i a
t h r ee
lions
HELLY HANSEN CATWALK
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CONFIDENT WHEN IT MATTERS
Asmus NørresletUIAGM Mountain guideLofoten, Norway
IT’S WHAT YOU WERE BORN TO DO
Photo: Michael Tew
olde/Save the Children
Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon 6 October 2013
Are you up for a challenge? Then join our team for the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon.
Get fit, push yourself and help save children’s lives in the poorest parts of the world.
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“On landing I was so exhausted I barely felt anything. Emotions came later at base camp”
WelcomeThe man in the baggy one-piece on the right there is Valery Rozov. He has done 9,000 BASe-jumps and wingsuit flights. His most recent, and perhaps most remarkable, achievement was to fly to earth in a wingsuit after leaping from mount everest. We have the full story, with amazing, exclusive pictures. From the top of the world all the way Down Under: the British & Irish Lions take on Australia this month. A lions series is a rare jewel in international sport, and, whether lining up for or against them, a crowning moment in a rugby player’s career. Three leading lions – owen Farrell, George North, Jamie Roberts – met with The Red Bulletin to talk tours, tries and triumphs. elsewhere, tennis world number three Victoria Azarenka showed us around her home town in Belarus in advance of her tilt at Wimbledon. All this, and much more. enjoy.
high flyervalery rozov is the first man to fly
with the aid of a wingsuit from the northface of mount everest. No one has launched
themselves from a higher point on earth
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THE WORLD OF RED BULL
the red bulletin 7
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56 89war and peaceat home with Victoria Azarenka, the most controversial player in women’s tennis. Can she win Wimbledon?
not plain sailing america’s Cup-winning yachtsman James Spithill knows the blood, sweat and tears it takes to triumph on water
28me & my bodySpanish triathlete Josef Ajram loves tattoos, never has a day off and knows his limits – or maybe not
do the balkan only four paces from the sea to the dancefloor? Welcome to Europe’s hottest party beach
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June
72peak conditionRed Bull X-Alps is the world’s toughest adventure race: flying, running and climbing from Salzburg to monte Carlo
Bullevard 12 photos of the month
20 news Sport and culture on the quick23 where’s your head at? Star of World War Z Brad Pitt 24 kit evolution TVs through time 28 me & my body Josef Ajram 30 winning formula Cycling uphill 32 lucky numbers Superman in figures
Features
34 On top of the world How one man BASE-jumped off Everest
46 Taking on Australia Three British & Irish Lions on what it takes to win rugby’s toughest tour
54 Hitting the beats Slovenian DJ Maya Medvesek
56 Homeward bound Belarusian tennis ace Victoria Azarenka takes The Red Bulletin back home
64 Spinning through time How B-Boys came to be
70 Back with a bangDublin punk upstarts Wounds have the scars and stories of seasoned rockers
72 Red Bull X-AlpsTwo weeks in the mountains
80 Four men in a boatConquering one of adventure’s last big challenges on the Arctic Ocean
action 86 travel Ride a Russian MiG 87 �get the gear Kit for crossing the Alps88 party The island of Pag, Croatia89 �training Fit like a pro yachtsman 92 �my city In Cape Town with DJ Haezer93 playlist DJ Branko recommends94 save the date Events for your diary98 time warp A tightrope walk in 1890
AT A glAnce
THe WORlD OF ReD BUll
8 the red bulletin
contributorsWho’s on boardthis issue
In his job as a teacher and physicist, the
Austrian regularly achieves what many would consider impossible: he makes physics interesting. Every month in The Red Bulletin, he unravels the mysteries of sport in Winning Formula. From powerboats to powerlifters, from downforce to uplift, his plain-English insights will make you feel smarter just by reading them. This month, he reveals the science of cycling uphill.
martin apolin
Based in Paris, the model-turned photographer has spent much of her working life on fashion and commercial shoots, both behind and in front of the lens. On our British & Irish Lions story, she encountered something entirely new to her: rugby players. Having set up the studio for regular athletes, adjustments were necessary when three supersized sportsmen showed up. Not something she finds working for Elle, Glamour and Wallpaper.
The German photographer was there with his camera when Valery Rozov jumped from Mount Everest. “Shutter speed: 1/2500s. I am hanging from a rope. Next to me, Valery in his wingsuit gets ready for his jump. I’m not sure who’s breathing quicker. The margin of error for both of us is zero. Another attempt is not an option.” Senf is a skilled climber who specialises in mountain missions like this one. He moved to Switzerland so he could be closer to the clouds.
tHomas sEnF
Minsk instead of Monaco, tower blocks
instead of posh mansions, unheated training halls instead of courts under palms: tracing the heritage of Victoria Azarenka means foregoing life’s luxuries. But our man was ready and willing for the challenge. He can turn his hand to many subjects, but since he’s a tennis expert (who still swings a mean backhand) his days with the world’s number three female tennis player were a love-game.
stEFan wagnEr
“i am hanging from a rope on Everest. the margin of error is zero. Another attempt is not an option” Thomas senf
The Red BuLLeTIn united Kingdom
Published by Red Bull Media House GmbH
General Manager Wolfgang Winter
Publisher Franz Renkin
editor-in-Chief Robert Sperl
deputy editor-in-Chief Alexander Macheck
uK & Ireland editor Paul Wilson
Creative director Erik Turek
Art director Kasimir Reimann
Chief Photo editor Fritz Schuster
Production editor Marion Wildmann
Chief Sub-editor Nancy James
deputy Chief Sub-editor Joe Curran
Assistant editors Ruth Morgan, Ulrich Corazza, Werner Jessner,
Florian Obkircher, Arek Piatek, Andreas Rottenschlager, Daniel Kudernatsch (app), Christoph Rietner (app)
Contributing editor Stefan Wagner
design Miles English (manager), Martina de Carvalho-Hutter,
Silvia Druml, Kevin Goll, Carita Najewitz, Esther Straganz
Photo editors Susie Forman (Creative Photo Editor),
Ellen Haas, Catherine Shaw, Rudi Übelhör
Repro Managers Clemens Ragotzky (manager),
Karsten Lehmann, Josef Mühlbacher
head of Production Michael Bergmeister
Production Wolfgang Stecher (manager),
Walter O Sádaba, Christian Graf-Simpson (app)
Printed by Prinovis Liverpool Ltd www.prinovis.com
Finance Siegmar Hofstetter, Simone Mihalits
Marketing & Country Management Barbara Kaiser (manager), Stefan Ebner, Stefan Hötschl, Elisabeth Salcher, Lukas Scharmbacher, Sara Varming
Marketing design Julia Schweikhardt, Peter Knethl
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Advertising enquiries UK: Georgia Howie +44 (0) 203 117 2000,
[email protected] Ireland: Deirdre Hughes +35 (0) 386 2488504,
Advertising Placement Sabrina Schneider
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distribution The Red Bulletin is published in Austria, Brazil,
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Website www.redbulletin.com
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maria ziEgElböck
10 the red bulletin
More Like Playtime Than Drivetime!ONE WHOLE
EXTRA HOUR
WITH THE LADS !
V i e n n a , au st r ia
Row of lightIt took 1,000 LEDs, 150m of cable, eight rowers and, of
course, a boat to create this electric scene. Photographer Christoph Meissner captured the moment in honour
of the Vienna Nightrow, an international eights regatta that will take place after dusk on June 29. The photoshoot
was a good opportunity for the women in the shot to practise, since they will be competing at the event,
but on the night their path will be lit with the rather more practical option of floodlights.
More light shed: www.vienna-nightrow.comPhotography: Christoph Meissner
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M a n p u p u n e r , r u s s ia
HigH pointOne for the family album: Stefan Glowacz and Big Brother. Glowacz is the German climber who headed an expedition to climb the Seven Strong Men, a group of stone pillars high on a Siberian plateau about 1,500km north-east of Moscow. Big Brother is the tallest of the Men, about 42m high. A documentary of Glowacz’s magnificent Seven trek, the first concurrent conquering of the pillars, will be released later this year.Search for ‘7 Giants’ at www.redbull.comPhotography: Klaus Fengler/Red Bull Content Pool
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Q u e e n stow n , n e w Z e a l a n D downhill
racerWith a top speed of 233.3kph (145mph), Mike Whiddett
tackles the Crown Range Road, the highest highway in his homeland, which has a neck-muscle-taxing 47
bends along its 10.5km (6.5 miles). The drop in altitude from its high point to its low point is 1,080m (3,543ft). The Auckland-based driver is an expert in drift racing,
in which corners, and a few straights, are taken side-on with smoking tyres. His nickname: Mad Mike.
Driving insane: www.madmike.co.nzPhotography: Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool
17
Bullevard
Dubai Spain’s Maikel Melero soars through the night sky during round two of Red Bull X-Fighters 2013. Daniel Grund
Hard ballThe FIFA Confederations Cup,
a dry run for next year’s World Cup, ends in Rio de
Janeiro on June 30. Meanwhile, elsewhere on Planet Football…
sepak takraw super seriesTo Thailand, for round two of the part-soccer, part-volleyball, part-
marshall arts sport’s international tournament (June 27-30).
CalCio storiCo Every third week of June, the centre of Florence becomes a battlefield
of ancient Italian sporting tradition.
swamp soCCer worlD CupMud, sweat, tears, more mud and then more mud on top of that in
Blairmore, Scotland (June 29-30).
roboCup Androida Pirlo, Iron Giggs and Roboto Carlos take to the field
in Eindhoven (June 26-30).
His tools are scalpel and tweezers. His materials: atlases, encyclopaedias and dictionaries. “Books no longer have the monopoly of conveying content,” says Brian Dettmer. “Which raises the question: what do we do with these forms now?” The 38-year-old Chicago-born artist has found a unique, and uniquely creative, answer. He transforms discarded old books into paper sculptures. With the skill and the precision of a surgeon, he drives his blade ever deeper into each volume, page by page, creating new contexts for old illustrations and text. Dettmer, who has three exhibitions in 2013, doesn’t use glue or add any other materials. He spends five days working on a single book; a linked series can take up to five months. Does cutting up books fuel a guilty conscience? “In the beginning it did,” he says, “but it also made me question why we value them the way we do. This made me look at the actual book as a material to start to work with.” www.briandettmer.com
Take a leaf out of artist Brian Dettmer’s book: he’d do the same to you
Complete Guide, 2011, by brian Dettmer
off the page
Sport and culture on the quick
EVERY shot oN tARGEt
phototicker
every month we print a selection, with our favourite pic awarded a limited-edition sigg bottle. tough, functional and well-suited to sport, it features the red bulletin logo.
Have you taken a picture with ared bull flavour? email it to us at: [email protected]
20 the red bulletin
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his debut album was the pop sensation of 2011: rumbling bass, fragile melodies and crackling electronics. in other words, blues for the 21st century. it sold half a million copies and turned stevie Wonder and brian eno into blake fans. now the 24-year-old brit is touring in support of his follow-up, Overgrown.the red bulletin: They say that the second album is the hardest. Is that true?james blake: Sure, after the first record, you could get fat off the success and just run around getting drunk. Instead I was touring constantly and meeting personal heroes like Joni Mitchell. My new songs are about what happened in the last two years.
Where do you find it easiest to write new material?On the plane. It’s actually the noisiest place, but also the most remote. No one cares when you are just writing – and you’re less distracted. I enjoy that sort of creative straightjacket. How did the collaboration with electronic legend Brian Eno happen? In the middle of recording the album, I got to a point where I didn’t know how to continue. So I asked him for advice; he invited me to go and see him at his recording studio. He kept giving me tea and encouraged me to stick to my ideas. We even recorded a track together – I put it on the album. Overgrown is out now. Live show dates: www.jamesblakemusic.com
ElEctro BluEs James Blake, feted wunderkind of electronica, talks about meeting his heroes, inflight inspirations and taking tea with Eno
A temporary street art gallery in the heart of Paris, including angelic work from France’s YZ
Keys to success: James Blake
FinAL ticKet Dearest official ballot ticket for this year’s
men’s final: £130. In 2012, for Federer-Murray, they were 20 times that on eBay.
PriZe mOneYFinancial crisis? Pah! Winner’s purses are 40 per cent greater than last year: both
men’s and ladies’ champ will get £1.6m.
strAwBerriesSome 28 tonnes of the fruit were
consumed last time, in 10-berry portions, plus slurp of cream,
costing £2.50.
Hidden artin its 130 years of service to the french capital, les bains douches has undergone plenty of changes. after its beginnings as a bathhouse favoured by the parisian beau monde, in 1978 it began a run as the city’s coolest club, with regulars such as mick Jagger, kate moss and Johnny depp. three years ago, it closed after renovation works went awry. the plans are back on track, however, and the building is dueto reopen as a luxury hotel in 2014. to make the most of les bains’ downtime, owner Jean-pierre marois handed the building over to 50 leading street artists from around the world. the likes of Vhils, sten lex, space invader and future transformed the building into 2013’s most vital collection of urban art. this most modern museum, however, can never be seen by the public, due to health and safety reasons. thankfully, the artists have set up a blog to document their work and display it to the rest of the world. www.lesbains-paris.com
Love & money
tennis returns to
its spiritual home of
Wimbledon on June 24
São Paulo Neymar (l) and Kelvin Santos Silva, victor at soccer skill test Red Bull Principe da Vila. Fabio Piva
Bangkok Hip-hop dance troupe Flying Steps turn the world on its head in Thailand’s capital. Dean treml
Doha At Red Bull Fortress Challenge in Qatar: 150 mountain bikers, sand, treacherous terrain and heat. sharbel najem
we HAVe A winner!
the red bulletin 21
Wacky racesA road race with a difference is coming to Alexandra Palace, in London, next month. The Red Bull Soapbox Race pits homemade, human-powered vehicles together in a test of speed, showmanship and design. It’s the first time the event has been held in the UK, but it has a long history in many countries. Entrants spend months crafting their soapbox racers: a giant corn-on-the-cob, a pair of frisky polar bears and a human cannon have all taken to the track. Enormous fun for those taking part and watching. Tickets are on sale now. soapbox.redbull.co.uk
You versus the worldCapable cyclists craving a new challenge take note: entries for the World Cycle Race are now open. On next year’s spring equinox, March 22, 2014, those who think they have what it takes to circumnavigate the globe on two wheels will set off from either London, Auckland or Singapore, on an 18,000-mile journey. Entries can be solo (the ultimate challenge), supported (for the best chance of breaking a record) and pairs (for moral support), and there is no sign-up fee. www.worldcyclerace.com
Sean Conway at World Cycle Race:
2014 now open
Tokyo CallingDJ/producer Gerard Roberts, aka Kidkanevil, aka one half of Kidsuke, is a 32-year-old Leeds lad who lives in London and dreams of Japan
Family affair“Half my family are musicians and record collectors: my dad’s a folk musician, my uncle loves jazz and funk. I sat around while they tuned instruments. That noise still makes me bored now, as it meant I couldn’t watch telly.”Child’s play“I met the Japanese producer Daisuke Tanabe at Red Bull Music Academy. We hit it off and became Kidsuke. When he came over, we jammed for hours using my collection of kids’ toys and instruments. That was basically the album.”Lost in Translation“Japanese culture is a big influence on me. It’s inspiring and strange. They have these Buddha statues that they dress in little
woolly hats and jackets. I asked Daisuke what the cultural significance was and he said, “It’s so they don’t get cold.” Big Breakfast“I like to mix cereals. I go for blander ones like corn flakes and Shreddies combined with sugary ones like Cocoa Pops and Sugar Puffs.” Kidsuke play the Sonar Festival from June 13: www.sonar.es W
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All downhill from here: Red Bull Soapbox Race on July 14
Jeddah It takes focus to perform well at the Red Bull BC One Cypher in Saudi Arabia. Stefan Voitl
San Francisco Art meets acrobatics as the riders show their best tricks at Red Bull Ride + Style. Garth Milan
Córdoba Sébastien Loeb flies to victory in Argentina, round five of the World Rally Championship. Marcelo Maragni
Gerard Roberts formed Kidsuke at Red Bull Music Academy
Bullevard
22 the red bulletin
Where’s Your head at?
brad pittHe turns 50 this year, makes megamovies and proper grown-up cinema, and once hawked Mexican
food dressed as a bird. But, aside from the wife and kids, what else makes this superstar tick?
