Speed demon! Daredevil makes 1,000ft mountain road descent wearing body armour equipped with 31 skateboard wheels
By Damien Gayle
These incredible pictures show French 'Rollerman' daredevil Jean-Yves Blondeau as he speeds down hair-raising mountain roads in China in his custom-made roller suit.
Mr Blondeau, 42, slid down the roads on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, in south China's Hunan province, earlier today.
The suit, which he designed, has 31 rollerblade-like wheels on the torso, back, and most of the major joints, allowing him to ride in a number of positions at speeds of up to 70mph downhill.
Rollerman: Frenchman Jean-Yves Blondeau in his roller suit slides down a corner at Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, in south China's Hunan province earlier today
Fast: Mr Blondeau's suit has 31 rollerblade-like wheels on the torso, back, and most of the major joints, allowing him to ride in a number of positions at speeds of up to 70mph downhill
Mr Blondeau sped down the 10.77 kilometre road, which boasts 99 hairpin turns, in just 19 mins 34 sec - giving him an average speed of roughly 33km/h (20mph)
Mr Blondeau sped down the 10.77 kilometre road, which boasts 99 hairpin turns, in just 19 mins 34 sec - giving him an average speed of roughly 33km/h (20mph).
Rolling part-way down the steep, tortuous mountain road, and part way down a specially installed metal track, he used his body to steer as he hurtled dangerously towards the finish.
He even felt confident enough to catch a little air from a jump set up near the bottom of the track, before crossing the finish line to exploding fire works.
It is just the latest stunt by Mr Blondeau, who has taken his suit - nicknamed Buggy Rollin' - down luge tracks, mountain roads and city streets across the world.
It is just the latest stunt by Mr Blondeau, who has taken his suit - nicknamed Buggy Rollin' - down luge tracks, mountain roads and city streets across the world
 
I've done it! Mr Blondeau strikes a pose and, right, roars with delight at the end of the course earlier today
Born 1970 in Aix-les-Bains, eastern France, Mr Blondeau originally designed his roller suit as his graduation project at the industrial design school École nationale supérieure des arts appliqués et des métiers d'art (also known as the Olivier de Serres) in Paris.
Since then, he has created 20 generations of the superhero-type outfit, ranging from basic kneepads with rollers to sophisticated full body armour like the one worn in the Tianmen Mountain stunt.
It was using a model with 26 wheels at Mont Ventoux, Provence, that Mr Blondeau made his speed record of 116km/h (70mph).
Describing the motivation behind his invention, Mr Blondeau told French paper Dauphine Libere earlier this year: 'I wanted to work with the human body. Do feel the sensation of balance and locomotion.'
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發表於 2012-7-23 01:14 PM
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