We don’t cover a lot of BMX in this space, but what Dane Searls does in this video is just awe-inspiring. It is to BMX what big wave surfing is to body surfing a two-footer, or cliff-dropping a 100-footer is to skiing a groomer. It barely exists in the same novel, let alone the same sentence. And in the context of knowing that just two days after this world-record-setting feat, this past November, Searls died from injuries suffered by something as innocuous seeming as jumping into a swimming pool, it’s also a little heartbreaking. Searls was just 23 years old.

There is no consolation for Searls’ fans or his family, although at least he saw through his year-long Giants of Dirt project, to become the first BMXer to gap a 60-footer. The Giants project began in August of 2010 but the jumps were washed out by rain, postponing Searls’ progress in getting comfortable with the size of the jumps. He had better weather when he went back to try again this November — late spring in Brisbane, Australia, where the 32-, 35-, 50- and 60-foot jumps were constructed.

So, no, there’s no consolation. But there is this short film, full of all the effort, pain, frustration, and finally, the triumph of one guy’s dream.

Tagged as: mountain bike, world record