Danny MacAskill makes doing back-flips off of a tree on his bike look easy.

BESIDES A YOUTUBE video with over 17 million views, it seems impossible to find any information on Danny MacAskill. Even his official website is a work in progress.

A 25 year old from Edinburgh, Scotland, MacAskill has been riding for 13 years and now rides professionally. He has a dog called Meg, and his favorite drink is Red Bull. That was the only dirt I could dig up on him.

Some of the tricks he can do include flairs on a tree, bunny-hop tailwhips, drops off of staircases, and riding along thin fences or railings. MacAskill claims not to train or take himself too seriously, saying he still rides his bike just for fun.

Perhaps a reason for his virtual anonymity stems from the fact he doesn’t want to be famous, and has turned down appearances on American and British talk shows and even a performance at the Scottish Cup final.

In an interview by BikeRadar.com, however, MacAskill opens up a little more. While he hopes to travel the world and create more videos, he also loves performing for children at their schools, hoping to inspire more athletes to pick up the sport. He’s a perfect role model: in his younger years, he was unruly and often found himself in trouble with the police. Now, he’s famous without even trying, simply for doing something he loves.

From the mouth of MacAskill himself: “I am not going to degrade what I am doing and act like a clown. I am not too fussed about making money. I just want to ride my bike every day and see a bit more of the world.”

Is it just me, or does his desire to stay out of the spotlight make you want to get to know him even more?

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About The Author

Candice Walsh

Candice is a travel writer and blogger currently stationed in St. John’s, Newfoundland. When she’s not shooting whiskey and hitting on men, she’s eating nachos and dreaming about her next big adventure. Check out her blog, Candice Does the World.

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