The Impossible Bike Obstacle Course

How do you make a bike obstacle course so difficult that the best riders in the world can't do it? Red Bull seems to have cracked the code. First, you float it over water, so there's always some wiggling going on. Then you make the true course as narrow as possible. That way, if you waver, deviate, or fall, you can't just get back up because you're in the water (and so is your bike). They tested this ridiculous obstacle course with a bunch of BMX pros, with results that can be described as pratfalls. 

then they challenged renowned cyclists Danny MacAskill and Kriss Kyle. These are the guys who will try it over and over again until they succeed. But will they? 
(via Laughing Squid) 

Cow Wins Horse Race

The annual St. Teresa's Charity Pantomime Horse Race pits teams of humans dressed as four-legged beasts against each other in a mercifully short race.

The St. Teresa’s Charity Pantomime Horse Race at the UK’s Catterick Racecourse raises funds for St. Teresa’s Hospice in Darlington. In its third annual running, the race welcomed four entrants: Heavy Brigade in the cow suit, racing for the Royal Dragoon Guards; Unicorn on the Cob in the unicorn suit, racing for marketing agency Purple Creative; #Professionals in the horse suit, a last-minute entry from Racing UK; and Wonky Donkey, racing for Lookers Volkswagen.

Spectators will be forgiven for thinking that drinking may have been involved. (via Metafilter)

The Two-Minute Wave

Pro surfer Koa Smith caught a wave off Namibia's Skeleton Bay that took him for a nearly a mile! He surfed a single wave for a distance of 1.5 kilometers for two minutes that took him through eight barrels. It was captured on video, both from a drone and from Smith's own GoPro POV. Both videos are mesmerizing.

My whole day surfing I try to InVision that one dream wave that I want to experience. I picture it clearly. What it will look like. How it will feel. The emotions pouring out of me when the wave is complete. Then this happen :)

(via Laughing Squid)

A Tempting Offer

In case you can't tell, that's a one dollar bill. This is from a short video you can see at reddit. 

"Occasional" Sports Fans

Have you noticed that people who never talk about or even think about soccer (also known as football) are suddenly fans, or maybe even experts? This is particularly true of Americans, because North America is hosting the World Cup. There are also those who are sports fans once every four years, when the World Cup happens elsewhere. Or the Olympics, when you find yourself wrapped up in women's gymnastics for a short time, but then switch to speed skating two years later. Meanwhile, you haven't paid attention to anything outside of baseball. Or maybe not even that. So many people only care about football for one weekend in February, or horse racing on the first Sunday in May. If you don't keep up the rest of the time, it might be difficult to bluff your way through, as Ryan George demonstrates here.

In case you aren't even trying, the 2026 World Cup comes to an end today when Spain and Argentina play at 3 Eastern Time. (via Geeks Are Sexy) 

Man in T-Rex Costume Catches Massive Catfish

Who knew that T-rex was into noodling? And how does he do it with those short arms? (via Digg) 

World Cup Final Eight

(via TYWKIWDBI) 

Silver Lining

Cartoon by @adamzyglis.bsky.social

[image or embed]

— Econ Analytica (@econanalytica.bsky.social) July 9, 2026 at 10:48 AM

How We Got Sumo Wrestling

How old is the sport of sumo wrestling? It's ancient, depending on your definition of "ancient." It also depends on your definition of "sumo." Of course, "wrestling" has been everywhere since the dawn of mankind, probably. Anyway, historical records of sumo wrestling first appeared in the 8th century, but you wouldn't recognize it as sumo wrestling from the perspective of today. What makes sumo wrestling different from other types of wrestling came a little at a time, and the impetus for most of those changes was money. There had to be things that distinguished professional sumo wrestlers from wannabes. 

Therefore, many of the ancient traditions surrounding sumo were invented about 300 years ago. Sure, all traditions were "invented" at one time or another, and 300 years seems pretty ancient now. But these practices were called ancient traditions even when they were new. This TED-Ed lesson explains how and why sumo wrestling became what it is today. (via Laughing Squid) 

Closing the Fridge

Renzo Rage demonstrates the many ways of closing a refrigerator door, using different styles of martial arts. Showing this to your children may encourage them to actually do it, but you might pay in damages. A description of each style can be found at Metafilter. 

