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Behind the Scenes of Tomomi Nishikubo’s Ride to Survive

Two months ago, Japanese trials rider Tomomi Nishikubo has amazed audiences around the globe with his spectacular and funny YouTube hit “Ride to Survive”. In the behind-the-scenes video, the 28-year-old MTB Pro demonstrates how much hard work and time actually went into this project. Despite all the sweat, the countless attempts, fails and setbacks Tomomi’s crew never lost their spirit or importantly their sense of humor. From the “Chiba Bike Trial Club” in the woods of Chiba, the shores of Kanagawa and a remote island off the Japanese coast, Tomomi and his team filmed over seven months from early May to November to make the project a reality.

We have asked Tomomi a few questions about Ride to Survive and the making-of process that documented in the now released behind-the-scenes clip:

How did you get the idea for the video? 

I always talk to my friends about possible next projects. That’s actually where the idea of riding on an uninhabited island comes from. The ideas for the tricks come from my sketch book. I always have it with me and write down what comes to my head.

How many attempts did it take to nail the tricks? 

Most tricks took us between 50 and 200 attempts. But sometimes I took only few takes! It always depends on the weather, the sun light and my personal condition.

Which trick was the most difficult?

The front flip from the slackline was the most difficult trick. It’s a world-first trick. So there is no guideline, no example… I had to imagine everything about how my body and the bike will move and interact with the slackline system. It took us all day to build up and test the slackline system. I made this trick after several attempts the next day.

What was the most difficult part?

The hardest part of this project was definitely that I had to build all sections by myself. That’s how we spent most of our time. Shooting depended strongly on the weather, particularly the ground conditions. We needed two sunny days before we could start to film.

What was the most fun part? 

Fishing by rear wheel was the most fun part of the shoot. I actually fished a real fish with my fishing rod. I couldn’t stop laughing. Of course, I ate it and it was the most delicious fish I have ever eaten! Hahaha!

Tell us a little about your crew? 

It was filmed by 2 camera men and one photographer. So many friends helped with the setup and the building for the tricks. Daisuke, the first videographer is a mountain bike filmmaker and we also used to ride together.The second videographer, Jidai, is a young travel filmmaker. He is currently living the van-life around Japan. Naoki is the photographer who always works with me. I want to say huge thanks to everyone!

Follow Tomomi on Social Media:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tomomi_nishikubo/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/TomomiNishikubo
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tomomi_nishikubo
Website: https://rasoulution.com/athletes/tomomi-nishikubo/

Pictures: Naoki Morita

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