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The First RuleBecoming the maniacal Tyler Durden for Fight Club, in 1999, required a lot of cut-and-paste. “I covered my trailer in porn, and a Bruce Lee photo,” he told acting students eager for tips. Susan Sarandon visited the set “with her daughter and little Natalie Portman. So be careful.”
Monkey DoAfter bit parts, Pitt’s career took off in 1991 with Thelma & Louise. In 1994, Legends
of the Fall gave him his first lead. In 1995 came Se7en and an Oscar-nominated turn in
12 Monkeys – fitting, as Planet Of The Apes is one
of his favourite movies.
Korma KarmaWhat does an A-list couple
do for surprise gifts? Frozen takeaway. While in the UK in April, Angie arranged for a
Surrey curry house to make and freeze dishes Brad loved when the family lived nearby last year, and took them back to LA on the plane. That’s love.
Pitt StopHis perfume ad caused a Pitt storm. “The world turns and we
turn with it. Plans disappear. Dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are. My luck, my fate, my fortune. Chanel No. 5.
Inevitable,” he said, earning US$170,000 a word and much
derision. Inevitable.
Put On WeightNine years ago, Pitt scored a hat-trick of hits: Troy, Ocean’s Twelve, Mr & Mrs Smith. He has since favoured art over
commerce: Babel, Burn After Reading, Moneyball. “What
I’m lacking,” he stated, “is the weight of some of the actors I like, maybe I’ll focus on that.”
Under The Feathers
William Bradley Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA on December 18, 1963. Just before graduating, he drove to LA in Runaround Sue, his old Datsun. He worked as an
extra, dressed as a chicken to sell burritos and was a driver/DJ for strippers at parties.
Undead GoodReleased in June, World War Z is Brad Pitt versus zombies, but for sentimental reasons. “I just wanted to do a film that my boys could see before they turned 18,” said Brad, “one that they would like, anyways.” No
caring father would make them sit through Meet Joe Black.
Six PackPitt has six children with
Angelina Jolie: three adopted, three biological. In 2008, they raised US$14 million for their
charity selling pics of newborn twins Knox and Vivienne. Said Jolie: “We explain to our kids
that people like to take photos of people who make movies.”
the red bulletin 23
Bullevard
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What do the cutting-edge televisions of today and 60 years ago have in common? Apart from an audience of couch potatoes, very little
kit evolution
Outside Japan and the USA, television was predominantly black and white in the early 1960s. After switching on the set, it could take up to two minutes for component parts to warm up. Tuning was a balancing act, not infrequently performed with an aerial up on the roof. Many countries had limited broadcasting times, with only a test pattern shown between. The set itself – this one has a 23in (58cm) screen – was considered aesthetically pleasing: something that was lost, but which today’s TV sets are reviving. www.radiomuseum.org
In the early 1960s, there were about 200 million television sets worldwide…
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ON THE BUTTONSo simple: just five knobs (including one on the side) and six buttons for fine-tuning. The only form of remote control back then was the power cut.
1960 PhiliPs Regent AutomAtic console
TOP BOX SETTVs were furniture, with room on top for knick-knacks, which may have included a light, thought to reduce the effect of harmful X-ray emissions from the cathode ray tube. There are no harmful X-ray emissions from cathode ray tubes.
EXTrA SOUNd!The former inner life of the television, with its coils, capacitors and resistors, was dirty and noisy. Every element seemed to hum, heat up and attract dust.
24 the red bulletin
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LOSE THE REMOTEHandset not to hand? No problem: with its Magic Remote Voice feature, this telly can be controlled with pointing, gestures and spoken commands.
You can get a lot of cinema visits, or a mid-range car, for the low five-figure price of this television set, but that’s sort of the point. For your outlay, you get a multimedia console in the form of a most modern LED television. Of course it’s Wi-Fi ready, so of course it has a web browser, YouTube and Facebook as standard, with the options of video chat, and internet-based video and music on demand. Despite the size, this set can be wall-mounted or freestanding. The screen is about 15 times larger than the ’60s set. www.lg.com
2013 LG 84LM960V
FUTURE PROOFThe ultra-high definition display is four times standard HD resolution: UHD broadcasts begin with the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The 3D is flicker-free – but you still need the glasses.
HOME CINEMAWith a screen diagonal of 84in (213cm), this set requires serious wall space and suitable viewing distance. Despite weighing about 80kg, it’s only 4cm wide.
…and now there are about 1.5 billion, with every computer screen potentially TV-ready.
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26 the red bulletin
me and my body
The 35-year-old Spanish triathlete loves tattoos, never has a day off and knows his limits… or maybe not www.josefajram.es
josef ajram
1 DEC 25: TRAININGAfter thousands and thousands of kilometres on my bike and running, my strongest muscles are in my thighs. I train twice a day, even on Sundays and at Christmas. One thing I’ve learnt is that a weekly physiotherapy session is essential.
2 BLACK TOESBecause of the position we adopt riding the bike, it places a burden on the neck muscles and spine. Running affects the knees and ankles. Many runners who cover extreme distances, even in comfortable shoes, wind up with black toenails.
DEPRECIATION 4As a triathlete, it’s
important to have a slender upper body and to be
powerful, especially in the legs. I’m 190cm tall and
I weigh about 81kg. During an Ironman triathlon
[3.86km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km marathon]
I can lose more than 3kg.
wATER wORKS 5The greatest enemy of the
endurance athlete is cramp. Therefore it’s essential to
drink regularly while competing, but never too
much at once. I have a couple of sips every seven minutes. Over eight hours
of an Ironman race, that adds up to 14 litres of water.
INK CAPACITY 3 I love tattoos. I’ve had 24
so far. I have logos from previous competitions and
the name of my daughter. My favourite tattoo is on my neck. It says: “I don’t know where the limit is,
but I know where it is not.”
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28 the red bulletin
enter the dark sideIn the north of England an underground art scene in the very realest sense
Candice Tripp left South Africa at 18 to pursue a fashion career in London. Little did she know that, aged 27, she’d be a successful artist, living in Newcastle, thanks to her paintings of darkly humorous worlds populated by masked children and gnarled forests.the red bulletin: How did you get to paint for a living? candice tripp: I never thought I would. I thought that to be a ‘proper’ artist, you had to exhibit your bed full of used condoms or something. But I got offered a show, and fell into it. It’s what I love doing. Do you ever suffer from artists’ block? I recently got into audio books and they make me way more productive. I’m a Stephen King junkie, and I find him creeping into my paintings. I’ll hear a trucker crack a crude joke and think, ‘That’s a perfect line: I’ll use that.’Where does the darkness in your work come from?I lean that way naturally. I focus on things that terrify me, as it’s easier to deal with things that scare you using humour. My brother gets freaked out, but I tell him it’s cool. It’s people who are 100 per cent happy all the time that I’m scared of. Where’s the strangest place your work has been exhibited? I’m about to be part of a show held in a small tunnel under Newcastle, along with artists including Shepard Fairey, which is exciting. I get put in with a lot of big street artists. It’s hugely flattering, but I feel a bit out of place: a quiet hermit alongside these guys who paint these giant walls. So a dark tunnel should suit me. At Victoria Tunnel, Newcastle: www.facebook.com/Unit44IntoTheDark
Candice Tripp’s work will be shown alongside that of Shepard Fairey
HArd & FASTTop performers and winning ways from around the globe
South African surfer
Jordy Smith won a
gold medal at X Games
Real Surf, a new
contest where prizes
are awarded for the
best 90-second videos
of freesurf footage.
By finishing in second place in the last race of the season in Las Vegas, USA, German KTM rider Ken Roczen won the AMA supercross championship in the 250cc class.
Brazilian driver Daniel Serra enjoyed a perfect weekend racing stock cars in Taruma near São Paulo. The Red Bull Racing star scored pole position, fastest lap and won the race.
British rider Shanaze
Reade (centre) was in
unbeatable form on
home asphalt at the BMX
Supercross World Cup
race in Manchester, UK.
She also triumphed three
weeks later in Santiago
del Estero, Argentina.
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in the lab“When faced with an incline, most bicycle riders resort to out- of-saddle pedalling,” says dr Martin apolin, physicist, sports scientist and lecturer at the university of Vienna. “you stand on the pedals and work them, body and bicycle swaying from side to side as you pedal (fig. 1). the body’s centre of gravity (bcg), increases a little during each stroke. lifting power, PH = (mgh)/t where m is the mass of the rider, g is gravity and h is height, over t, time cycled, is required to achieve this. but it doesn’t translate directly into forward momentum, meaning that out- of-saddle pedalling wastes effort. so how can it still be useful?
“first, let’s examine circular pedalling, or ‘normal’ in-saddle riding. in theory, the tangential force expended by pedalling should remain at a constant rate for the entire revolution. that means not just pushing down on the pedal, but also pulling and pushing to bring the pedal back around with the same force. however, studies have shown that even world-class riders can’t achieve completely circular pedalling: greater effort is always concentrated on pushing the pedal down (fig. 2). so the term ‘circular pedalling’ doesn’t refer to a constancy of tangential force, but to a steady, less staccato style of pedalling.
“Work is generally defined as force multiplied by distance: W = Fs. in our case, the distance in a crank rotation of the circumference, ie one full rotation of the pedal, is 2rπ and the force is the average tangential force, FT over a full rotation: W = FT2rπ. power, on the other hand, is work per unit of time: P = W/t. the power of the cyclist is therefore P = FT(2rπ)/t, where t stands for the duration of a complete rotation. assuming a constant rate of pedalling, power is therefore proportional to the average tangential force: P ~ FT .
“Which brings us to the disadvantage of circular pedalling. the maximum tangential force is achieved in pressing downwards and cannot exceed the weight force of the rider, G = mg where m is the mass of the rider, and g is gravity (around 10m/s2), otherwise the rider would be lifted off the seat. that also means that the average tangential force cannot exceed the weight force, and so, the maximum achievable power for a given transmission and pedalling frequency is indirectly limited by the weight of the rider: P ~ FT < G. all of which brings us back to out-of-saddle pedalling.
“it’s useful, because when you lift off the saddle your arms push down on the bike handles. this exerts additional force on the pedals, leading to an increase in FT, which consequently increases power. it is this that makes out-of-saddle pedalling the right method for accelerating and sprinting, or indeed for uphill cycling.”
on the bike“for training, i recommend sprinting up a hill,” says tim Johnson, three-time us champion in cyclocross – cross-country cycling on racing bikes. “a perfect day on a bike always seems to involve a lot of out-of-saddle climbing.” his tip for uphill motivation? “imagine you’re being chased by a vicious dog.”Life on two wheels: twitter.com/timjohnsoncx
pedal powerWhy are we inclined to get out of the saddle when cycling uphill?
winning formula
30
Bullevard
US cross-country champion Tim Johnson:
“Just imagine you’re being chased by a dog”
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supermanHe’s not a bird or a plane, but he is celebrating his 75th birthday with a new film. Here’s your cast-iron guide to the Man of Steel
130In 1932, US teenagers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created a comic-book character, the bald villain Superman. He wasn’t well received by publishers, so the boys turned him into a good guy, with hair. In 1938 they sold rights to the character for US$130. After subsequent legal battles, they were awarded a little more money. Siegel’s estate was in court as recently as April.
www.superman.com
27Last November, as part of research for a scientifically accurate comic
story, physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson searched for Superman’s home planet, Krypton. Using info
gleaned from the comics, he arrived at the red dwarf star LHS 2520. In the Corvus constellation, and
about a quarter of the mass of our own sun, ‘Krypton’ is
27 light years from Earth.
5Out in June, Man Of Steel, sees
Henry Cavill become the fifth big-screen Superman, after
Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Christopher Reeve and Brandon
Routh. Cavill, the first Brit, will be hoping to avoid the so-called
Superman Curse, a legend rooted in Reeves’s suicide in 1959 and
Reeve’s riding accident in 1995, which left him paralysed from the
neck down until his death in 2004.
1.9The superhero also known as Clark Kent has been measured at 1.9m (6ft 3in) tall, weighing 102kg. He is allergic to the alien element kryptonite, but has suffered far worse. In 1992 he died in a battle with his enemy Doomsday. It was a canny move by DC Comics: The Death of Superman was an instant bestseller – and a reinvigorated Superman returned soon after.
2,160,000Superman made his debut in the first edition of Action Comics, June 1938. It cost 10 cents. In November 2011, one of the surviving 50 copies was sold at auction for a record US$2.16 million. The vendor was alleged to be comic-book fan and one-time possible movie Superman Nicolas Cage, from whom the comic was stolen in 2000, and found 11 years later in a storage locker.
Nicolas Cage
The first Superman comic
The Death of Superman
Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Christopher Reeve
LHS 2520: planet Krypton?
