Danny MacAskill – 20 Questions

What achievement are you most proud of?
“Getting Rob Halford to have a cameo role in This is Drop and Roll.”

Give us a story from your wildest moment in mountain biking?
“I don’t know I would call this the wildest, but one of the coolest moments I ever had riding my bike, has to be doing a show with Martyn Ashton and Sam Pilgrim in 2009 at Bike Radar Live, while Hans Rey, Greg Minnaar, Steve Peat, Brian Lopes, Martin Söderström and many more were looking on. It felt like I was getting inducted into the mountain biking world.”

What has been your favourite moment of Dirt’s history?
“Any Dirt magazine that had Chris Akrigg coverage in it would always have to be top of my list.”

How were you first introduced to Dirt?
“My friends and older brothers started buying the magazine. Back in 1998, reading Dirt was sort of my introduction to mountain biking.”

What would be the first question you would ask Dirt?
“What was your favourite issue?”

When did you first start mountain biking?
“I got my first bike when I was four-years-old. By the time I was five or six I was cycling just under a mile to primary school in Dunvegan, on the Isle of Skye. Soon, I was cutting up the road and getting really good. We all had bikes and would do stunts and race home from school.

When I was 11, I got my first mountain bike and got into trials riding. My older brother’s friends all had trials bikes and I would follow them around trying to see what tricks I could do.” 

What’s your favourite wheel size?
“24” for street trials and 27.5” on my mountain bike.”

What life lessons has mountain biking taught you?
“If at first you don’t succeed, then try, try, try, try ,try and try again. I have definitely learnt patience and perseverance through trials.”

Who doesn’t get the credit they deserve in the industry?
“Ali C is probably one of the most progressive street trials riders in the world at the moment and deserves more recognition for his work.” 

What’s been the most questionable thing to come out of mountain biking?
“The hundred different bottom bracket standards. This is getting out of hand.”

What’s been the best track you’ve ridden?
“The path at Ben Lomond.”

How would you change World Cup downhill?
“A lot of people might disagree with me, but I would love to see an urban downhill course. One street race a year would be pretty awesome. I think, racing down streets is a lot more relatable to the outside world and therefore maybe more exciting for the average person to watch. The addition of a street downhill contest would boost the coverage for all riders. Watching the best riders in the world race some gnarly city track down steps and off roofs would be cool.”

What do you still want to achieve in mountain biking?
“I have a huge list of projects I would still love to get done. While I can, I am going to try to work through as many of them as possible.”

What do you want to see more of from the Dirt website?
“A bit more coverage of street trials riders wouldn’t go amiss.”

What do you hope the next 20 years brings for mountain biking?
“I’d love to see mountain biking carry on growing at the pace it is. It would also be great to see MTB becoming part of the school curriculum.”