We Ride The Same Bikes

We Ride The Same Bikes

But when you’re going a bit slower you can just play more and have more of a ride. Hopefully I’ll look way better in the video than I look in a race.”

This is precisely what Steel City hopes to achieve with “Gamble.” By taking these racers outside the stringent confines of race tape, where their skill is conveyed to fans in split-second increments, they’re able to slow things down and capture the nuance of their technique in more atomistic detail, says Bartlett.

“In the races, we see riders for only three to five seconds at a time, and we’re under a lot of pressure just to get the clips,” he explains. “But to get quality clips that will really do these guys justice takes a lot more time to film.”

Wrangling this cast of committed professionals—and spending a week with each of them in locations around the world—has been a herculean effort, with riders and filmers struggling to align schedules and squeeze in most of the filming during the off-season.