Henry Cavill
1940During World War II, Superman
became a propaganda instrument. In a 1940 comic, he even dragged
Hitler and Stalin before the League of Nations. The Nazis weren’t amused: propaganda
minister Goebbels declared that Superman was Jewish, with
“an overdeveloped body and an underdeveloped mind”, and
banned the comics from Germany.
George Reeves
Bullevard
32 the red bulletin
THE TASTE OF crAnbErry, limE Or bluEbErry.
THE EFFEcT OF rEd bull.
WingS FOr All TASTES.
H i g H f l y e r
w o r d s : w e r n e r j e s s n e r p H o t o g r a p H y : t H o m a s s e n f & d e n i s K l e r o
L a s t m o n t h V a l e r y R o z o v b e c a m e t h e f i r s t m a n t o f l y w i t h t h e a i d o f a w i n g s u i t f r o m t h e n o r t h f a c e o f M o u n t E v e r e s t . N o o n e h a s l a u n c h e d t h e m s e l v e s f r o m a h i g h e r p o i n t o n E a r t h
35
“ E v E r E s t h a s f a s c i n a t E d m E s i n c E i w a s a c h i l d . a s a t E E n a g E r , i d E v o u r E d t h E s t o r i E s o f t h E h E r o E s o n t h i s m o u n t a i n , t h E i r t r i u m p h s a n d t r a g E d i E s .
S o i t w a s v e r y s p e c i a l f o r m e t o w a k e u p a t t h e b a s e c a m p o f M o u n t E v e r e s t a n d a c t u a l l y s e e i t i n f r o n t o f m e . I t m o v e d m e . E v e r e s t i s l i k e n o o t h e r m o u n t a i n i n t h e w o r l d ”
36
“ T h e b u s t r i p f r o m K a t h m a n d u t o t h e C h i n e s e b o r d e r t o o k f o u r d a y s . T h e w a l k u p t o b a s e c a m p a l o n e t o o k a n o t h e r f i v e d a y s ”
fter a month in the Himalayas, Valery Rozov, the adventure sportsman from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, has just returned to civilisation – or more precisely, to the Yak & Yeti Hotel in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu with its hot showers, soft beds, an internet connection and restaurants. He set out from here exactly 30 days ago to fulfil a dream: the 48-year-old wanted to be the first man to fly from the northern face of Everest. Up to now, the father of three has made over 9,000 BASE jumps, exploring new territory and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. But even for him, Everest was something special.
“Not because it is the highest wingsuit flight, but because this mountain has so much history,” he says. “To do something fresh, that’s what attracted me.”
It took a full four years from the idea to the actual flight. “My good friend, the mountaineer Alex Abramov, has organised tours in the Himalayas for the last 12 years,” says Rozov. “We met in 2009, and he showed me pictures of Everest: ‘What do you say to jumping here?’ I couldn’t shake the idea. In the spring of 2011, I went to do a location check. Is it at all possible what I’m picturing in my head? Is it realistic?”
Three things had to be considered. Firstly, there was finding suitable take-off point where the wall was steep enough. Second: wearing a wingsuit in thin air, is it possible to shift from the free fall into forward motion? Third: locating
the ideal landing spot on the Rongbuk Glacier, which begins at the foot of the north face. The Rongbuk is, like many glaciers in the region, notorious for its crevasses.
Rozov put together an expedition and looked at some possible launching and
A38
J u m p p o i n t : 7 , 2 1 7 m a b o v e s e a l e v e l . t h i s m a r k s t h e h i g h e s t a l t i t u d e f r o m w h i c h a p e r s o n h a s l a u n c h e d a b a s e - J u m p o r w i n g s u i t f l i g h t
landing points. The route soon came together. It would be best to ascend via the classic northern course, then turn right towards the highest point of the north face at 7,217m above sea level after reaching the North Col ridge, instead of heading left towards the Everest summit. Taking the many variables into account, they came to the conclusion that the jump would be technically difficult – the first rock wall is not very high – but feasible.
A few unknowns remained. How would Rozov feel after the arduous climb in thin air? Would his flying instincts still be sound under these conditions? Also, how could he and his team optimise the
“ u n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e r e w a s n o c h a n c e t o e n j o y t h e v i e w i n f l i g h t ”
wingsuit to get away from the rock face quickly and out into the free air space?
This project turned the BASE-jumper into an even better climber than he already was. During the last two years, Rozov has spent many months at high altitude. “This helps tremendously, even though I’ll never be a professional high-altitude mountaineer,” he says. Anyone who climbs the 6,000m of Mount Kilimanjaro just for training purposes is being modest in making such a statement.
For the project to succeed, a new kind of wingsuit was needed. In partnership with American wingsuit manufacturer, Tony Suits, a suitable model was developed that Rozov tested at trial jumps. In June 2012, he leapt from Shivling, a 6,543m mountain in the northern part of the Indian Himalayas. Like the Matterhorn – the northern flank of which Rozov jumped from last October, in preparation for the Everest assault – the Shivling features what Rozov calls a “short
V a l e r y R o z o v ’ s e x p e d i t i o n i n v o l v e d 1 4 p e o p l e , i n c l u d i n g f o u r g u i d e s . S a f e t y w a s t h e a b s o l u t e p r i o r i t y
41
42 the red bulletin
O n e s t e p . F i v e s e c O n d s O F u n c e r t a i n t y
T h e n t h e f a l l s h i f t e d i n t o f o r w a r d m o t i o n
take-off ramp”, so he was able to get a feel for the conditions that awaited him at his Everest jump.
After that, the project took shape through a series of scientific experiments. In the wind tunnel at the University of Stuttgart in Germany, Rozov and his team attempted to gather more data, but faced limitations in simulating the reality of a wingsuit flight. In November 2012, Rozov met with the wingsuit manufacturer once again to incorporate the findings into the final suit design.
On April 10, the expedition team flew to Kathmandu. They pinned their hopes on a decent weather window in the first week of May. As in all Everest expeditions, the procedure consisted of three days of checking equipment, the bus ride to the Chinese border, five days to the base camp, then a few days
“ o n l a n d i n g i w a s s o e x h a u s t e d i b a r e l y f e l t a n y t h i n g . e m o t i o n s c a m e t w o d a y s l a t e r a t b a s e c a m p ”
44 the red bulletin
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After reaching the top, rozov put on his wingsuit and began going through safety and wind checks. he took a few final breaths from an oxygen bottle to clear his head, then finally took flight at 2.30pm local time.
“after the first four, five seconds i felt really happy when i realised that i’d cleared the wall and everything was going according to plan. that was great,” he says. “the rest of the flight, which lasted less than a minute, was pretty unspectacular. i controlled my body position and my flight path and listened to the commands from my team. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to enjoy the view. i opened the parachute relatively early, about 20 seconds before landing. My team had marked out the landing field at the foot of the north wall – a windsock was also in place. Everything was professionally prepared.”
rozov is a very cool customer. Few emotions, no racing pulse. “i trained hard for two years for this, so it felt almost logical,” he explains. “of course it makes me proud, but the flight was the final step in a long chain. and in the air it makes no huge difference if you jump from 7,000m or from 2,000m above sea level. you don’t notice the speed and height. you only realise when you look at the videos how long it takes to get from falling to flying, but the difference is less significant than you’d expect, maybe 25 per cent.”
and the landing? “i was so exhausted that i barely felt anything. of course, i was glad that i had landed and all went well, but the big, deep thrill, that satisfaction of having achieved something that no one else has done before, only welled up two days later at base camp.”
rozov watches the video of his flight on a laptop back at the hotel in Kathmandu five days after the jump. Everything still feels as if it has just happened. the wind, the air, the noise, the wall, Everest, the dark sky, the glaciers, the pioneering feat. Now he relives the various phases of the flight, frame by frame, with immense joy and satisfaction. but there is something else, too, which he knows can happen. “the longer the time is between my last jump, the more often it happens that i think to myself: ‘Was that really me? Did i actually do that?’”
some things are so powerful that they threaten to rewire the memory.www.redbull.com
M o u n t e v e r e s tT w o r o u t e s l e a d t o Q o m o l a n g m a , t h e T i b e t a n n a m e f o r t h e r o o f o f t h e w o r l d .
O n M a y 2 9 , 1 9 5 3 , S i r E d m u n d H i l l a r y a n d S h e r p a T e n z i n g N o r g a y c l i m b e d t h e ‘ t h i r d p o l e ’ f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e . T h e y a p p r o a c h e d t h e s u m m i t f r o m t h e s o u t h . T h e a s c e n t v i a t h e n o r t h r o u t e , t h e o n e R o z o v a l s o t o o k , w a s f i r s t c o n q u e r e d i n 1 9 6 0 b y a C h i n e s e e x p e d i t i o n .
to 250 climbers waiting for their chance to ascend the mountain,” explained rozov. “their fitness and experience levels varied dramatically. it was amusing to watch.”
the wingsuit and parachute weigh just over 8kg. it was a matter of honour that rozov schlepped them himself, step by step, rope length by rope length, up to the jump exit point.
the route from the base camp to the top took four days and was exhausting, even with oxygen support. “We had to hurry because we only had a three-day weather window open for the jump,” says rozov. “at times there were winds with speeds of six to eight metres per second – that’s almost 30kph.”
Four mountain guides took part in the expedition – nothing would be left to chance during the ascent. safety was the absolute priority.
acclimatising, which involved ascents up to 6,000m before quickly heading back down again. Finally, inspecting the landing zone and departing for North Col on May 1.
Unlike other visitors to base camp, rozov’s team were not focused on the summit. “For me the summit is not a big motivation,” says rozov. “With enough oxygen and sherpas, it’s not particularly difficult. With mountain climbing in particular, style is crucial. in this regard i’m a purist.”
it’s a rush hour on Everest during spring, and not everyone behaves the way you would expect of climbers on the way to the roof of the world. one inglorious highlight this year was a punch-up on the way to the summit that made headlines around the world. how wild can it really get, then?
“When we were at Everest base camp, there were approximately 200
the red bulletin 45
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T H R E EL I O N S
O w e n Fa r r e l l , G e O r G e n O r t h a n d J a m i e r O b e r t s O n w h at i t ‘ s l i k e t O b e a b r i t i s h
& i r i s h l i O n , a n d w h at i t ta k e s t O w i n r u G b y ‘ s t O u G h e s t t O u r
WORDS: PAUL WILSONPHOTOGRAPHY: mARIA zIeGeLböck
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aving toured Australia three times with the England cricket team, Arthur Shrewsbury saw the potential of representative sports tours. In 1888, he organised a rugby side, consisting of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, to visit Australia and New Zealand. No Tests were played – and 19 games of Australian rules football were squeezed in along with 35 rugby matches – but that team started a tradition that, 125 years later, has evolved into one of international sport‘s most keenly fought and anticipated contests.
History is against the 2013 British & Irish Lions in Australia. They have won only four of the previous 12 Test series, going back to 1968 and including the only back-to-back-victories (1971 and 1974) since the first three Test series were won in 1891, 1896 and 1899. And yet: they have won 15 of 20 Tests against this year’s host, and this year’s tourists have among them some of the best players in world rugby.
Ahead of the first Test on June 22, The Red Bulletin caught up with three of those players: Wales centre Jamie Roberts, his international team-mate on the wing, George North, and England fly-half Owen Farrell.
The Wales winger only turned 21 in April, but he is an established international player with 12 tries in 31 appearances for his country. After scoring his 12th, against France in Paris, his father, David, left his seat in the crowd to join him on the pitch to celebrate. A recent move from Welsh club Scarlets to Northampton in England’s Premiership only increases his profile, as does his relationship with double cycling world champion Becky James (also Welsh and 21).ThE rED BullETiN: WhAT DoES ThE lioNS mEAN To you?Growing up, you see the national teams more often, so for me it was all Wales, Wales, Wales. Then you start to understand what the Lions is all about, what it means to people, everything that goes with it. The accolade that comes with playing for the Lions, and being able to play alongside the other players who get picked. Players from four countries together to form a supersquad and »
>—ge orgenort h winger, wales & northampton
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dion rem unt qui alit dereri-
bus, soloresci-ent quo berchil
et, odit apid quam harunt
dolo ten
Farrell on north“brilliant bloke, and
a fantastic player. any team that wants to win
matches needs a player like him on their side”
One of three 21-year-old Lions, along with Scotland’s Stuart Hogg, who turns 21 on tour, and George North. Farrell, a fly-half, who can also play centre, has won England’s premiership with Saracens, for whom he made his debut at 17. He made his England debut aged 20, having only played rugby league until he was 13. At Saracens, he came close to playing alongside his father, Andy, the England defensive coach who will be performing a similar role on the Lions tour. WHEN did yOu FirSt tHiNk yOu miGHt pLAy FOr tHE LiONS?I know that every player will say, ‘I just focus on the next game’, but we say it so much because it’s true. You can’t think about the Lions if all your focus is going into playing well for your club and your country. And if you don’t focus on playing well for those, you’re not going to get picked for the Lions. So until the squad was announced, I wasn’t thinking about it at all. All that mattered to me before that was the games I had to play. But it is the biggest honour you can have as a rugby player. SO did SELEctiON ruiN yOur SummEr HOLidAy pLANS?As a rugby player, you can’t book a holiday until after the season’s finished, anyway. You never know what you’ll have to do
>—
a superteam, and it’s always a trip to the other side of the world to play the best that is out there. Just an amazing honour to be a part of that.ArE yOu Out FOr rEvENGE iN AuStrALiA?Last summer we went with Wales, and it didn’t go well. We lost a series we might have won, which is absolutely gutting [Wales lost three Tests by eight, two and one points respectively]. You work hard, go to the other side of the world and lose like that – just horrible, really. So there will definitely be a push from the Welsh contingent to show what we really can do – which I know will be the attitude of all the players from the other three countries, too.ArE yOu A GOOd tOuriSt?The early part of the tour will involve a two- or three-day turnaround between each game. The perfect idea would be to play and be able to recover in that short space of time. The mental side of things, staying focused, will be as tough as it always is playing at this level, but on top of that you’re trying to stay match-fit for longer than you’re used to. I’m ready for that challenge.ArE WiNGErS uNdEr mOrE prESSurE tHAN pLAyErS iN OtHEr pOSitiONS?If you’re not scoring tries, then it will be said you’ve had a poor game – even in the modern game, with the winger’s role changed dramatically. Now we go looking for the ball, support the line, hit rucks – but a lot of people still think it’s tries or nothing. We do so much work off the ball. They call it the unseen stuff because most people don’t see it.iS yOur dAd cOmiNG tO WAtcH?He’s planning on coming on out. If he does, then he’ll be chained to his seat, or we’ll sit him right at the back of the stands. Just put him in the top corner.
off-season – a tour like this, if you’re lucky, maybe recovering from injury if you’re not.WHAt AbOut OFF-FiELd prESSurE OF tOuriNG?Doing a lot of media: that’s when you have to keep your focus. I’ve not had media training as such. Someone has a quick word with you, usually, before interviews. We had a little thing about how to use Twitter, but that’s just common sense really, isn’t it? I don’t Tweet what I’m doing at all times of the day. I’m not the type to tell everyone I’m going to bed. I don’t think there are too many rugby players like that.ArE yOu HArd ON yOurSELF?You have to be, to get better. You want to pick up on everything that you do, good or bad, and strive for a perfect game, even though that will never come. You need to understand why you made this decision, or why you didn’t make that decision. Going into a game, I don’t think you can do enough preparation, on yourself and on the opposition. The balance between playing what you expect, and what you end up with in front of you, is crucial.WHAt iS tHE NOrtHErN-SOutHErN HEmiSpHErE rivALry rEALLy LikE?The three southern hemisphere teams are the best in the rankings. Players from this part of the world want to go there and do well, to show what we’re made of. With the Lions, we get another chance to do that.
