Red Bull is well known for its fondness for all sports extreme and diverse. The bike racers in its stable tend to be selected for their multi-disciplined abilities – riders like Wout van Aert love to mix on and off-road, for example, which is right there in the energy drink brand’s wheelhouse.
But now Visma-Lease a Bike rider Van Aert has brought a new slant to off-road riding, at the behest of Red Bull. It’s still very much off-road, but it’s not on trail or dirt either – the latest stunt from Red Bull in Belgium sees Van Aert riding on water.
This is no CGI-driven, physics-defying mock-up – nothing quite so exciting. Instead, Van Aert is filmed on the RedBull.be Instagram account riding a Red Shark ‘Bike Surf’ water bike along the Leie river in the centre of Kortrijk.
He is making considerably slower progress than he usually would on the road bike, which is reflected in his rather laboured expression.
The Bike Surf does what it says on the tin, essentially taking the form of an exercise bike mounted on a paddle board. According to Red Shark, the board is inflatable, while the frame weighs 8kg and features an alloy riser bar with a comfort saddle. The pedals drive a propeller mounted underneath. Kind of fun, but probably a bit of a step down for Van Aert from his usual Cervélo with SRAM Red eTap.
The things cyclists have to do for sponsors. It’s a beautiful setting, as he passes between the city’s medieval riverside Broel towers, but the 30-year-old must surely be looking forward to getting back on his more accustomed two wheels.
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This year Van Aert has listed the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix as his two main goals – races that he has tried in vain multiple times to win in the past.
He is also due to ride the Giro d’Italia for the first time, with the Tour de France also on his programme.
The Belgian will also hope to have a straightforward run at his objectives, following a torrid 2024 season that saw him crash heavily early on, in Dwars door Vlaanderen, necessitating two months out, before another heavy crash at the Vuelta a España ended his season prematurely.
