Stunt cyclist rides bike along the blade of a 230ft wind turbine

This is the heart-pounding moment a stunt cyclist rode along the blade of a 230ft wind turbine in an effort to raise awareness of climate change.  

Danny Macaskill, from Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, cycled across the blade of the towering turbine at the Alveston Wind Park in Gloucestershire, ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow – which is set to commence this Sunday.

The cyclist, who in 2012 was given the honour of carrying the Olympic torch during its tour in Glasgow, undertook the daring challenge in an effort to show how much of the planet’s electricity originates from renewable sources.

He later described feeling ‘unrealistically high up’ during the daring stunt.     

The cyclist looks at the scenery around him before undertaking the heart-pounding stunt

During the clip, the cyclist stands at the top of the turbine before edging his bike onto the blade – while attached to a rope. 

After successfully executing the stunt, he stands on the blade of the wind turbine and lifts his bike above him.

He said: ‘It’s so high up it doesn’t feel high, it’s unrealistically high up.

‘I will say that fibreglass and bike tyres don’t go that well together, it’s slippery stuff. 

‘I made this film for Cop26 and I didn’t realise how abundant renewable energy is. It’s a good feeling knowing renewable energy is taking off and the balance is changing.’ 

Earlier the cyclist showcased an array of tricks at the Britwind warehouse in Stroud, Scotland, and carefully manoeuvred his bike along boxes and crates inside the factory to further highlight the importance of a sustainable future.

Following his stunts he said: ‘It’s been really cool for me to be part of this project.

‘It’s given an eye into renewable energy. COP26 is one of the most important events that’s happening at the moment.

‘Hopefully I can highlight to the audience, younger audience as well, who I think already know that things need to change.’

He added: ‘There were tons of features to work with. We had turbine blades I was trying to ride along the top of. We were making use of crates and everything around so it was a lot of fun to get creative with.

‘It’s really great to have COP26 coming to Glasgow. It’s code red for the climate at the moment. 

The cyclist slowly moves his bike across the blade in an effort to raise awareness of climate change

After executing the daring stunt as park of the climate games the cyclist said it was ‘unrealistically high up’

The stunt cyclist stands on the blade and lifts his bike in the air after completing the daring stunt

In 2012 the cyclist was given the honour of baring the Olympic torch during its tour in Glasgow

‘It’s just big changes need to be made.

‘Maybe after the pandemic it might be just the right time to change lifestyles a little bit. I think people are going to have to start making a bit of sacrifice on how they move around and what they’re consuming. 

‘Hopefully we’re going to release some positive change and we can look forward to the future.’ 

Head of Operations at Britwind, Matt Knight, said: ‘I’ve worked here six years and this is the biggest shoot we have had in the factory.

‘The guys have utilised everything around from our demo models to crates and boxes.’

Mr Macaskill completed 29 tricks ahead of Cop26 to represent the 29 per cent of the planet’s electricity that is generated from renewable sources. 

The cyclist also carried out a series of stunts at a renewable energy factory in Stroud, Scotland

Yesterday Nicola Sturgeon challenged polluting nations ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference and asked them to ‘step up’, despite bins overflowing in rat-infested Glasgow.

The First Minister of Scotland used a speech ahead of the Cop26 summit to call on leaders of high-emitting nations to create a ‘significant uplift’ in ambition to tackle the climate emergency.

The Cop26 summit will see world leaders from 120 countries, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden, descend on Glasgow on Sunday for one of the most consequential climate conferences in history.