Daredevil biker Fabio Wibmer swaps mountains for washing machine stunts
Most people might look at a washing machine and think it’s only got one use.
For Fabio Wibmer though, once he’s finished washing his clothes, white goods provide the perfect obstacle for his next trick.
The Austrian cycling sensation, whose videos have garnered him a huge following on Instagram and YouTube, has been pedaling furiously during lockdown.
Whereas he previously used railings and walls in cities across the world for his stunts, the 24-year-old is making the most of what he’s got at home for his videos.
His “Home Office” video, which was viewed over 1.6 million times in one day and now has over seven million views, involves Wibmer performing tricks all around his house using household appliances and sporting equipment as props.
For Wibmer and his housemates, the ability to focus on producing this video and “thinking outside the box” has helped him pass the time while he’s been stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was walking through the house and through the garage. And then, for example, I saw my bike like standing. And then I thought this could be actually cool to jump on it,” Wibmer told CNN Sport.
“We really, really enjoyed it because we had a rhythm, kind of like a mission to do something and we found our passion in that time.
“I think the whole team was super happy to be in such a situation where we can still do something at home rather than just sitting in the home and watching Netflix or whatever.”
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Adapting to the surroundings
Wibmer starting riding when he was six and has traveled all over the world to film stunts from the streets of Paris and Hamburg to Tenerife and Vancouver.
Given that global lifestyle, being told he had to stay home in Austria was “super crazy” for Wibmer.
“I was there with my roommates and then we just thought, ‘well, let’s make the most out of it and just try to be creative and do something.’ And so I had to bring my biking playground from the streets and from the mountains to my home.”
“For a guy like me, I’m used to playing outside on my bike and riding my bike everywhere else, but not at home. I didn’t really know what to do in the beginning because usually I don’t ride at home.”
Even for someone as experienced as Wibmer, some of the stunts that feature in the video took numerous attempts to perfect.
Wibmer says that he tried the basketball trick shot, where he uses his bike’s back wheel to hit the ball into the hoop, around “600 times.”
“I think out of those 600 tries we had, maybe 10 tries kind of went into that direction, but they’re definitely not in the basket.
“I mean we didn’t really have any stress, so it was actually more chill. It took us around four or five weeks in total to get everything.”
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‘Inspire’
Wibmer’s stunts have helped him become one of the best-known riders on the biking scene, with his videos raking in over 700 million views. His “Wibmer’s Law” video has been viewed over 83 million times.
His rise in popularity has also been accompanied by a developing awareness of his ability to inspire people in the biking community.
“With my riding and my passion to biking, I can inspire a lot of people and a lot of kids, which is really cool,” Wibmer explains.
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“The biking nation still being able to reach so many people and inspires so many. This is really cool and really motivates me and gets me as excited for every single video.”