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ROBERTS ON FARRELL“Top fella, no doubt.
Hopefully we can kick off together on the
pitch and be successful in the Lions shirt”
NORTH ON ROBERTS“He’s a tremendous guy, he works hard
and he’s a great player. We‘ve played together for Wales a
lot, and it would be amazing to play with
him for the Lions”
In March this year, two days after he helped Wales beat England to win the Six Nations Championship, the 26-year-old sat his final written exam in his medical degree. The newly qualified Dr Roberts will be playing club rugby in France for Racing Metro in Paris from August. Before that, however, he will be a central figure for the Lions in Australia, on his second tour. In 2009 he was part of the side pipped 2-1 by South Africa, and was voted Lions Player of the Tour. HoW DoES IT FEEL To BE A SENIoR LIoN?I’m coming at it from a different perspective. Last time, in 2009, I was one of the juniors. Just a little fresh face. On this tour, I’m among a select group who’ve been more than once. Not many players get to do that. It’s Brian O’Driscoll’s fourth, Gethin Jenkins and Paul O’Connell, they’ve been three times. A handful of us will be on our second tour. We’ve got to set the standards, be the people who look after the guys on the first tour. What I really like is to learn new things with new players, new coaches. That’s very exciting. IS THE ATMoSPHERE AT A LIoNS MATCH REALLy So SPECIAL?It only happens every 12 years for the opposing players and fans. We have it every four years; they have to wait a
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dozen, so the anticipation is increased. There will be great players in Australia and New Zealand and South Africa who don’t get to play the Lions because the timing is wrong. So it is an international match as such, but the occasion is more than that.WHAT IS IT LIkE To BE oN TouR FoR So LoNg?It’s a bit of a throwback to the amateur era. Even though we are professionals now and this is our job, there is something about the idea and execution of a Lions tour that reminds me of the old days, and it’s something I massively enjoy. Everything is organised to the last button, of course, but training with players from other countries, having a few beers after the games with them – it feels to me like exactly what happened on Lions tours of old. DoES THAT INCLuDE SHARINg A RooM?Yes, we’re not allowed to room with players from our countries [15 of this year’s 37 Lions are Welsh, with 10 English, nine Irish and three Scots]. The names are drawn out of a hat. I think I’m a good roommate: have a chat, keep the place nice. I like to go out and about, explore, especially in Australia. I can stay in and watch TV when I’m at home. There will be golf. We played in South Africa, I remember it well. Nothing I do is out of the ordinary – I am just a normal bloke. WHAT ARE you goINg To Do To FILL youR TIME NoW you’RE NoT STuDyINg MEDICINE?I’m going to start learning French.
“The 2009 series was something our squad immediately looked forward to after winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The beautiful thing about the Lions is that it only comes around every 12 years for us, and we had spent our youth watching replays of Matt Dawson’s dummy and Jeremy Guscott’s drop goal [pivotal moments in the Lions’ 2-1 series win] to have the responsibility to win this next series was a huge privilege and one we took very seriously.
“I think the brand of rugby a team plays depends on the coach, but being a UK team they typically play a game based on territory, a good kicking game, defence, and a very physical pack. They are a difficult team to analyse as they only exist every four years, so we tried to the best of our ability to understand who would be their frontline players, and from there we focused massively on ourselves and our preparation for the three-Test series.
“In the first Test there were a few standout moments: the scrums, the red crowds at Kings Park stadium who brought an amazing atmosphere to what is usually a great stadium vibe anyway, and of course, who could ever forget that last kick in the second Test by Morné Steyn to win the series. What a moment!
“Sadly, we didn’t get to meet the Lions until after the third Test, which I found disappointing. We extended an invitation to them before they arrived to join us for a cold one in the changing room after each of the Tests, but they declined.”Between 2000-2011, John Smit won 111 caps for South Africa, 83 of them as captain – both national records. He ended his playing career in May, at Saracens, a club-mate of Owen Farrell, to return to South African rugby as the chief executive of Sharks in Durban.
HOW TO B E AT T H E L ION SJohn Smit, who captained South Africa to victory over the Lions in 2009, on planning and pulling off the ultimate home victory
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My dad is an amazing musician, so he got me started on that. i went to music school and trained as a jazz singer, but then i discovered clubbing and that was much more interesting than playing the flute. i don’t think my dad was very happy when i got into techno and that, but now he’s proud. he recently asked me to remix one of his tunes. Is gender still an issue in DJing?
if it’s got bass, nightwave loves it. the 29-year-old Slovenian-born dJ and producer, aka Maya Medvesek, regularly jets off from her current hometown of glasgow to entertain an ever-growing group of admirers with her distinct blend of chicago house, grime and hip-hop. her forward-thinking electronic creations and remixes are getting her mentioned in the same breath as the likes of hudson Mohawke and her boyfriend, Scottish dubstep aficionado rustie. there’s not much the red Bull Music Academy graduate can’t turn her hand to: she’s a national judo champion, stood in for penélope cruz and starred, on rollerskates, in a smash-hit video game. Who knows what the future holds? next year she might be digging for buried treasure…
the red bulletin: How would you describe your sound?nightwave: i play electronic music. it’s a broad term: i make all sorts of stuff, but my passion is making dance music because i enjoy partying myself. i use all sorts of different influences when i’m dJing. i enjoy mixing hip-hop with old techno, with cheesy r’n’B from right now, i like that collage of genres. When i first moved to the UK i’d never heard of grime and garage and it was inspiring. i just love any dance music.When you were growing up in Slovenia, did you have any idea that music would be your career?i was into all sorts of things when i was younger. i really enjoyed judo, and became the national champion.
they make it harder for the rest of us. that gap shouldn’t be there and i hope it’s completely gone in a few years. How hard was it to establish yourself when you moved to London?it was quite a shock doing that when i was 18. i did all sorts of jobs to get by, but that’s what you do when you need to pay the rent. i was just lucky i got some interesting jobs. Bizarrely, i was
a body double for penélope cruz in three movies – The Good Night, Chromophobia and Sahara. i had to kiss Martin Freeman – so i kissed a hobbit – and i met danny deVito. then i got a job as a character in the computer game DJ Hero. they wanted a girl who could rollerskate and dJ. i had to put on a lycra motion-capture suit covered in sensors and do every single move they use in the game, then they superimposed the character over my moves. it’s surreal: i played the game and was like. ‘that’s me!’ if i ever have kids, i’ll tell them about it. they’re funny stories to tell.
So if the music career ended tomorrow you’d have plenty to fall back on?it could disappear tomorrow, but i’d still be happy. i’d continue it as a hobby and do something else instead: i have a degree in alternative therapy, so i could pursue that, and i’ve always been interested in egyptology. But i’d also love to get involved with sound research… who knows? it’s an amazing world out there. Nightwave has a new EP out, on French label Marble (www.marble.fm): www.nightwave808.com
Chances are you’ve seen this Slovenian beat queen in action: you just don’t know it yetWords: Ruth Morgan Photography: Alex de Mora
obviously i’m a girl, but i’m not a ‘female dJ’. i’m a dJ, full stop. i don’t like tags and labels. the gender issue is always present. Some people still judge you differently, but the gap is smaller now. i think people are learning not to see women dJing as a freak show or a strange curiosity. What i really hate is people doing all-female line-ups – you wouldn’t single dJs out like that in any other way, using race for example. So i avoid that. you see these girls doing press shots in bikinis, and if they want to play that game, good for them. But
nightwave
DJ’s got talent
Rising spinster: Nightwave gets top billing in clubs across Europe
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BornJuly 12, 1983, Ljubljana, Slovenia
HonoursHas found success as a DJ, producer, body double and judo fighter, among many other things.
NightwearWhen creating, Nightwave is most comfortable “in pyjamas or a bathrobe, sitting around in my living room.”
Future musicShe hopes to release a jazz album one day and perform it live.
DJ killed the video game star: Maya Medvesek is focusing on a music career after starring in a computer game and doubling for Penélope Cruz
Homecoming: Azarenka in the Belarusian national tennis centre in Minsk. Aged seven she hit her first balls here
Loved, hated, feared: VICTORIA AZARENKA is the most controversial women’s tennis player in the world. At home with the ace who came in from the coldWords: Stefan Wagner Photography: Greg Funnell
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Above: Victoria Azarenka has supported Ekaterina and Ulyana Grib for four years.
Right: the Azarenka family lived in an apartment on the sixth floor of this block.
Below: Minsk Tennis Centre
a birch sapling. Wilson delivers her racquets with a cup per Grand Slam title engraved on the inner rim. The racquets have been adorned with two cups since January, when Azarenka defended her Australian Open title and reclaimed the top spot in women’s tennis, ahead of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
The roles in the three-way bout for number one are evenly distributed.
There’s Williams, who transformed women’s tennis into a power sport, has 15 Grand Slam titles to her name and recently turned 31 – she’s the grande dame of world tennis. Then there’s Sharapova, who transformed the women’s circuit into a catwalk and has been the best-paid female sporting star in the world for the last eight years.
And Victoria Azarenka? Victoria Azarenka wins. Has won, in fact, 19 out of 21 matches since the beginning of the year; injury forced her to miss two matches.
Victoria Azarenka; Victoria as in ‘victory’, a name her parents consciously chose in 1989. Back then Belarus was still part of the Soviet Union. “There were six of us living in a small apartment, my brother and I, parents, grandparents. My father had two jobs, my grandmother would go to work at five o’clock in the morning, my mother worked until late at night – all so I could have the opportunity to play tennis.”
he moment which reveals the most about Victoria Azarenka – over US$20 million prize money, loudest scream in professional sport, girlfriend of bizarre entertainer Redfoo – is this: late Sunday morning, two bumpy hours by car outside the capital Minsk, in a holiday home which looks like a UFO damaged on crash-landing in the Belarusian forest, Victoria Azarenka is shuffling across the lobby, leading an older lady by the hand. This is her grandmother. For more than 50 years she worked as a kindergarten teacher, starting work at five o’clock in the morning; these days she comes here twice a year for three weeks’ rest.
She only found out yesterday that her granddaughter was coming to visit, and she hurried to get hold of grapes and white chocolate. The old lady walks with a stoop. “Slowly, Babushka, slowly,” her granddaughter is saying. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”
Victoria Azarenka’s racquet is indistinguishable from those used on the men’s circuit: grip size four, wrapped in a sweat-absorbing band, it handles like
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Victoria Azarenka was nine when her first trainer set her children’s tennis group the challenge of hitting a ball 1,000 times perfectly against the wall. The number was utterly unrealistic; the trainer simply wanted to know how her junior charges handled impossible tasks. Victoria hit the ball 1,460 times.
At 13 she won her first tournament in Uzbekistan, on the international under-18s circuit; there were no opponents left to conquer in Belarus. A year later, when she was already training in a camp in Marbella, Spain, she broke through to the women’s circuit. Kristin Haider-Maurer, an ex-pro who played against the 14-year-old at a minor tournament in Croatia, recalls a “complete beast who didn’t surrender a single ball, extremely ambitious, tenacious”. The more
experienced Haider-Maurer was leading 3-0; Azarenka cried when they swapped sides. Then she emitted a scream of pure rage and ceded just one more game to her opponent, four years her senior: 6-4, 6-0.
Sam Sumyk, a Frenchman possessed of an imperturbable serenity, has been Azarenka’s trainer for the last three years. When asked what it is that makes Azarenka number one in the world – her backhand perhaps? – he shakes his head. “It’s her professionalism which makes the difference. It’s fascinating how determined she is to sacrifice everything to success.”
At the Australian Open they measured the volume of her screams whenever she hit the ball. It was just over 100 decibels. The threshold of pain for the human ear is 110 decibels.
Some journalists are calling for a change
“My father had two jobs, my Grandmother would go to work at five o’clock in the
morning, my mother worked until late at night – all to allow me to play tennis”
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longer have to scratch frost from the inside. But the changing rooms, the corridors, the gyms – they still look the same as they did when the seven-year-old Vika encountered them for the first time. Her mother, Alla, had just started a new job, sitting at a glass booth in the reception area from eight o’clock in the morning to 10 o’clock at night.
On her first day at work Alla handed little Vika a racquet. (Azarenka recalls an early Prince aluminium racquet, a model which even some adults have difficulty handling. Does she still have her first racquet? “No. I was a crazy kid. I’m sure I smashed it up out of anger.”) Vika discovered a kind of gymnasium in the basement, with horizontal stripes on the walls and colourful lines on the floor. And for two years, day after day after day, she would hit tennis balls at that wall until her mother came to pick her up shortly after 10pm.
No sooner has international star Victoria Azarenka finished yoga than Mike Guevara is expecting her for an endurance session on the ergometer. To ensure they remain undisturbed, Guevara has dragged the ergometer to a somewhat dingy room at the end of a dark corridor. Victoria Azarenka laughs as she enters the room. She points to the wall: “That was my net.” And indicating a few coloured lines on the floor, she says, “That was my centre court.”
The charms of Victoria Azarenka’s homeland are slow to reveal themselves to the visitor. Belarus is located between Poland and Russia, between the Baltic states and Ukraine, and has just under 9.5 million inhabitants. The political power structures are just a little too entrenched to duck the description ‘dictatorial’: 2014 will mark President Lukashenko’s 20th year in power. The country’s favoured foreign partners are Russia, Iran and Venezuela.
