Badass Filipino Tribe Races Down Mountain Using Hand-Carved Wooden Bikes
By Ryan General
The Ifugaos, an ethnic group who inhabit the southeastern part of the Cordillera region in the Philippines, are known for their ingenuity and exceptional wood-carving skills.
Using their craftsmanship and inventiveness, these tribesmen can create badass bicycles using only wood and some scraps of used rubber tires.
The makeshift wooden bikes are made fiercer by the intricate carvings of animals, mythical creatures and even human faces.
Members of this peaceful Cordilleran tribe showcase their creations via a special race during the Ifugao’s Imbayah Festival, a celebration of thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest in Banaue.
Held every three years, the event draws visitors from all over the Philippines and beyond who come to see a unique race featuring the wooden bikes.
Wearing nothing but their ethnic attire called bahag, the Ifugao men ride their homemade scooters along the zigzagging roads of a steep slope from the mountains to the town of Banaue below.
The Ifugao daredevils hurtle down the four-and-a-half mile course at a speed of up to 50 miles per hour.
Since the bikes have no mechanism for pedalling or breaking, the riders rely on nothing but gravity and their own skillful maneuvering to propel them and come to a stop.
“When the scooter is not well-made, you can crash or injure yourself,” three-time champion Robert Duyugan explains in a documentary from Great Big Story.
Featured image via Instagram/ rico_de_montmirail
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