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13 | 07 | 2023

GASPI CONQUERS THE WALL OF DEATH ON HIS CRAFTY
RICHARD GASPEROTTI IS THE FIRST PERSON EVER TO DO SO ON AN EBIKE
THE WALL OF DEATH

Mondraker’s riders and ambassadors are just wired differently, and Richard Gasperotti isn’t the exception. It looks like riding down 6 active volcanoes earlier this year just wasn’t enough to keep him happy for long and now he’s turned his hand to the raddest, and maddest, of circus tricks (together with his CRAFTY CARBON R). The world famous “Wall of Death”, a kind of hall sized wooden barrel which motorbikes ride around the inside of, is what’s caught his attention this time around. Imagine trying to ride an endless wall ride two or more meters off the ground!

WELCOME TO ANOTHER STORY OF OVERCOMING CHALLENGES AND BREAKING RECORDS

From our man Gaspi and his CRAFTY CARBON R. *Only suitable for riders who don’t suffer from vertigo.

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FIRST EBIKER EVER TO RIDE THE WALL OF DEATH

"It hurt, but I made it," were the first words spoken by Richard Gasperotti after becoming the first ever ebiker in the world to ride the Wall of Death. He made his record-breaking ride on a Mondraker ebike with assistance from Bosch’s eBike System.

A TRADITIONAL WOODEN FAIRGROUND ATRACCTION

The Wall of Death is a traditional wooden fairground attraction, built in the shape of a giant barrel, which stunt riders on motorcycles ride around the inside of for the amusement of spectators. 


A new French circus group called “Mur De La Mort” has recreated the century-old attraction and is touring the world with it. Mondraker’s Richard Gasperotti approached the collective during a several-day stop in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. 


"I've wanted to try the Wall of Death ride since I was a little boy when I first saw pictures of the attraction," says the biker, who has in the past been whisked on his bicycle along a runway behind a motorcycle at a world-record-breaking speed of 211km per hour, and who went on to tackle the Olympic bobsleigh track in Sarajevo, "However, I never imagined how challenging the Wall of Death ride would be." adds the extreme athlete known as Gaspi. He also recently descended six active volcanoes on his bike.

NORMALLY IT TAKES ABOUT HALF A YEAR TO LEARN TO RIDE "THE WALL OF DEATH"


While advanced circus riders race their motorcycles around the vertical walls no-handed and sometimes even blindfolded, getting started is something else, and Gaspi suffered four bad crashes before he could enjoy a few laps without falling off. "Normally it takes about half a year to learn to ride the wall of death so confidently that you can start adding more tricks,” says crew leader Raoul, who has been doing this dangerous sport for over thirty years“ but Gaspi learned the basics in one afternoon, and he has my utmost respect." 


"The hardest thing to do was to switch my perception from horizontal to vertical. It's a completely different perception of reality. The second challenge is the extremely slippery surface of the wooden walls. On one ride my front wheel slipped and I fell from three metres up straight onto my back." says the biker, who quickly gained confidence and started circling consistently after a few more attempts. What’s more, having to pedal constantly made the ride very challenging in terms of balance as spinning the cranks unsettled the bike's stability. There was also a high risk of pedal strikes (hitting the wooden wall with a pedal) when transitioning from horizontal to vertical.

1930

The famous fairground tradition of the 1950s lives on through the collective “Le Mur de la Mort” (“The Wall of Death”) and is the last performance of its kind in France. The show “Mortel Jus de Mortel” combines circus, theatre, fairground parade and backstage life.


The original Wall of Death dates from around 1930 and was built in the United States, the birthplace of the ride. The story is blurred, but the attraction arrived in Europe several years later.


This rich fairground history passed through several families over the decades, from the Abbins, the Coutards, the Romanos, the Rivières and perhaps some others too, before ending up with Adrien Lapoumeroulie, who, at the end of his career sold it to two ambitious young theatre actors who quickly lost their teeth.

IT WAS LISTED AS A HISTORIC MONUMENT


Stored in a barn in the Auvergne region in around 1990, it was abandoned and left to rot until, almost by coincidence, three friends rescued it from oblivion and destruction. Once dried, it took 5 years for the Wall of death to regain its original state. The enthusiasts then restored the wooden surface and rebuilt the metal construction. 


At the same time, given its great age and the originality of its design, it was listed as a historic monument.


The original access ramps had to be replaced by two scaffolding-type staircases to increase the capacity of the audience from 50 to the current 110 spectators, which, by modern standards still offers what is an almost intimate show. It is currently one of the last three existing walls of death in the world.

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