Above: Sasha Skrypko grew up with Azarenka. “To become number one was Vika’s destiny. I have never seen anyone who wanted something so badly.” Below: Sam Sumyk, Azarenka’s coach
Does Victoria Azarenka still have her first Racquet? “No. I was a crazy kid. I’m sure I smashed it up out of anger”
in the regulations to stop female tennis players screaming. Azarenka and Sharapova come in for particularly harsh criticism.
“It’s unfair,” says one of Azarenka’s main rivals, Poland’s Agniezka Radwanska. “It ruins the game,” says tennis legend Martina Navratilova. But for Azarenka: “It’s part of my game.”
It’s early April and winter still has Minsk in its grip. Victoria Azarenka shouldn’t be here at all right now, but rather in Miami, where the world’s fifth-largest tennis tournament is taking place. Or in Arizona, where she moved at age 15 to live with the family of Russian NHL goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who financed her training in the US. Or at least in Monte Carlo, where she has an apartment. But after she sustained an injury in Indian Wells she decided she wanted to recuperate at home, “and home will always be Minsk”. Convalescence combined with a family visit and training camp: even when you spare an ankle, there are plenty of body parts left to torture.
As Azarenka relaxes with some yoga in a gym in Belarus’s National Tennis Centre, her coach, Sam Sumyk, agent Meilen Tu, physiotherapist Per Bastholt and fitness trainer Mike Guevara sip coffee outside the door. The top-flight entourage of a multi-million-dollar star – two Americans, a Dane and a Frenchman – present a striking contrast to the surroundings: greenish neon light, worn floor, shabby ceiling panels and faded black and white photos of Soviet tennis pioneers on the walls.
Some parts of the National Tennis Centre have been refurbished in the last 15 years; modern courts have been laid and windows insulated so you no
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The soldiers you see around Minsk all wear comically outsized caps, and you almost feel that it is the effort of keeping the enormous things on their heads that gives these officers their slightly swaying, officious gait. It’s a cheerful image that stands in contrast to the kind of relations between authority figures and average citizens that ordinarily prevail here, which are rarely distinguished by humour. You can recognise an experienced Belarusian driver, for instance, by the webcam positioned behind the windscreen and pointed in the direction of travel; it is put there to document excessively arbitrary exercises of power, if not prevent them altogether.
At intersections, large billboards depict a man lying in bed smoking, the image struck through with a thick red line: drunkenly smoking in bed is
Above: Yoga for relaxation. Left: Victoria Azarenka is Belarus’s national heroine. “I want to give my country self-confidence,” she says
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a popular cause of death in Minsk. The billboard is rendered in the kind of rudimentary pictograms used to denote Olympic sports, as if drunkenly smoking in bed were a Belarusian Olympic discipline.
Belarusians generally avoid subjects like politics and social issues – call it post-Soviet fatalism. But they love talking about their land, the people, the traditions, the culture. Belarusian patriotism is proud, peppy and omnipresent.
Victoria Azarenka, for example, loves talking about fellow Belarusian athletes. Natalia Zvereva, for instance, who represented the Soviet Union at the 1988 French Open and made it to the final; Max Mirnyi, a world-class doubles player; as well as world champion biathlete Darya Domracheva (“she’s incredible”).
Victoria Azarenka is also happy to discuss her role as a national heroine, a role which she interprets in a very straightforward manner. When she drives through Minsk in her burgundy Porsche Cayenne, for instance, she isn’t saying: I’m better than you. Rather she’s saying: I am one of you. Look at what I’ve achieved – and you can do it too. “I would like to help raise the self-confidence of people here,” she says.
And she’s particularly keen to talk about Ulyana Grib, 13, and Ekaterina Grib, who’s 12. They train in the same tennis centre in which Azarenka grew up. “They could be very, very good,” says Azarenka. When she received a bonus for winning Olympic medals in London – bronze in singles, gold in the doubles along with Mirnyi – she sent the money to the young girls to help cover travel costs. She also trains with them, checks in on their progress by text, encourages them, cautions them, shares tips with them.
How good is very, very good? “They have something which is extremely rare,” answers Azarenka. “When I asked them
what their dream was, they were shy and hesitant at first. And then they said: ‘Please don’t get mad, but we want to be better than you.’ That’s when I knew: I want to help these girls.”
“In Belarusian culture,” says Victoria Azarenka, “there are three basic rules. You can’t understand us until you understand our rules. Number one: your family is sacred. Number two: do everything for the children. And the most important rule: respect your elders.”
In spring 2011, after Victoria Azarenka had already slugged her way to a spot on the fringes of the world elite, she lost her passion for tennis. “Training, torturing myself to fight for a tennis ball like I was fighting for my life, I didn’t want it anymore. I wanted to do something different. I asked my grandmother for advice. She listened to me, nodded, smiled and said, ‘You have to find the thing which makes you happy. And then you have to keep doing that thing even when you’re just not in the mood.” That’s all she said. I went home, gave it some thought, and the next day I started training again.”
Nine months later, Victoria Azarenka won the Australian Open and reached number one in the world rankings.
Sunday afternoon back in the careworn UFO deep in the Belarusian forest. Inside the small holiday flat Victoria Azarenka sits next to her grandmother on the sofa; on the table in front of them are grapes, white chocolate and Tolstoy’s War and Peace – grandmother’s holiday reading.
War and peace: which one is the real Victoria Azarenka?
“There’s only one. She has two sides. If you want to win you must fight. Don’t show weakness, don’t go soft, don’t be sensitive.
Above: Azarenka loves karaoke and she’s pretty good at it, too. Below: Valentina Rzhanih was Azarenka’s first trainer, from when she was seven to 11 years old. “When I told her she had to switch to another coach because I couldn’t teach her anything more, she cried.” Azarenka still keeps in touch with Rzhanih
“You can’t understand Belarusians unless you understand our rules. The most important is respect for your elders”
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Otherwise your opponent will use it to her advantage. During a match I’m a warrior.”
How does one switch between war and peace?
“It’s natural, like the lioness who goes out and fights. She will kill if she has to, but to her offspring she is the most loving mother imaginable. That’s life.”
It’s Sunday afternoon and Victoria Azarenka is eating grapes and stroking her grandmother’s hand. As soon as her ankle will support her, she’ll go back out, scream to the threshold of pain with every stroke, and run down the tennis ball as if it were a matter of life and death.
Join Victoria Azarenka as she tours her hometown of Minsk in the Red Bulletin tablet edition.
Above: Azarenka with grandmother Nina. When Azarenka considered ending her career in 2011, she took her grandmother’s advice – and became number one
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W O R D S : B A R l A S H U N A l p & p A U l W I l S O N p H O T O G R A p H Y : J O R K W E I S M A N N N
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t a block party in the Bronx in the mid-1970s, and a bustling Turkish market in the mid-1270s, the same thing happened. The rhythm of the streets – a hip-hop sound system, the hammering of gold-beaters working their precious metal – was picked up like a radio signal and used to develop a new way of movement.
The New York hip-hop kids started the B-Boy movement with their spins and breakdances. Seven hundred years before them, Rumi, a teacher of Sufi, a mystic branch of Islam, heard the gold-beaters bang, along with the religious chants they used to keep time, and began to whirl around the marketplace in the city of Konya. His was a more overtly religious experience, but, in those moments when the ground was broken for breakdancing and the sema, the dance made famous by the whirling dervishes, something spiritually uplifting occurred.
Rumi’s followers established a Sufi order, the Mevlevi, in his honour. Their ritual performance of the sema dance earned them the label of the whirling dervishes. The religious order was outlawed in 1925, but it survives today, preserving the dance as a predominantly cultural form and touring the world with sema shows.
B-Boying became an integral part of hip-hop culture, and was never tainted by the regular moral panics that seek to blame hip-hop for gun crime. Now,
A“ W h e n y o u a b a n d o n a l l y o u r t h o u g h t s , t h a t ’ s t h e m o m e n t y o u a r e r e a d y t o f i n d o u t w h o y o u r e a l l y a r e . T h a t ’ s t h e m o m e n t y o u a r e r e a d y t o l i s t e n t o t h e r h y t h m . I t ’ s t h e r h y t h m t h a t c o n n e c t s m e t o m y s e l f – m y o n l y o p p o n e n t . I t i n s p i r e s m y m o v e s a s i t c o m e s a l i v e ”M o u n i r
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every street dancer, backing dancer and happy-footed pop star has B-Boy moves in his or her repertoire.
“It’s important to see the common points in different cultures,” says Murat Demirhan, a Turkish B-Boy known as Joker. “B-Boys have a master-apprentice system. So do Mevlevis. Both are communities where newcomers respect experience, and the community itself. In my crew it was like that.”
Joker hosted a Red Bull BC One cypher at the Sirkeci railway terminal in Istanbul, Turkey’s national qualifying event ahead of the world finals of the B-Boy tournament in Seoul, South Korea in November. This, and the 10th anniversary of Red Bull BC One, brought together French B-Boy Mounir Biba, the reigning world champion, and Ceyhun Varisli of the Mevlevi order. After hundreds of years in parallel, a whirling dervish and a B-Boy performed on the same stage for the first time.www.redbullbcone.com
“ I t w a s i m p o s s i b l e n o t t o b e e x c i t e d b y t h e e n e r g y i n t h e r o o m . W h e n I s t e p p e d o n t o t h e s t a g e t o b e g i n m y s e m a , I f e l t s o m e t h i n g I w o u l d d e f i n e a s t h e g a t h e r i n g o f t w o d i f f e r e n t s o u l s . T h e r h y t h m c r e a t e s b a l a n c e , a n d t h a t b o u n d u s t o g e t h e r , u n i t e d u s a s o n e ”C e y h u n V a r i s l i
Watch B-Boy Mounir and whirling dervish Ceyhun Varisli perform together in the free Red Bulletin tablet edition
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A barber by trade, the elder Coogan is as affable as the younger, with an added streak of dark sarcasm. Bearded, wild jet black hair, big personality: Aidan is every inch the rock star in waiting. “it’s mad,” Aidan says. “We grew up buying mags like Kerrang and now we’re in it.”
“When Aidan was seven or eight,” says James, “he got a guitar for Christmas and i ended up playing it more than him. i used the few quid i got when i made my confirmation to buy one of my own.”
“Almost three years ago, we bumped into Woody harrelson on a night out in dublin,” recalls James Coogan, and a story that starts with those words only has one ending. “We partied with him, and a few of us carried on drinking into the second day. i was casually swigging whiskey on the balcony and next thing i know i’m waking up in hospital, six weeks later. it was the worst hangover of my life.”
the Wounds guitarist made a few changes after falling from that fourth-floor balcony. “i knocked drink on the head,” he says. “now i just smoke menthol cigarettes and actually remember stuff when we go on tour.”
he only has to look at his band’s records to jog his memory. the cover of the band’s ferocious punk-fuelled debut eP features Coogan’s scarred torso in all its grotesque glory.
“ironically, we’d chosen the band name long before [the accident]. i’m blind in my left eye, had facial reconstruction, my spleen removed, got nerve damage in my arm, but i’m lucky to be alive,” says Coogan. “i was in a coma and when i came round my doctor, himself a classical guitarist, said i’d never play again.”
Coogan also has an extensive collection of deliberate bodily alterations. “on my right arm there’s an hourglass and a key, in memory of dad, who was a locksmith. My left arm has a feather. When i was in hospital, my mam was having a cigarette outside, when a white feather fell from the sky and landed at her feet, like some kind of sign. i’ve the word ‘redrum’ tattooed on my finger: basically, The Shining is my favourite horror movie. And all the band have the Wounds logo on their inside lower lip.”
Coogan’s elder brother Aidan, Wounds’ singer, pipes up from the neighbouring table. “Jaysus, don’t tell your whole life story, some of us have to go back to work.”
to Andrew Kelly, the band’s manager, to keep a dampener on his charge’s excess energy – “we’re total chaos,” says Aidan, “but, thankfully, Andrew reels us in” – while at the same time drawing on it to promote them.
“there are so many great acts,” says Kelly, “that don’t get recognised or supported for their efforts. it’s a shame.”
that may all be about to change. Wounds’ debut album, Die Young, released earlier this year, is slowly
earning the band new admirers.“the last track on the album,
Dead Road, is dedicated to our father,” says Aidan. [recording went on hiatus after the sudden death of Coogan senior in 2011.] “We don’t play it live, but we’re going to start. it’s an honest song and i can’t hide my emotions. Anyway, the first album is mainly about James. the follow-up will be my turn to moan.”
to play Dead Road, and other songs, live means playing more gigs. recently, this has not been the band’s strong point.
“the road trip in February was insane,” says Coogan. “the van broke down on the M26 in the UK and we had to cancel some dates. the van was a gift from our older brother, but the early signs weren’t good when we broke down on the way to the ferry. the weather was freezing, sleep impossible and we had a 30-hour drive to get to Warsaw.”
they made it to Poland, and Berlin. it’s an expanding of horizons that is also reflected in the band’s self-confidence that is now powering the band and leading to tangible rewards.
“When we made Die Young, i’d never even sung into a mic,” says Aidan. “now all those early nerves are gone. the small taste of success has made us hungry.”www.woundsband.com
Dublin’s raucous punk upstarts have all the scars and stories of seasoned rockers. They might even live long enough to be like that one day, too
Words: Eamonn Soeige Photography: Richard Gilligan
Wounds certainly aren’t for the faint-hearted. their music has a raging intensity, like the uncontainable vigour of iggy Pop in his pomp spliced with the unforgiving power of hardcore punk.
Craig McCann comes into the cafe. in contrast to the boundless energy of the brothers Coogan, Wounds’ drummer is practically horizontal. his joining the band was much more hurried.
“i’d known Aidan a long time – he’s my barber. i was in the last couple weeks of college when they asked me to fill in on a UK tour. i got the eP, learned the songs in a week and met our bassist, Aaron [Mcgrath] for the first time on the ferry.”
Keeping the good ship Wounds on course isn’t the easiest of tasks. it falls
Wounds’ frontman Aidan Coogan at the band’s album launch
wounds
Gain and pain
70 the red bulletin
The line-up (from left) Craig McCann – drums James Coogan – guitar Aidan Coogan – vocals Aaron McGrath – bass
DiscographyDead Dead F–––ing Dead (EP, 2010) Die Young (album, 2013)
Sounds familiar Tracks from Wounds’ debut album have received considerable airplay on BBC Radio 1 and Kerrang Radio.
Ready to rock In June the band grace the Red Bull Studios Stage at Download, the current daddy of rock festivals.
