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Life is unpredictable, and call it kindness or cruelty, it keeps reminding us that as well. Such is the effect of daily mundanities that we never indulge in musings regardless of how many signs life throws at us. But even then, it knows all about wake-up calls. We, along with all of the motorcycling world, got one yesterday. Chris Pfeiffer, the legendary stunt rider that we all adored, has left us to ride in heaven. A great and tragic loss for the motorcycling world indeed.
Another regular day in the office was thrown into disarray when BMW Motorrad informed via a tweet that Chris Pfeiffer has passed away. His body was reportedly recovered over the weekend. Even more tragic is how it happened. Chris had been battling deep depression for a while. Ultimately, the battle got too much for him and he took his own life. It is shocking news, of course, but it also makes us wonder how much we do not see, or choose not to see.
It comes as an extreme shock to us at xBhp. We had a very different relationship with Chris. From accompanying him on his Red Bull India tour in 2011 and printing a special issue of the xBhp Print Magazine for that, to meeting him at his home during one of our roadtrips; we felt we were rather close to Chris. But this tragedy makes us wonder how close we actually were to the human Chris and not the rider Chris.
Chris Pfeiffer is a legend for a reason. He is a former Guinness World Record holder, known as the king of freestyle motorcycling, and the only four-time winner of the prestigious Red Bull Scramble. His success saw him work with many global icons such as skateboard legend Tony Hawk and Hollywood star Tom Cruise. These are just a few of the immense list of achievements that Chris had in his career that spanned for nearly 20 years. Who would have thought that little Chris, who was gifted his first motorcycle by his father when he was just five, would go on to become one of the most revered names in motorcycling?
But then again, his genius on a motorcycle was palpable right from the beginning. When he was just 10, he won his first trial race on a motocross bike which was followed by a 10-year career in professional motocross racing and a mountain of trophies to show for it. Chris discovered stunting while practising motorcycle control and then went on to learn how to do stunts. That was a time when the internet was nearly non-existent and stunt riding was in its infancy. So, for the most part, Chris was self-taught.
After his interest in stunting grew, he practised, getting better and better. The popularity that stunt riding enjoys nowadays can be attributed to riders like Chris who popularized the sport to this extent which brought more people and more manufacturers to the sport. An example could be the Chris Pfeiffer Edition of the BMW F 800 R, made by the Bavarian manufacturer to honour Chris' talents and achievements.
Doing all that, Chris became a champion stunt rider and travelled around 94 countries for his stunt shows, 90 being an estimate from Chris himself when he announced his retirement. In 2015, Chris announced that he was going to retire from professional stunt riding to spend more time with his family. But even that announcement came with a promise that he would keep riding still. A promise he kept in the many shows he did after retiring.
Chris made a Facebook post when he announced his retirement and it went like this: “After 20 years as a professional rider I’ve decided that it’s time to stop riding shows. I’m 45-years-old now and in the past months, it’s become increasingly hard to ride at a top level. But this has always been my ambition and I’ve always said that if I cannot get any better then it’ll be time for me to quit and to leave the field to younger riders. In the past 20 years, I’ve ridden thousands of shows all around the world — in 94 countries!
It’s been an unforgettable experience with countless adventures and experiences. I’ve worked hard to bring the sport stunt riding out into the mainstream and to thrill, enthuse and entertain many spectators. What a wonderful time I’ve had! I rode my last stunt riding contest in 2010 and not too long ago I performed at what was probably my last show. But one thing’s for sure, I will not quit riding – because riding is my life. That will never change.”
In the post, we saw a promise. What we did not see is where Chris really was and where he was heading. We saw the legendary Chris Pfeiffer but not the man who was struggling with depression that ultimately pushed him to take his own life. This stresses the importance of mental health and being happy in life, doing what you want and living off of it. It also stresses the importance of talking to someone, reaching out and asking for help. It is not always easy, especially in today's world that has seemingly brought people closer with social media but has actually distanced us. But it is of utmost importance.
We see legends like Chris as Gods, unbeatable and omnipotent. But in the end, we are all humans. Wherever we are and whatever we do, we are all humans and therefore, something like this can happen to any one of us. We'd again like to stress the importance of being happy and content with what we do and seeking help when we need it. In the end, we'd remember Chris Pfeiffer as the legend as he was, as the gem of a person that we knew relatively closely, and also as a human. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Chris' funeral will take place on the 26th of March, 2022 in Trauchgau, Germany. Rest in peace, Chris.
xBhp's Editor, Sunny, had the good fortune of seeing accompanying Chris in action. He accompanied Chris on his Red Bull India tour and then went to meet him at his home as well. Here are some memories...
