Men of Action: Getting Up and Carrying On

What do you see when you walk out of your front door?

The same street?

Danny MacAskill doesn't. He sees a canvas, an experiment. A chance to develop his skills and do the unimaginable.

Danny is a trails cyclist and this year has been celebrated for changing the way a street trials rider can define how we view urban landscapes by National Geographic.

Two years ago Danny released a video on Youtube that showed him performing different stunts around Edinburgh, Scotland. This went viral and quickly propelled Danny to a trials icon.

Since then, he's been featured in music videos and TV commercials. Last summer, he released a short film  called Industrial Revolutions, in which he performs stunts around an abandoned Scottish iron works. This received television coverage in the UK and inspired the National Geographic honour.

'It's fun to come up with these ridiculous ideas and then actually take them to places... the most important thing is that I do the best kind of riding I can'

Danny's story is more than one of success. His skill is part of his identity.

'I never had the goal of being a professional rider. I just wanted to ride my bike'

'I've never thought of going out and riding my bike as training. It's just fun'

But this isn't risk free. Danny accepts that bumps and grazes, and even serious injury are a part of the package.

'If I was bothered by it at all, I wouldn't do the kind of riding I do'

You can se in his videos that he isn't afraid to fall of his bike, and when he does he simply gets up and back on it. He does this because of the passion that runs through his veins.

We can relate to this. The Wild Geese faced many difficult trials. But their raw passion made sure that they carried on. They didn't relent and achieved some remarkable feats.

Danny MacAskill - a very inspiring Man of Action. We thought you should see what he can do yourselves, so we've posted his first video below - we're nice like that. It's hard to choose a favourite part, but 2:21 and 3:06 are mind-blowing.