Alictem. Et eostibus volesecatur as a ide dolorerfero consequia debis des am hicium
Over the Tre Cime massif in the Sexten Dolomites, Red Bull X-Alps 2011
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The world’s ToughesT Two-discipline race sTarTs in salzburg and finishes in MonTe carlo, wiTh gerMany, iTaly,
swiTzerland and france en rouTe. on fooT and in flighT, hiking and paragliding across The alps, in a punishing advenTure evenT ThaT
breaks convenTional sporTing liMiTs. This is Red Bull X-Alps words: arek piaTek
c o n d i t i o n
73
“My strategy? Lots of fLying, MaxiMuM running and enjoying the torture” MAx MittMAnn teAM Ger 3
In Red Bull X-Alps, athletes choose to
run or paraglide across five countries.
Clockwise from top left: Thomas de Dorlodot of Belgium takes off from Tre Cime; Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc, on the 2013 race route;
two-time race winner Chrigel Maurer en
route to his next take-off; Portugal’s
Nuno Virgilio on Dachstein mountain ph
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the red bulletin 75
Alpine endurAnceWhAt you must be mAde of to tAckle red bull X-Alps
To assess the severity of a challenge, look at the skills of those who would attempt it. Rifling through the CVs of the 32 athletes taking part in Red Bull X-Alps, you quickly appreciate the unique demands of the race.
Take Antoine Girard. He is one of France’s leading paraglider pilots, as well as a top long-distance runner and a veteran of several mountaineering expeditions to the Himalayas.
Then there’s Austrian test pilot Mike Küng. In 2004, he was the first person to paraglide at an altitude
of 10,000m. His record remains unbroken. Küng regularly takes part in mountain runs and climbs, averaging about 6,000m vertically each week.
Switzerland’s Christian ‘Chrigel’ Maurer, the reigning double Red Bull X-Alps champion of 2009 and 2011, is an exception among paraglider pilots. He holds two world records as well as the European record, of 323km, for the longest paraglide.
These men will need everything in their power just to complete Red Bull X-Alps. The race is brutal, and brutally simple: get from Salzburg to Monaco in the shortest time possible. The distance as the crow flies is 1,031km, mainly across the Alps (see map). By either hiking, running or paragliding – individual tactics will determine what happens when – the athletes will cover an actual distance closer to 1,800km. There are no rest days during the race, which has a cut-off point of 14 days. No external assistance is allowed, apart from a support team of one or two supplying food, words of comfort and a temporary sleeping place at night. The athletes can compete between 5am and 10.30pm, with one all-night pass, for the first time, in the 2013 race.
Red Bull X-Alps is an expedition to the limits of physical and mental endurance. The race is only run every two years to give athletes the chance to prepare fully. In 2011, only two of the 30 contestants reached the finish line. A typical day can consist of a march of 100km, a glacier trek and paraglider flights at altitudes of 4,000m. The toll exerted by fluctuating pressure and temperature, capricious weather conditions and physical strain, leads to pain, exhaustion and accidents. In 2011, Mike Küng withdrew due to pneumonia, Vincent Sprüngli of France was forced to retire after drowsily brushing a cable-car cable with his paraglider. Meanwhile, five other athletes succumbed because they were too slow, as Red Bull X-Alps rules state that every 48 hours, the competitor in last place is automatically disqualified.Follow the race in real time: www.redbullxalps.com
On July 7, 2013, 32 athletes from 21 countries will tackle the Salzburg-Monaco route via 10 turning points. Distance: 1,031km as the crow flies. Those who make it to the finish have generally covered around double that distance. Red Bull X-Alps champion Chrigel Maurer: “The route doesn’t go along the valleys, but across them. It’s as if someone had deliberately chosen the most difficult method of crossing the Alps.”
g e r
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Sta rt Salzburg 424m Gaisberg
1,287m
Dachstein 2,995m
Wildkogel 2,224m
Zugspitze 2,962m
Ortler 1,906m
Interlaken 568m
Peille 600m
f i n i S h Monaco 0 m
Mont Blanc 4,810m Matterhorn
4,478m
St Hilaire 995m
the neW grAnd tour
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“Paragliding is always a risk. you can’t just get off when you run
into a Problem” Chrigel Maurer TeaM Sui1
The goal: Monaco on the Mediterranean coast. The race finishes 48 hours after the first athlete has crossed the line
The only UK entrant in this year's Red Bull X-Alps is taking plenty of food, painkillers and, he hopes, the British weather with him
Jon Chambers
The 37-year-old, who now lives in Switzerland, flew the flag for the UK back in 2011. He finished an impressive fifth and wrote a book about his experience. In 2013 he’s ready to endure the pain and manage the adrenalin he'll need to improve on his previous result.
× a d r e n a l i n k i C k “Red Bull X-Alps takes a huge physical toll. The muscle pain in my legs got so severe from covering such big distances each day, I needed strong painkillers to get any sleep. There were ugly times when I wanted to give up. It reduced me to a bit of an emotional mess, but you have to kick yourself out of it and focus on the task.”
× F o o d F o r s p o r t “At the last race I ate a ridiculous amount – 10,000 calories per day. There was loads of pasta and endurance drinks. I eat a lot during training, too. My wife says our food bill nearly doubles. I tell her that’s counterbalanced by giving up alcohol for six months.”
× stay i n g a l i v e“You constantly have to assess risk, as even the best pilot can get caught out. I had a couple of near misses. I flew in 40kph winds and had to land backwards at high speed in a valley, as the wind was so strong. When stuff does go wrong, you don’t think about the possible consequences until afterwards. When you’re falling from the sky, you’re just focused on fixing it and keeping yourself alive.”
× g o l d e n d r e a m s “This year I’m most worried we’ll get two weeks of fantastic flying weather! I’m not the fastest paraglider in the race, so mixed conditions favour me best. In 2011, I came fifth, so the real attraction for me this year is getting on the podium.”
Zermatt from the athletes’ perspective.
Below: Chrigel Maurer celebrates
a successful title defence in a time
of 11 days, four hours and 52
minutes
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79
Paul Gleeson is standing on the deck of a passenger ferry heading to Vancouver Island, Canada, on a blue-skied May day, surrounded by day-trippers craning to see seals zipping through the calm waters. Gleeson is far from the city of Limerick in Ireland where he was born and raised, but he’s no tourist. He has lived in Canada since 2008 and has something on his mind other than the sights – a boat trip that couldn’t be more different to this one.
Gleeson and three fellow adventurers are attempting to row the infamous Northwest Passage, an historic trading route in the Arctic Ocean, in a single season. For more than two months, the four will live on a 25ft rowing boat battling sub-zero temperatures, in an area populated by more polar bears than people. They will row relentlessly to achieve their feat in the short time before the ice returns to block their way. It’s something no one has managed before and only a handful have attempted, one of the true ‘last firsts’ to be achieved. And today is the day they can collect the fifth member of their team, their boat, the Arctic Joule, now ready for testing out on the water.
Gleeson, 37, and the rest of the team, aren’t your full-time explorer types of old. A former financial advisor, Gleeson is now a performance coach and public speaker; fellow Irishman Dennis Barnett, 32, is in shipping; Canadians Kevin Vallely, 48,
F o u r m e n , o n e r o w b o at, 3 , 0 0 0 k m o F a r c t i c o c e a n a n d t h e m i s s i o n t o c o n q u e r o n e o F a d v e n t u r e ’ s F i n a l g r e at c h a l l e n g e sWords: Ruth Morgan Photography: Johann Wall
The Last First
80 the red bulletin
Arctic explorer: Paul Gleeson and his team plan to row the
Northwest Passage
the red bulletin 81
and Frank Wolf, 42, work in architecture and filmmaking respectively. Four ordinary men whose love of adventure has led them to accomplish extraordinary things. Gleeson has cycled 5,000km across Australia and spent 85 days at sea rowing the Atlantic. Vallely holds the record for the fastest unsupported trek to the South Pole. Wolf has cycled over 2,000km along the Yukon to Alaska. “These long expeditions are part of who I am,” says Gleeson. “My love of adventure started with a spontaneous bike ride to Dublin when
I was a teenager and progressed to crossing the Atlantic. I love testing my limits, but after an adventure, I used to shut that part of me off again, go back to work as a financial advisor. Then last year I decided to give that up and start speaking about my adventures.” He met Vallely when both men gave talks at an event about the outdoors. “Kevin’s parents are from Limerick, so that got us chatting,” says Gleeson. “When he mentioned the Northwest Passage trip it really captured my imagination. Then he brought on
Frank and I got Dennis onboard – the team organically came together.”
The Northwest Passage is steeped in history. Finding and conquering it became a European obsession as early as the 17th century, as explorers from different countries searched for a quicker trading route with the Orient. In taking on the Northwest Passage, the team are joining the ranks of some of the world’s bravest explorers, names such as Baffin, Franklin, Rae, Amundsen, many of whom lost their lives after setting off into the unknown.
“For hundreds of years, finding the Northwest Passage was the holy grail of exploration,” says Gleeson. “The second in command on the infamous Franklin expedition was an Irish guy called Francis Crozier. A crew of 139 left from England on two ships in 1845 and were never seen again. Their ships got crushed in the ice. I’ve spoken to Dennis and Kevin, and you feel the hand of history on your shoulder. For me it feels like unfinished business up here for Irish people. There’s an element of trying to honour their courage.”
Though the four have never undertaken an expedition together, getting to this point has required a lot of teamwork. “This has been a dream of mine for
Above: Gleeson takes stock of the crew accommodation aboard the Arctic Joule. Left: the specially designed rowing boat is lowered into the water ahead of its first test
82 the red bulletin
in a small rowboat isn’t fraught with dangers. The team estimate they should be able to cover the 3,000km route in about 70 days, all being well, following the ice along from west to east as it cracks. But they have a maximum window of around 90 days until the September freeze, and can carry 90 day’s worth of supplies. Should they get trapped by ice, capsized during a storm or stopped in their tracks by strong winds, it will become a real race against time to complete their mission.
“Wind could be a huge problem,” says Gleeson. “If we can’t row into it, we’ll have to stop. Then we could get ice blowing in, which could trap us, or we could get blown onshore, which could badly damage the boat. If we end up in the water, hypothermia can set in within minutes. So we’re heading up into some pretty hostile territory. We want to make sure the boat is as sturdy as it can be.”
The team have had the Arctic Joule designed and built from scratch for the voyage, Vancouver Island is home to Robin Thacker and his company Atlantis Kayaks, which has done the work. As his company name implies, he specialises in designing and building kayaks, and this is his first foray into rowboat building. “I thought ‘You only live once – why not?” says Thacker, 53. “It’s an exciting project. The Northwest Passage is not a well charted area, so it’s hard to find specific information on what could happen to a smaller vessel. It’s been a heavy-duty learning process.”
Thacker has spent months researching the area, honing the designs to give the team a mix of ocean and coastal rowing boat features to best fit conditions in the Passage. “Ocean rowers usually have a v-shaped hull,” says Thacker, “but that’s pretty tippy, so we’ve gone for a flatter ‘cathedral’ hull which should help the boat pop up if it gets caught in ice – rather than getting crushed. Then we’ve built her in layers: two of foam to keep her light, tough marine plywood and an outer Kevlar skin to withstand impact. She can take anything the Arctic can throw at her.”
As the four arrive at Thacker’s workshop, there’s a buzz of excitement when they set eyes on what will soon be their home. An expedition that would inspire trepidation in most is what makes these men feel alive. “I know there will be times when I question what on Earth I’m doing,” says Gleeson, “but these adventures are a part of what makes me, me. If I was on my deathbed knowing I didn’t even try, that would eat me up. That’s a guiding light for me: if I’d regret not doing it, then it’s definitely worth a crack.” Follow their progress at: mainstreamlastfirst.com
years,” says Vallely, “and we’ve been planning it in earnest for the last 18 months. We’ve been killing ourselves with sponsorship meetings and permissions. The logistics are like nothing I’ve dealt with before.” That’s saying something. Vallely has organised many trips in his time, and of the four men, he has the most experience of the sort of testing, cold conditions they will face. “It comes down to how you adapt,” he says. “Three of the four of us are from northern European stock, so we should deal with the cold better than the heat. You never know 100 per cent what someone will be like under those conditions until you get there, but you get a pretty good sense. Plus, we all laugh a lot together. That’s hugely important on a trip like this.”
It’s only in the last dozen years that this challenge has become possible. Before that, the only vessels that could hope to make it through the Passage were steel-hulled icebreakers large enough to cope with the pack ice present even during the summer months. Climate change has altered that, raising temperatures and causing a summer melt that should leave just enough time for Gleeson and the team to get through under their own steam.
“Just the fact that we can undertake this project links directly to what we’re doing to the planet,” says Gleeson. “It’s something
we want to highlight. Our race against time mirrors the race we have in terms of stopping and reversing this climate change.”
To make the most of the limited time they have, they will row in pairs around the clock in two- or four-hour shifts, while two men sleep, a plan aided by the almost constant daylight of the Arctic summer. “The 24-hour daylight will be a bit of a mind-bender,” says Gleeson, “but it’s amazing how quickly the body and the mind adapt to alien situations. The physical side of it doesn’t worry me either. I think there’s a myth about the amount of physical training you need for a trip like this. You need to be fit and strong, of course, but you’re not training five hours a day. For me, these things are more mental than physical. The body will follow the mind.”
Gleeson will no doubt be testing his mental strength. The Arctic melt doesn’t mean taking on this isolated waterway
The team (front to back): Kevin Vallely, Frank Wolf, Dennis Barnett and Paul Gleeson
“You feel the hand of history on your shoulder. We’re honouring those who went before us”
the red bulletin 83
/redbulletin
Your MoMent.Beyond the ordinary
LikeWhat you
Like
© J
örg
Mit
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Why boxing is a big hit in sailor James Spithill’s
fitness regime Training, page 89
ac t i o n ! T r a v e l / G e a r / T r a i n i n G / n i G h T l i f e / M U S i C / p a r T i e S / C i T i e S / C l U b S / e v e n T S
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Mig deal: the ride of
your life
MiGs over MoscowForge t ci t y cen t r e cop t er t r ip s: a r ide in a m ig -29 is t h e b e s t tou r is t F l igh t on e a r t h – a n d a l mo s t in s paceTravel, over the page
Where to go and what to do
the red bulletin 85
Mach in the USSR r ide a MiG-29 it coM es w i t h a MeMor a bl e p r i c e ta G , b u t i t w i l l ta k e yo u a s c l o s e t o s pa c e a s p o s s i b l e w i t h o u t u s i n G a r o c k e t
Advice from the inside crunch time
“core strength is important,” says cusma. “Your abs will tense up tight for about an hour under extreme
pressure, so diaphragm work in a yoga class or core work beforehand will be an advantage.”
