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Video: New Danny MacAskill film Epecuén features amazing riding in Argentinian ghost town

Scottish trials star heads to Latin America for latest venture

Danny MacAskill’s long-awaited new film, Epecuén has arrived - and it’s breathtaking.

The eponymous venue is an Argentinian town that was drowned in 1985 when the dike protecting it from a nearby lake was destroyed. 

A thriving tourist town vanished overnight and by 1995 it was submerged under 33 feet of the salty water that had once attracted visitors for its therapeutic properties.

Climate change has recently caused the waters to subside and a salt-encrusted ghost town to emerge from the lake as a playground for MacAskill’s amazing talents.

Watch Epecuén here.

John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.

He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.

Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.

John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.

He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.

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15 comments

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Jimmy Ray Will | 10 years ago
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The production budget of that thing is incredible!

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hood | 10 years ago
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immense!!!

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Phil H | 10 years ago
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Superb. But just a query & not a criticism, how much is spontaneous & how much planned out?  41

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Beaufort | 10 years ago
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Are there any forums that don't attract cynical malcontents ?

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Crankwinder replied to Beaufort | 10 years ago
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Beaufort wrote:

Are there any forums that don't attract cynical malcontents ?

I shouldn't think so. Forums let people get bad stuff out of their system with complete anoymity. If no one could tell it was you, would you bother to hold in a fart?

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OldRidgeback | 10 years ago
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amazing video - really want to go there - not been to Argentina yet but it's on my list

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levermonkey | 10 years ago
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Great stunts. Awesome cinematography. Strangely beautiful landscape.
 41  41  41  41  41

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teamjon | 10 years ago
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Awesome vid. As good as Danny is, serious respect to the cameraman and director.

I don't drink redbull but I'm glad they feel the need to sponser great videos that just wouldn't get made otherwise

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teamjon | 10 years ago
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Awesome vid. As good as Danny is, serious respect to the cameraman and director.

I don't drink redbull but I'm glad they feel the need to sponser great videos that just wouldn't get made otherwise

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Him Up North | 10 years ago
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I'd never heard of Epecuen before seeing this video and I think the whole thing is fascinating. It's hard to comprehend such an event - an inundation slow enough to allow the entire population to evacuate and there be no fatalities (unlike the disasters mentioned above). It is, however, becoming a tourist attraction again which is naturally causing misgivings among some of the previous inhabitants. Is it right to make a bike tricks video among the ruins? It is 25 years since the waters rose, so yes, I think it is. MacAskill and his team have made a mini masterpiece.

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WolfieSmith | 10 years ago
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All very beautiful but kind of pointless. Maybe it will start a trend in riding bikes around disaster scenes? How about the Japanese Tsunami coast next or a golden classic like Prypiat or maybe New Orleans if some arty ruins remain? It's a shame they built over Ground Zero. Twiddling a bike around that would have been awesome. And kinda deep... In some way or another.. That I can't quite think of at the moment....Next time there's an earthquake in Iran or Pakistan they should fly Danny out with the rescuers. Get those ruins fresh with dust. Lit by arc lights and silent bike tricks while they listen for survivors tapping.

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Super Domestique | 10 years ago
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Stunning video.

Stark and haunting place. The old chap at the start is the only resident now. 81 years young and still on the bike - equally impressive.

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themartincox | 10 years ago
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awesome. just awesome.

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Some Fella | 10 years ago
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And before i get accused of being a cynical old git - good luck to the lad.
Have no problem with him earning a nice wedge on the back of his hard work and talent.
I wish someone would pay me buckets of money to ride my bike and drink pop.

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Some Fella | 10 years ago
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"Can you wear a Red Bull helmet?"
"Erm - do i have to?"
"Will this big bucket of money help"
"Oh - go on then"
"Can you nonchalantly drink from a tin of Red Bull and pretend to enjoy it?"
"I dont really feel comfortable doing that"
"Will another bigger bucket full of money help?"
"Hmmm - let me think about it"

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