Ever since the World Tour peloton began arriving to Spain for their team training camps, there has been entertainment everyday. From
new jersey reveals, to
cyclist traffic jams on the Col de Rates,
Lidl-Trek riding around with winter coats covering them and now... Rider pulling an airplane into flying for the first time in history - as achieved by the
Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe team.
In a
video produced and shared by Red Bull itself, the masterplan of making a plane take off using the speed that its gathered from being pulled by cyclists has taken place and succeeded for the first time. Naturally the first time, as it is an idea that few would have, and incredibly difficult to execute even taking into consideration the plane's small dimensions. Red Bull thrives in high-production stunts, and the connection to the cycling team and some of the most powerful riders on the planet made this plan viable.
In Mallorca, where the team is currently undergoing a team training camp ahead of the 2026 season, nine riders were called in for a particularly unusual mission. Florian Lipowitz, Callum Thornley, Davide Donati, Nico Denz, Jordi Meeus, Tim van Dijke, Laurence Pithie, Adrien Boichis and Gijs Schoonvelde were all involved in a contraption that attached them to an airplane with pilot Andy Hediger inside. The goal was to get the plane up to 45Km/h, which in itself already required a very high power output from the riders to achieve. The whole project was led by aero specialist Dan Bigham.
The rider collectively averaged 650 watts for 90 seconds on the track and hit 54Km/h with the plane behind taking off high up in the air. Certainly not the traditional preparation for the cycling season, but another world first given to us by the cycling world.