MTB
Where Swiss winemakers have been creating first-class wine for centuries, BMX pro Kriss Kyle takes off into new spheres.
In the most western reaches of Switzerland, you will find Lavaux, an area known and famous for the wine it produces. The vineyards and surrounding landscapes there are so breathtaking that UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site. The vineyards, which have been cultivated on terraced slopes, span a 30-kilometre stretch of Lake Geneva between Lausanne and Montreux. Anyone visiting will enjoy an unforgettable view of Lake Geneva, and as such, Lavaux has a regular influx of tourists eager to sample those views and drink the wine made there.
One interested visitor, BMX rider Kriss Kyle, wanted to do more than admire the view when he visited Lavaux. He and his crew created a dream line through the cultivated vineyards and breathtaking landscapes, which he would then take to, not on a BMX, but on a mountain bike. The resulting edit is Through the Grapevines, which you can watch in the video above.
Kriss Kyle's latest bike edit shows incredible creativity
Kyle is no stranger to taking on the spectacular or being heavily creative. The Scottish-born athlete took to the skies last year to ride his bike in Don't Look Down, where he rode his BMX on a mini park bowl attached to a hot air balloon 600 metres above ground. Though Kyle has made his name as a BMX freestyle rider, he's equally adept at turning tricks on a mountain bike's bigger frames and wheels.
For Through the Grapevines, Kyle's mountain bike of choice was the Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Pro, which has a 26-inch wheel at the rear and a 27.5-inch wheel at the front.
"It's completely different to my BMX. If I'm honest, it's almost like a breath of fresh air. The bigger wheels grind a lot more. I love the suspension when I land. It's wonderful compared to BMX, where every impact hammers my body," said Kyle.
Kriss Kyle's dream line through Lavaux could not have been more varied: castle walls, dirt jumps, wall rides, rails and even a passing express train were all part of it. Look out in particular for the open loop that Kyle completed in an extremely narrow alley in the village of Saint-Saphorin.
As ever with such freestyle bike-riding projects, nothing goes right the first time when riding. Kyle remembers one fall in particular: "It was really horrible. But I still remember watching the video of the fall afterwards. And how I saw my face when I jumped off my bike upside down."
The route that Kyle took across the vineyards was determined following many consultations with the authorities and local landowners, as well as extensive reconnaissance tours, during which the wood, dirt and construction crews refined the concept. From construction to the final edit, Kyle and his seven crew members were on site for 14 days. In reconnaissance, Kyle and the team explored the terrain on e-bikes. And there was no shortage of enjoyment, as track builder George Eccleston says enthusiastically: "We looked at the spots - and tasted the wine."
How do you build a route and implement obstacles in a terrain that you have so little time to reconnaissance? Eccleston explains it like this: "Some ideas were simple and it quickly became clear what we could implement. Other things were so incredible that Kriss had to have the last word - he had to say whether it was even possible or not."
One of the hardest parts was a wooden ramp, where Kyle had to build up enough speed to do a wall ride on a vertical, round wall. Another challenge was the open loop that Kyle conjured up in the narrow alleyways of Saint-Saphorin.
"What inspires me is the sheer passion that everyone here has for wine. It was incredible to get to know the people behind this world-class wine. They pour their heart and soul into it, and it pays off," Kyle enthuses when asked to sum up his experience of shooting Through the Grapevines in Lavaux.
"I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to bike in this special UNESCO World Heritage site, all thanks to the generous local winemakers. The beauty of Lavaux is conserved so well, and I am happy to see that everybody is keeping it that way.”
Only one question remains, Kyle. Red or white wine? "I'm more of a red wine drinker. And this wine here is one of the best I've ever drunk."
Check out how Kyle and his team made Through the Grapevines in the behind-the-scenes film below: