On the opening day of the festival, I happen upon an interesting setup outside the Circus Big Top. A van, BMX bikes, a collection of obstacles and a growing crowd.
Led by Rick, this is the RPM Bike Display Show. Now you may think, ‘BMX bikes doing stunts – that isn’t very theatre and circus.’ Well, you’d be wrong: it couldn’t be any more circus.
Admittedly, once the team progress from a version of the high jump to traversing a huge gap, the danger feels a bit more real than acrobats in the big top with a welcome safety net below them, should anything go wrong.
The tricks become increasingly challenging as they seek to jump between obstacles, performing mid-air manoeuvres as they do so. A skift of rain adds to the danger as the roof of the van they’re aiming to mount becomes slippery.
They’re aiming to climb to the top of the van on their bikes before jumping an incredible distance to land on a platform. With each turn, they extend the gap, and there’s plenty of crowd encouragement as the gap grows further and further.
‘Who doesn’t care [if we make it] and is just here to see if someone gets hurt,’ Rick asks to cheers. There are no injuries this time, just an impressive showcase of skill.