Another regular day in the office was thrown into disarray when BMW Motorrad informed via a tweet that Chris Pfeiffer has passed away. His body was reportedly recovered over the weekend. Even more tragic is how it happened. Chris had been battling deep depression for a while. Ultimately, the battle got too much for him and he took his own life. It is shocking news, of course, but it also makes us wonder how much we do not see, or choose not to see.
It comes as an extreme shock to us at xBhp. We had a very different relationship with Chris. From accompanying him on his Red Bull India tour in 2011 and printing a special issue of the xBhp Print Magazine for that, to meeting him at his home during one of our roadtrips; we felt we were rather close to Chris. But this tragedy makes us wonder how close we actually were to the human Chris and not the rider Chris.
Chris Pfeiffer is a legend for a reason. He is a former Guinness World Record holder, known as the king of freestyle motorcycling, and the only four-time winner of the prestigious Red Bull Scramble. His success saw him work with many global icons such as skateboard legend Tony Hawk and Hollywood star Tom Cruise. These are just a few of the immense list of achievements that Chris had in his career that spanned for nearly 20 years. Who would have thought that little Chris, who was gifted his first motorcycle by his father when he was just five, would go on to become one of the most revered names in motorcycling?
But then again, his genius on a motorcycle was palpable right from the beginning. When he was just 10, he won his first trial race on a motocross bike which was followed by a 10-year career in professional motocross racing and a mountain of trophies to show for it. Chris discovered stunting while practising motorcycle control and then went on to learn how to do stunts. That was a time when the internet was nearly non-existent and stunt riding was in its infancy. So, for the most part, Chris was self-taught.
After his interest in stunting grew, he practised, getting better and better. The popularity that stunt riding enjoys nowadays can be attributed to riders like Chris who popularized the sport to this extent which brought more people and more manufacturers to the sport. An example could be the Chris Pfeiffer Edition of the BMW F 800 R, made by the Bavarian manufacturer to honour Chris' talents and achievements.
Doing all that, Chris became a champion stunt rider and travelled around 94 countries for his stunt shows, 90 being an estimate from Chris himself when he announced his retirement. In 2015, Chris announced that he was going to retire from professional stunt riding to spend more time with his family. But even that announcement came with a promise that he would keep riding still. A promise he kept in the many shows he did after retiring.
Chris made a Facebook post when he announced his retirement and it went like this: “After 20 years as a professional rider I’ve decided that it’s time to stop riding shows. I’m 45-years-old now and in the past months, it’s become increasingly hard to ride at a top level. But this has always been my ambition and I’ve always said that if I cannot get any better then it’ll be time for me to quit and to leave the field to younger riders. In the past 20 years, I’ve ridden thousands of shows all around the world — in 94 countries!
It’s been an unforgettable experience with countless adventures and experiences. I’ve worked hard to bring the sport stunt riding out into the mainstream and to thrill, enthuse and entertain many spectators. What a wonderful time I’ve had! I rode my last stunt riding contest in 2010 and not too long ago I performed at what was probably my last show. But one thing’s for sure, I will not quit riding – because riding is my life. That will never change.”
In the post, we saw a promise. What we did not see is where Chris really was and where he was heading. We saw the legendary Chris Pfeiffer but not the man who was struggling with depression that ultimately pushed him to take his own life. This stresses the importance of mental health and being happy in life, doing what you want and living off of it. It also stresses the importance of talking to someone, reaching out and asking for help. It is not always easy, especially in today's world that has seemingly brought people closer with social media but has actually distanced us. But it is of utmost importance.
We see legends like Chris as Gods, unbeatable and omnipotent. But in the end, we are all humans. Wherever we are and whatever we do, we are all humans and therefore, something like this can happen to any one of us. We'd again like to stress the importance of being happy and content with what we do and seeking help when we need it. In the end, we'd remember Chris Pfeiffer as the legend as he was, as the gem of a person that we knew relatively closely, and also as a human. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
Chris' funeral will take place on the 26th of March, 2022 in Trauchgau, Germany. Rest in peace, Chris.
xBhp's Editor, Sunny, had the good fortune of seeing accompanying Chris in action. He accompanied Chris on his Red Bull India tour and then went to meet him at his home as well. Here are some memories...
