That's Incredible! | show | 1980 | Official Clip - video Dailymotion

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A look at the more unusual sides of nature, medicine and human endeavor. It's all about things that just can't happen... | dHNfSnNHYjhHaUhFOVU

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00:00 Tonight, you're going to witness a steeplechase like no other.

00:03 It pits a champion rider against an expert BMX bicyclist.

00:07 The race will take place at the Griffith Park Equestrian Center in Los Angeles.

00:12 The course, once completed, will be a 750-foot series of straightaways, walls, fences, divots, moats, and curves.

00:19 World champion horse jumper Diane Lundy-Cobb will ride her thoroughbred Helium.

00:24 R.L. Osborne will ride his BMX bicycle.

00:28 Diane has every confidence that her mount will live up to the demands of this race.

00:32 Helium has been jumping in the jumper division for a little over a year and a half.

00:38 She has progressed up through the ranks, and she is now in the open jumper level.

00:44 Helium is an excellent speed horse at this point.

00:47 She toured Europe last year. Rotterdam, Hickstead, Berlin, Brussels.

00:52 Won with the very best competition in Europe.

00:56 R.L. is just as confident about his bike.

00:59 I'm using a specially made BMX bicycle. BMX meaning bicycle motocross.

01:04 The bike is constructed of 4130 chromoly, which would consist of the cranks, frame, and forks.

01:09 The chromoly that this bicycle is made out of will be lighter, which will make me go faster, and also will be a very strong steel.

01:16 The wheels are made out of a plastic with graphite inside of it, which makes them very rigid, which makes me go faster, too.

01:22 It will give me less weight to pull, which it would be very much easier to go.

01:26 I ride every day, six days a week. I ride approximately three to four miles a day.

01:31 I practice in pretty much a tight area, using jumps such as ones we're using today, using sprints, practicing my starts,

01:39 and anything that would be coordinated with the race at all.

01:43 R.L. will race on a plywood track, while Helium runs on the grass right next to him.

01:48 Once it is completed, the course will include five jumps, two of them with moats, a divot, and two tight curves.

01:55 The elaborate setup takes several hours.

01:58 The finish line will include a photo finish camera, just in case it's needed to determine the winner.

02:03 Everything's just about ready for this never-before-tried race.

02:07 Everything but a final measuring to make sure both lanes are exactly the same length.

02:11 The measuring is performed by head judge Patricia De Kraker, an official from the American Horse Show Association.

02:17 The official starter, Sid De Kraker, now prepares to get things underway.

02:22 Patricia De Kraker will be at the finish line.

02:25 In just a few moments, the first race in this historic match will begin.

02:29 The best three out of five victories will determine the winner.

02:32 R.L. will start from a slightly inclined ramp.

02:35 Diane will begin from a standing start.

02:38 The race is now only seconds away.

02:43 On your mark, get set...

02:47 And they're off! At least R.L. is.

02:49 Helium's shot at the starting pistol, and R.L.'s got an early lead going into the divot.

02:53 R.L.'s still ahead at the first wall jump, but Diane and Helium start catching up at the first turn.

02:58 Diane takes the lead at the moat jump.

03:01 She clears the double fence, widening her lead.

03:04 Into the final turn, Diane's still ahead, but R.L.'s gaining.

03:10 Diane clears the last fence jump and wins!

03:13 The winning time is 26.98 seconds.

03:17 After I got started, the start was very bad, and I went right to the bat and the leg and got right after her, and then she got the idea.

03:24 Pretty quick.

03:27 Once she gained the lead, Diane never looked back.

03:29 She easily overcame her bad start.

03:32 R.L., however, had his own problems, and the riders now face a hopefully problem-free race.

03:38 I'm going to try to get a cleaner start, and hopefully she'll settle a little easier between the fences,

03:44 because if I keep going at the speed that I just went the first round in, she's going to get into some trouble at the fences.

03:51 The wind's starting to carry me a little bit, because my bike weighs 25 pounds. The wind's kind of coming up.

03:56 After two races, R.L. feels certain that the 20-mile-an-hour wind is slowing him down while airborne.

04:02 The wind carried me a little bit to the side, which put me off a little bit off the track.

04:06 After that, I barely made up enough speed to make it over the third jump.

04:10 Another race is about to begin. R.L. feels certain he can do much better.

04:14 They're off. It was a very good start this time.

04:20 When we come back, we'll see the rest of this incredible steeplechase race.

04:24 [music]

04:27 [applause]

04:30 Now, let's go back to the steeplechase course for the rest of this incredible race.

04:35 The Thoroughbred Helium, ridden by Diane Lundy Coe, has easily won the first two races.

04:40 But BMX racer R.L. Osborne doesn't bear a grudge.

04:43 He's got a lot of fans in the crowd, and he's confident that his BMX racer can outrun and outjump a horse.

04:50 This is his chance to prove it.

04:52 It's neck and wheel into the divot.

04:55 They're still even after the wall and into the first turn.

04:58 Then Diane takes the lead on the straightaway.

05:03 She easily clears the moat, but R.L. is going strong and closing the gap.

05:08 He's still gaining into the second turn, and then, without warning, the unexpected occurs.

05:13 Diane drops out of the race. R.L. hasn't noticed and barrels for the finish.

05:19 Diane's saddle unbuckled on the turn, and she had to stop. It's an empty victory for R.L.

05:24 I'm going to tell you the truth, it would have been real interesting to see what would have happened.

05:28 I think it would have been real close.

05:30 R.L. was behind and consistently gaining, but there's no way to predict the outcome with certainty.

05:36 The races will now continue. R.L.'s behind 2 to 1.

05:40 Get set.

05:43 They're off again. R.L. takes a quick lead into the divot.

05:50 He keeps the lead through the first jump and into the turn.

05:53 But Diane takes the lead coming to the moat.

05:57 As they hurdle the wall, R.L. is gaining ground fast.

06:00 Rounding the turn, heading for the finish, anybody's race.

06:05 Out of the last moat jump, R.L.'s leading by a spoon.

06:08 Over the last fence, Diane's momentum has given her the lead and a narrow victory over R.L.

06:14 The horse and rider are still the champions of the steeplechase.

06:17 It's an old tradition that's hard to beat, but judging from R.L.'s performance,

06:21 there's definitely a place for a BMX racer in this classic competition.

06:27 (APPLAUSE)

06:32 (audience applauding)

That's Incredible! | show | 1980 | Official Clip

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