A n d A n o t h e r
t h i n gmAke the most
of moscow
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cost
Around us$21,000 for a subsonic flight
with aerobatics.Around us$26,000 for supersonic flight to the edge of space
plus aerobatics.
AvAilAbilitY
various dates available, must be booked around six
months in advance.
locAtion
sokol airbase, nizhny novgorod,
russia
Tough customerwith hundreds of online resellers offering russian miG-29 flights, it can be a consumer minefield. while many sell on another company’s behalf and up the price, us company incredible Adventures and swiss miGflug are two companies that deal directly with the sokol airbase in russia.www.incredible-adventures.comwww.migflug.com
the soviet throwbAckfor a true taste of the ussr, eat
classic soviet-era dishes in
surroundings that hark back to
stalinist russia at this popular
retro-kitsch venue.www.club-petrovich.ru
the russiAn stAple
no visit to moscow would be complete without sampling the local vodka.
An apt post-flight venue is the
beautiful stariki bar, a former observatory.
www.starikibar.ru
the AdrenAlin comedown
Quell post-flight aches at moscow’s opulent bathhouse, the sandunovsky
banya. have a sauna, steam, then plunge into
ice water. www.sanduny.ru
it doesn’t get much more intense than a ride in a mig-29 fighter jet. it’s a beautiful brute that climbs at 20,000m per minute, breaking the sound barrier and then some, imparting up to 9gs during aerobatic manoeuvres and leaving the atmosphere to reveal the earth’s curvature. in its russian homeland, civilians can take the lead in a dual-control plane for part of an hour-long flight with one of the country’s best test pilots.
in 1993 a us company struck a deal with a russian airbase to sell the flights. since then, business has been brisk, with would-be pilots queuing to fulfil
their fighter-jet fantasy. “there’s nothing else like
it,” says american wall street employee paul cusma, who flew with incredible adventures. “i felt like i was in a movie, it was incredibly intense. it’s like the feeling of free fall you get from a skydive, but for an hour. when we broke the sound barrier i couldn’t hear the sonic boom. you don’t feel it, because the jet’s so fast – it’s like a knife through butter. when i landed i was exhausted and drenched in sweat, but the first thing i thought was, ‘i want to do that again!’”
space invader: the supersonic russian miG-29 is the preferred fighter jet of 26 military forces worldwide
AcTion !travel
86 the red bulletin
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Action !get the gear
T o u g h s T u f f
Alp-conquering essentiAls
Handy substitute“For gentler gradients,
the pick functions as a hiking stick. The
steel tip at the bottom helps to get purchase
in hard snow.”
pieps globAlfinder
“A pocket-sized life-saver. this
communications tool helps me determine my
position, sends and receives
text messages, and provides
weather data.”www.pieps.com
gloryfy sunglAsses “for protection from the sun,
or better vision in foggy weather. i
have three pairs of these unbreakable
sunglasses.” www.gloryfy.com
X-bionic underweAr
“breathable material that
ensures constant body temperature, whether i’m flying
in cold weather, hiking in the rain
or running in the hot sun.”
www.x-bionic.com
an average day during the fortnight or so of red Bull X-alps (see feature earlier in this issue) is 17 hours of speed hiking, climbing glaciers and paragliding across the mountains, in snow, wind, rain and sun. it’s a gruelling endurance test, not just for the competitors, but their kit as well. “i carry about 10kg of equipment when i race,” says 2009 and 2011 red Bull X-alps champion Christian Maurer, “so my gear has to be robust, highly reliable and above all, light.” the Swiss athlete picks apart his alpine racing tool kit.
blAcK diAMond VenoMice pick
“The whole thing weighs just 500g, including the detachable blade. This model has fewer teeth than other picks, which makes it more useful on flat, firm climbing routes.”
leverage “The curve of the aluminium shaft makes climbing in steep terrain easier.”
striking “Driving pegs and pitons into the rock face? The other side of the pick makes it easy.”
bite “The sharp end, for ramming into steep ice passages. The teeth ensure a firm grip that means the pick can take the weight of a climber plus kit.”
comfort zone “Double-rubber handle, which means two layers of material to absorb impact, and therefore this goes easy on the arm.”
Pick of the bunch R e d B u l l X-A l p s T o w i n T h e h A R d e s T A d v e n T u R e R A c e o f T h e m A l l , s w i T z e R l A n d ’ s c h R i g e l m A u R e R n e e d s k i T T h AT w i l l k e e p h i m A l i v e
christian ‘chrigel’ Maurer: reigning red bull X-Alps champion
the red bulletin 87
In July and August, the biggest house and trance DJs in the world can be found playing the open-air clubs on an island in the Adriatic Sea. The glorious, pebbly stretch of Zrce Beach is a beautiful spot in Croatia – a country not short of beautiful spots – and a fast-rising must-visit for sun-seeking partygoers. Not as oversubscribed as Ibiza or the other Euro seaside rave zones, Pag has a full-on all-night vibe that feels superclub without being supersized.
Do the Balkan! pa g , c r o at i a o n ly f o u r pa c e s f r o M t H e s e a t o t H e D a n c e f l o o r ? W e l c o M e t o e u r o p e ’ s H o t t e s t pa r t y B e a c H
s h o r e t h i n g
pag’s seafront hits
festival
sky fallif you look out from pag and see
these clouds above the mountains, a storm’s a-brewin’: the notorious ‘Bora’.
let the sunshine in: party in the open
air at aquarius
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light and sweet on the tongue, but with a fierce after-
kick: that’s why they call this honey liqueur
a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. heed the
locals’ warning: when you feel
medica start to take effect, it’s
already too late...
the destroyer
medica
a herb-infused grappa-like drink
known as ‘the doctor’ because of its alleged healing properties. it does contain rosemary,
which some people say can help liver function. equally ironic for fruity
firewater, this one is said to increase
male potency.
the savioUr
travarica
Action !party
C h e e r s !rakia, a croatian national tipple
like the plUm Brandy slivovitz, has many forms.
here are two
papaya Zrce Beach’s largest and oldest club celebrates its 11th anniversary this year.
www.papaya.com.hr
aqUariUs A restaurant, two pools and two dancefloors under one
roof – but it’s open-air.www.aquarius.hr
noa The beach club that isn’t
a club on the beach: it’s built over the sea on a pier.
www.noa-beach.com
hideoUtJuly 3-5
Over 100 DJs mixing up house and techno over three
days. Do everything you can to get tickets for the
sought-after boat parties; friendliness to club staff is
a wise opening gambit.www.hideoutfestival.com
88 the red bulletin
The America’s Cup has been likened to Formula One on water, the ultimate high-speed test of design, tactics and physical stamina. Australian Spithill, who became the youngest-ever winner of the competition with his Oracle Racing Team USA in 2010, trains constantly to keep up. “The way we push these boats, it’s like driving a racing car,” he says. “It’s a different game these days. The athletic side of it is paramount. We train on the water for a few hours at least four days a week, constantly consuming energy bars and drinks to replace what it takes out of us. We spend a lot of time in the gym for weight training, core exercise, and doing CrossFit Workouts – a daily high-intensity circuit – with a trainer. He calls it ‘The Finisher’, and he’s not joking.”
Use power from your hips to spring up to your feet, to give you the momentum you need.
You will need a horizontal chin-up bar. Take a few deep
breaths before starting.
Then start with a burpee, or squat thrust as it’s
also known.
Make sure your core is tight and engaged in the press-up position,
to keep your shape strong.
Smoothly go straight into the pull-up, with your hands
shoulder-width apart.
Make sure that your chin goes above the bar each time –
repeat until failure.
d o t r y t h i s a t h o m e
1
4
2
5
3
6
Spithill’s training schedule isn’t plain sailing: he needs stamina and strength
“In sailing, hand speed, co-ordination and grip are everyday essentials, so I make sure I do burpee pull-ups as part of my routine. They improve all of these things and are great for overall fitness.”
GeTTInG In The rInG keepS SpIThIll fIGhTInG fIT “I’ve been boxing ever since I was a kid,” says Spithill. “I love the competitive element to it, but it’s also some of the best training you can do. It’s a great full-body cardiovascular workout, and improves your co-ordination a lot. It also boosts your reaction times, which is vital when you’re sailing boats like ours.”
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Water workout: sailing four
times a week is a vital part of the
programme
“ We push… it’s like driving a racing car”s a i l i n g ya c h t s m a n J a m e s s p i t h i l l , 3 3 , k n o w s t h e b l o o d, s w e at a n d t e a r s i t ta k e s t o w i n o n wat e r
b o x c l e v e rexercISe ThaT packS a pUnch
Action !training
the red bulletin 89
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Action !buyer’s guide
What’s in outdoors
I f yo u ’ r e h e a d I n g o n t o t h e s t r e e t s , I n t o t h e w o o d s o r t h e c o c k p I t o f yo u r j e t p l a n e , h e r e ’ s n e w k I t t h at c a n c o p e
90 the red bulletin
Since the iPad has become as ubiquitous a part of the everyday carry as house keys, it follows that we have the first iPad/tablet-friendly bag. Rather than fishing around for your tablet, the top layer flips up to allow browsing through a plastic layer which is tough enough to protect your screen, but thin enough so as not to hinder usability. Available in August.£80/€95 www.osprey europe.com
The only device in the world that can cook baked beans and charge your iPhone at the same time
o n e f o r t h e f u t u r e
oSPRey iPAd bAckPAck
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bioLite cAmPStove
Cooking baked beans and charging an iPhone are two very different tasks, but this nifty little camping stove can do both at once. The BioLite runs on solid biomass, ie twigs, pine cones and other forest-floor freebies. A thermoelectric generator converts the heat to electricity, which can feed phone, camera or MP3 player through a USB connection. You won’t go hungry either: the 21cm x 8.5cm x 8.5cm device is pretty powerful, capable of boiling a litre of water in four minutes. £149.95/€180 www.whitbyandco.co.uk
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Levi’S 511 SLim commuteR ShoRtS
The dons of denim have a cyclist-friendly range designed to make life on a bike a little easier. A loop sewn onto the side of the waistband of these shorts makes a perfect lock stash, while reflective tape on the interior seams affords higher visibility when the shorts are rolled up, courier style. They also have reinforced seat panels and a protective finish that wards off water, dirt and any unpleasant odours that the city may throw at you on the way to work. £60/€70 www.levi.com
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koRkeRS Guide boot
Thanks to interchangeable soles, these boots are made for walking everywhere. With 10 soles available (they come with standard sole applied, and ‘extra grip’ in the box), they need never be taken off, except maybe in bed. The metal eyelets are rustproof, while the rest of the shoe is made from fast-drying ‘hydrophobic’ and waterproof materials, including a rubber outer layer 2mm thick. Anyone with a wet-foot pastime – fishing, snowsports – will appreciate how long they stay dry and, if saturation occurs, how quickly they dry out.£135/€160 www.korkers.com
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GoPRo heRo3 bLAck edition
(outdooR)Before GoPro, lovers of action sports presumably had to balance a video camera on their shoulders or strap a smartphone to their helmet in order to share their adventures with the world. So it’s no wonder the lightweight, waterproof ‘wearable’ camera has become an essential part of outdoor kit. The latest model is 30 per cent smaller
and 25 per cent lighter, works better in low light and has
twice the frame rate and resolution, than the previous.It’s Wi-Fi capable, and comes with a Wi-Fi remote, so
that you, or those watching the feed, can direct the action. £359/€425 gopro.madison.co.uk
4 FX-SPoRt vR1 heAdPhoneS
Wireless, rain- and sweat-proof headphones with a built-in 8GB mp3 player. Ideal for a workout, but these are truly smart ’phones, too: text-to-speech software means they can read out playlist names for easy selection – hence no screen or display – and a personal trainer can design workouts with time counts and up to 64 motivational messages input by you. To avoid that creepy ‘hearing yourself on tape’ sensation, other voice options are available. £139/€165 www.fx-sport.co.uk
5 G-Shock PRemium GA-1000Fc
Designed to keep aviators on the right flight path, thanks to a programmable compass that alerts them if they veer off course, this rugged timepiece also works wonders for more grounded souls. It also has all the bells and whistles you’d expect: scratch-proof mineral glass face, auto-LED light, solar charging, thermometer, timer and a calendar. Shock- and water-resistance come, of course, as standard. Oh, and it tells the time. £300/€355 www.g-shock.co.uk
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Lions Head
Signal Hill
High Level Rd
Helen Suzman Blvd
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Fiction227 Long Street
“If you’re keen to hit the clubs, the best thing to do is check local blogs for upcoming shows. But there’s always a party at Fiction (below), a legendary venue. It has an intimate vibe and a big balcony to hang out with mates.”
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AceS & SpAdeS 62 Hout Street
“A great bar across the road from my apartment. My two favourite artists are Nick Cave and Tom Waits and the owner of Aces & Spades (above) is a big Tom Waits fan. He even looks a bit like him.”
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BomBAy BicycLe cLuB156 Kloof Street
“This is a fantastical little restaurant (above) in Kloof Street. It has a theatrical atmosphere with beautifully eclectic décor. Pretty much everything on their menu is super-tasty.”
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tHe RoundHouSeRoundhouse Road,
the Glen, camps Bay“The perfect restaurant in which to indulge in a five-course meal paired with great South African wines, with a beautiful view of Camps Bay.”
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3 Lion’S HeAdnext to table mountain
“If you happen to be here on a full moon, make sure to make
your way up Lion’s Head (below). It’s not a heavy walk up, there will be plenty of people so it’s safe and the atmosphere and view are fantastic once you get to the top.”Home town boy:
Haezer loves coming back to cape town
GArdeNSVredeHOeK
SeA POINT de WATerKANT
THree ANCHOr
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Capetown, South Africa
cApe town, SoutH AFRicA
Action !city guide
T H e w a l kmy FAvouRite pLAceS to Go
Sitting on the balcony of his studio apartment, nine floors above Cape town’s city centre, haezer looks a little shattered. It’s what a 30-hour journey from australia to South africa can do to you, especially when a large part of it was a middle-seat long-haul flight, sandwiched between two meaty gents. Back in the sanctuary of the Mother City before embarking on a gruelling two-month european tour, the man known as ebenhaezer Smal talks proudly of his favourite city hang-outs. “there’s no better city to come home to and it’s a beautiful, chilled-out african city to visit. If you’re heading here, you should definitely take in these places.”