T-Mail

From Married to the Sea. 

Sports

(via Bits and Pieces)

NCAA Post Game Show

Charles Barkley said something that's not about basketball and it became a meme. That's taken to ridiculous lengths in the opening skit for Saturday Night Live last night. And this is how I found out who's playing in the championship game tomorrow. 

Thanks, Obama

The only president we've ever had who is younger than me goes one on one with 24-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. There's some trash talking but a lot of fun. They are supposed to play again at the opening of Obama's presidential library, which is much more than a library, and is called the Obama Presidential Center. (via Metafilter) 

An Outfield Catch with More Style Than We Deserve

Sometimes the force of catching a baseball can knock you back, and other times you're just an acrobat as well as an outfielder. RobertAnthony Cruz (coach.rac) of the Savannah Bananas put entertainment in the outfield with a catch for the ages. Let's see that from a closer point of view.

Cruz posted the video at YouTube with the title "The Greatest Catch of My Life." I think he should have added "So Far." (via kottke) 
 

The Shape of Paris

Pro skater Andy Anderson takes a tour of Paris. That description seems way too straightforward. Sure, he's impressive, and finds infinite opportunities for complex tricks in the city, but Paris has never looked so beautiful. Brett Novak's cinematography is off the charts and will make you want to book your tickets. There are aerial shots, looming architecture, and landscape vistas, but most of what you see is from ground level as if you are actually there. Even the rain cannot dampen the mood. The Shape of Paris not only appeals to skateboarding enthusiasts, but anyone who wants a beautiful and soothing look at Paris. (via Nag on the Lake) 

I Went Golfing with Alice Cooper

In the 1970s, Alice Cooper burst onto the scene with his shock rock about not liking school and not being a nice guy. He wore creepy makeup, brought snakes onstage, and worst of all, he had a woman's name! It was cool to like Cooper because it was subversive, but the songs were good, too. Some years later, it became clear that he was a serious musician who had a great hook for the time, and was a regular guy underneath the makeup. When he made enough money to move to a ritzy neighborhood, he became great friends and played golf with neighbors like Groucho Marx and Glen Campbell. 

Mike Erskine-Kellie relates a golf outing in this animation from the view of a cranky old man who still sees Cooper as the demon singer that first grabbed the spotlight. Contains some NSFW language. (via Nag on the Lake) 

A Dog Competes in Olympic Cross-country Skiing

The eyes of the world were drawn to an Olympic preliminary qualifying round in the women's cross-country skiing event in Tésero, Italy, on Wednesday. A large dog joined in the race and was even caught on Omega's official timekeeping camera as he crossed the finish line. 

The dog was identified as a Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul, who belongs to a family who runs a local bed and breakfast. His owners speculated that Nazgul wanted to follow his family as they left for a different Olympic event, and broke out of the house. While the wolfdog surprised and unnerved some of the competitors, his presence did not affect the results of the heat, since the qualifying skiers had already crossed the finish line. That's a good dog.    

The Cameraman on the Ice

Every time the Olympics roll around, there are new technologies to show us the action up close. You've seen camera drones following skiers and sledders down the course. In figure skating, we now have a camera man on the ice! Jordan Cowan is a former competitive ice dancer who now carries a steadicam onto the rink. No, he's not skating around during Olympic competition, but only approaches the competitor when their routine is through to see their reactions up close. However, Cowan is out on the ice during practice routines and exhibition performances. Check out some of his work at his YouTube channel. 

Synchronized Skating

It never occurred to me that synchronized skating wold be a thing, but it only makes sense. We already have synchronized swimming and synchronized gymnastics. This sport isn't an Olympic event (yet), and if it was, I wouldn't be able to embed a video. This video is from the U.S. Synchronized Skating International Classic, which (surprise) the U.S. dominated. The team shown here, Teams Elite Junior, won a gold medal. These skaters may have a future with Holiday On Ice or Disney On Ice. Or in accounting.