A mountain biker who rode over the top of a bridge in Bristol says that his ultimate goal would be to ride over the top of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Charlie Warman, from Bath, has been mountain biking for between five and six years and also takes part in stunts riding over bridges across Bristol.
The 20-year-old rider first got into mountain biking when he volunteered at All Cycle Bath & West, a charity which helps people of all ages and abilities, including those with disabilities and learning needs, to get into biking. He has taken part in stunts where he has ridden on top of bridges in Bath and Bristol.
On Sunday (January 12), Charlie rode over the Feeder Road bridge with locals capturing the moment. He said that once he had completed the ride, he felt “amazing”.
Charlie said: “It felt so amazing once I had completed it. On the first attempt, I took a couple of minutes at the top of the bridge to get ready for the ride down and just sent it.
“It felt completely different from what I thought it would be when I was looking at maps of the bridge. It was a lot steeper than I thought it’d be.
“I had people on each side of the bridge who would alert me if and when people were crossing over. We were not stopping anyone from crossing the bridge and we were just waiting for the right moment.”
The self-described “adrenaline junkie” says that doing mountain biking and stunts makes him feel better and improves his morale. He has big aims and is able to explore the world, but he has set his ambitions even higher, both figuratively and literally.
Charlie said: “I would like to ride over the Clifton Suspension Bridge one day. That is my ultimate goal. I’d like it to be a day where it can be professional, the road would be closed off and the attempt would be filmed.
“I’m training so I can take on the bigger bridges so one day, I can do the Suspension Bridge and know that I cannot fail on. It would mean everything if I was able to do this on day, it’s unexplainable how much it means to me.
“I’m such an adrenaline junkie and this makes me so happy, it makes me feel better. I do stunts so other people don’t get hurt doing it, they can see someone else doing it and either not do it or learn how to do it.”
In March, Charlie will take on the Megavalanche mountain bike event in France. The race, which takes place on the French Alps, will see mountain bikers race 12 miles down the mountain, descending over 2,600 vertical metres. Thousands of bikers are expected to attend.
“I am looking forward to competing, I’ve been sponsored for the event. I’m just worried about my bike,” Charlie added. Charlie regularly posts his stunts onto his Instagram, which can be found here.