“this is my hood” c a p e t o w n B e t w e e n t H e a U S t R a L I a n a n d e U R o p e a n L e G S o F H I S 2 0 13 t o U R , S o U t H a F R I c a n e L e c t R o d J a n d p R o d U c e R H a e z e R ta k e S t I m e t o R e c o m m e n d S o m e o F H I S H o m e t o w n ’ S o U t S ta n d I n G S p o t S
uRBAn downHiLL
cHALLenGeit’s a route used by the annual urban Assault downhill,
but if you’re looking for
mountain bike thrills, you can find them here any day
of the week. it starts from the tar road on Signal Hill,
descends down a jeep track,
some walking paths, down some
steps and side roads before
bottoming out on Buitengracht Road.
HAezeR tHe SKAteR
He might not get as much time to do
it as he used to, but Haezer is a
passionate skater. with no skateparks
in cape town, a little street style is
your only option. the big parking lot
at Salesians on Somerset Road in Green point is a great spot. they have street-style
ramps, transitions and platforms for kick-flips, ollies
and grinds. Best of all, it’s free to use.
witH no SKAtepARKS,
SKAteRS muSt tAKe
to tHe StReetS
92 the red bulletin
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João barbosa, alias branko, is the Vasco da gama of the dJ scene. he travels the world with his record box, sniffing out musical subcultures, which he then imports into the clubs and his own material. he gave the african house genre kuduro truly global exposure, thanks to the success of his electro band buraka som sistema, with whom he received an MtV europe Music award in 2008. here, the 31-year-old from Portugal reveals the fruits of his recent cross-planet adventures.
SubpacFeel the bass without incurring the wrath of your neighbours (and your ear doctor). This vibrating chair pad thumps and throbs to music and video games.www.thesubpac.com
Tuki Love Pocz & Pacheko
“I recently went to Venezuela to find out more about a music movement called tuki, which all the kids there are into. It sounds like tropical techno-hardcore – electronic and fast. It began years ago when two local DJs attempted to copy Technotronic’s classic track pump up The Jam, and instead they accidentally invented this new genre.”
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Afro House DJ Havaiana
“In South africa right now it’s all about deep house from artists like black coffee, but further north in angola, young producers imitate the style with versions that sound a lot rougher, more intricate. This is my favourite track, because it’s got the best lead synth in the world and it shares its name with the genre: afro house.”
Waves Branko feat. Roses Gabor
“This track is on my new mixtape, Drums Slums and Hums, which you can download from my website [www.enchufada.com/branko]. Most people hear my music in clubs, but with my mixtapes, I want to do songs which would also work in headphones. This one also introduces one of London’s most talented singers, Roses Gabor.”
Zouk Flute Buraka Som Sistema
“Zouk is a style of music from the antilles that turned up in Europe in the ’80s, but is now all but forgotten in the current underground club scene. The rhythmic patterns are very interesting, the dragging tempo is so hypnotic. With buraka Som Sistema, we’re doing a new take on zouk and beefing it up with bass-heavy sounds.”
The Blow Yadi
“Yadi is one of the best vocalists in music right now – she’s going to be huge. On the one hand, she’s a young Londoner whose sounds very pop, but on the other she gathers all these weird instruments and influences from algeria, where her father is from. We’re currently working on a song with her, which is very exciting.”
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Around the world in 80 beats p l ay l i s t a n g o l a n h o u s e , a f r o - l o n d o n v o c a l s , t e c h n o f r o M v e n e Z u e l a : o n e M u s i c -M a k e r h a s t h e b r o a d e s t r a n g e o f i n f l u e n c e s o n e a r t h
AcTion !music
l e t t h e r y t h m m o v e y o u
a nEW WaY TO FEEL THE MuSIc
THE OLD-ScHOOL-
up’n’OVER
a festival fence isn’t an impregnable
fortress*. Get a ladder (or a shovel)
and sneak your way into
the site at night.
*It might be.
Find a camp site with
festivalgoers, pick up the loose ends
of their wristbands and fashion
them together to make a ‘new’ one.
THE I’M-S0-DESpaRaTE-
I’LL-DO-IT
Sign up as a festival volunteer.
Then, when your favourite band comes
on, just go for a long toilet
break. no manager can argue when you say the
loo queue was two hours
long: you’re at a festival!
THE THIS- acTuaLLY-
MIGHT-WORk
n o t i c k e t ?IF YOuR FaVOuRITE
FESTIVaL IS SOLD OuT, THERE aRE SOLuTIOnS
TO THE nO-EnTRY pRObLEM
branko, DJ and mastermind of buraka Som Sistema
the red bulletin 93
d o n ’ t m i s s
ink these dates in your diary
sea sessions surf Music Festival in Bundoran, ireland
June 21-23
Sax on the beachWith the Sea Sessions Surf Music Festival at Bundoran Beach in Ireland, the clue’s in the name. There’s the sea, in which surfers compete at a contest sanctioned by the world pro tour, and there’s a bill of live music acts, including indie-pop outfit Bastille, and DJ sets from Mr Scruff and Gilles Peterson. You can also watch the beach volleyball Grandslam and stunt work from the riders of 3SIXTY Mountain Bike Tour.www.seasessions.com
st Paul’s Carnival in Bristol has been bringing a taste of africa and the Caribbean to the south- west of england for 45 years. the main draw is the Mas procession, featuring thousands of dancers strutting to samba and soca, and the many sound systems (15 this year) going head-to-head. Big names include dJ krust and dJ dereck; listen out, too, for some unusual collaborations from red Bull Music academy.www.stpaulscarnival.co.uk
June 30
A Grand day out
enter now
Field tactics
July 6
Dancing in the street
infinity red Bull racing driver Mark Webber will be hoping for a repeat of last year’s British Grand Prix win at silverstone.www.redbullracing.com
rugby lovers dream of taking the field with a pro. Cardiff Blues and British Lions squad member Jamie roberts (right) will be imparting his skills during a full day of training on august 3. Fifteen lucky amateurs will join roberts, and the elite specialists who train him, on the field. entries close on July 8.getyourwings.redbull.co.uk
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Action !save the date
oz MostLyengland cricket’s biggest-ever year clicks into gear at trent Bridge
with the first day of the first test
against australia: the home leg of
the ashes double-bill. Lord’s hosts the second test four days later.
it is, as they say, game on.
www.ecb.co.uk
10july
no BuLLthe fifth round of red Bull X-Fighters will be held at Las Ventas in Madrid, the spiritual home
of spanish bullfighting. Will 2012 champ Levi
sherwood still be in the running
to defend his title? www.redbull
xfighters.com
19july
Wake uPBritain’s best
wakeboarders and wakeskaters (like skateboarders on water) take to the lakes to see who has what it takes
to stay on top at the two-day
national Championships. www.quayside
wake.com
6july
94 the red bulletin
YOURMOMENT.BEYOND THE ORDINARY
PHOTOGRAPHY THAT
LEAVES YOU BREATHLESS
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
CHANGING THE WORLD
ADVENTURE THAT
BREAKS BOUNDARIES
ADRENALINE
INGENIOUS
EXTREME
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FREEDOWNLOAD
/redbulletin
YOUR MOMENT.BEYOND THE ORDINARY
MUST-HAVES!BERGHAUS FREEFLOW 25+5 RUCKSACK
Carry all the gear you need with ease with the improvedFreeflow 25 + 5 Litre Rucksack, a day sack designed withyour comfort in mind. Built on the new Berghaus Freeflow Vbacksystem it provides a comfortable fit throughout yourhike, and allows airflow and ventilation where it reallycounts. With adjustable back height and a lower profile gapbetween you and the pack, it offers improved load carriageand stability. RRP: €105. Member’s Price: €99.75.
COLUMBIA MEN’S THE COMPOUNDER II SHELLDesigned to keep you dry from the inside out – even whenyou work up a sweat– this ultra-lightweight Men’sCompounder II 2.5L rain shell protects you from the elementswith full seam sealing and waterproof Omni-Dry, while Omni-Wick EVAP delivers extreme breathability and wicks sweataway from the body amazingly fast (four times faster thanother technologies like it). Other features include anattached, adjustable storm hood, two-way underarm ventingto keep the cool air flowing through and an abrasion-resistantchin guard. RRP: €230. Member’s Price: €218.50.
LEATHERMAN OHTFor years, multi-tool users could choose from two distinctoptions when it came to a “one-hand-operable” multi-tool:one-hand-opening pliers OR one-hand-opening blades.Leatherman has taken these two well-loved ideas and fusedthem into the first ever, 100 per cent one-hand-operablemulti-tool, the OHT. This tool features spring-loaded pliersand wire-cutters so you don’t tire your hand adjusting andreadjusting your grip. A lifesaving strap cutter and oxygenbottle wrench and much more make this a one-handedworkhorse of a tool. RRP: €110. Member’s Price: €104.50.
LOWA MEN’S RENEGADE GORE-TEX MID BOOTSLowa’s award-winning boot, the ever-popular Renegade, isideal for weekend adventurers. Hit the trails, scramble overrocks, jump on your mountain bike or take off to a far awaydestination. They are incredibly comfortable right out of thebox, with no break-in period required. The waterproof,breathable Gore-Tex lining will keep you dry, while theclimate-control footbed, with comfort perforations, improvesbreathability, creating a blister-free world for your toes.RRP: €175. Member’s Price: €166.25.
BERGHAUS VERDEN 45+8 RUCKSACKIf you're looking for high performance, reliability anddurability; the Berghaus Verden 45 + 8 Rucksack is fullyfeatured and offers excellent value. The new BioFit BackSystem adjusts to suit all sizes of wearer. The generous 45L+ 8L capacity is enough to carry all of your backpackingessentials. Backpack in comfort with a height-adjustable,removable chest strap, cinch straps on the hip-belt, and sideand base compression straps.RRP: €145. Member’s Price: €137.75.
SMARTWOOL MEN’S PHD OUTDOOR LIGHT CREWSmartwool’s PhD Outdoor Light Crew features ReliawoolTechnology for improved durability in the heel and toe, andthe 4 Degree Elite Fit System, to keep the sock in place andgive you all-sport versatility. This 4 Degree Elite Fit Systemuses two elastics for greater stretch and recovery to keep thesock in place. Strategically placed mesh ventilation zonesprovide ventilation for temperature and moisturemanagement. Have the right socks on for every adventure.RRP: €22. Member’s Price: €20.90.
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All items available from 53Degrees North, Blanchardstown,Carrickmines, Cork and online:www.53degreesnorth.ie
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MUST-HAVES!NORTH FACE HORIZON CONVERTIBLE PANTS
North Face Men’s Horizon Convertible Pants arecomfortable travelling pants that can easily convert toshorts. Breathability is guaranteed. Bring these convertibleswith you everywhere: with lightweight versatility, theseupdated pants are nothing short of perfection for hikingenthusiasts. Abrasion-resistant nylon fabric teamed withUltraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) 30 means that you areprotected all day long. Available from 53 Degrees Northin Blanchardstown, Carrickmines, Cork and online atwww.53degreesnorth.ieRRP: €65. Member’s Price: €61.75.
NITE HAWK
Renowned for their precision engineering, eye-catchingdesigns and self-powered night reading functionality, Britishwatch brand Nite have recently launched the stunninglooking Nite Hawk. The Hawk weighs in at a super-light64g and combines military styling and rugged durabilitywith a glass-fibre-reinforced polycarbonate case, rotatingbezel and silicone strap that will stand up to the toughest ofactivities. The large dial and scratch-resistant glasscombined with the self-powered dial illumination make itextremely easy to read at any time, day or night, providingunparalleled brightness and visual reliability. Visit nitewatches.com for more info. RRP: €349.00
ASICS GEL-LYTE 33 II RUNNING SHOE
Featuring the latest ASICS technology FluidAxis™, the GEL-LYTE33 II is a revolution in running. It allows every part ofthe shoe to adapt to your foot’s natural movement. Theresult is a running shoe with unparalleled fit and comfort,providing a more responsive, natural ride, so you can runthe way nature intended while maintaining a significantdegree of protection and support. FluidAxis™ is aninnovative redesign of the midsole of the shoe. The GEL-LYTE 33 II works with the subtalar joint, which rests underthe ankle. Aligned to the joints of your foot, it’s midsoleallows for the essential side-to-side movements of pronationand supination and works in harmony with the GuidanceLine along the outsole to optimise flexibility. Visit asics.ie for more info. RRP: €124.00.
COLUMBIA PEAK FREAK ENDURO OUTDRY
The Peak Freak Enduro Shoe is equipped with Outdrytechnology, which is guaranteed to keep your feet drywithout holding onto excess water between the outer of the shoe and the inner waterproof membrane. Aggressivemultidirectional lugs on the sole give this shoe the grip and stability you need to cross even the most uneventerrain, while the breathable, waterproof mesh upperensures your foot is kept secure and comfortablethroughout long races. Available from 53 Degrees Northin Carrickmines, Blanchardstown, Cork and online atwww.53degreesnorth.ieRRP: €105. Members Price: €99.75
HELLY HANSEN KILLARNEY ADVENTURE RACE
Whether you’re an accomplished athlete, weekend warrioror simply looking for a new challenge, the Helly HansenKillarney Adventure Race features the perfect combinationof breathtaking scenery, adrenalin-packed adventure andIrish charm to provide a memorable day out for the wholefamily. Already renowned for being Ireland’s must-doadventure race, the 2013 event will take place on SaturdayOctober 5 in the adventure capital of Ireland – Killarney,County Kerry – and promises to be bigger and better thanever before. For race information and online information,visit www.killarneyadventurerace.ie For further information about Helly Hansen visitwww.hellyhansen.com
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the next issue of the Red bulletin is out on July 1 (uK) and July 2 & 12 (iReland)
Time warp
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Under his own name, Samuel J Dixon worked as a photographer in Toronto. In his spare time, he stepped in front of the lens as Daring Dixon, seen here crossing the Niagara River on September 6, 1890. The 38-year-old took 12 minutes to walk a cable about 280m long and 2cm wide, in front of a 5,000-strong crowd. His stunt made the papers as far away as Australia.
down to the wire
98 the red bulletin
Free advertisement.
David Coulthard.13-time Formula 1 Grand Prix Winner and Wings For Life Ambassador.
FATE DOESN’T ASK.IT COuLD ALSO bE mE. Or yOu.
SPINAL COrD INJury muST bECOmE CurAbLE.In funding the best research projects worldwide focusing on the cure of spinal cord injury, the Wings for Life Spinal Cord research Foundation ensures top-level medical and scientific progress. We assure that hundred percent of all donations are invested in spinal cord research.
your contribution makes a difference. Donate online at www.wingsforlife.com
