Being radical runs in the family

Videomaker Rafael Castanheira Machado, more popularly known as Rafinha at Hotmart, has a thing for radical sports. More precisely, for anything that involves bikes, maneuvers, and freedom.

At one point, our Trooper had five bikes, and today he likes “playing” with his BMX — the ideal model for tricks — on the streets of Belo Horizonte and on some Pump Tracks, which are smaller tracks where bikers can practice their skills, without going through huge obstacles or performing risky moves on air or land.

“Biking is a hobby and a sport I practice. I even took part in a few competitions with my friends, but we didn’t take it very seriously. It’s just for fun”, he says.

The choice of his profession also had a lot to do with his passion for biking. Rafinha decided to become a videomaker because he enjoyed looking at pictures and watching videos of his sports idols. Besides, according to him, riding a bike stimulates creativity, which is crucial for his work. “There’s not actually much to the bike and street. To have fun, what matter is what I do. I always cycle to work and trying out different routes and maneuvers”, he adds.

The bicycle gave our Trooper more freedom to come and go as he pleases, without depending on anyone. It also provided him with important lessons, such as the ability to calculate the best decision and to be safe while practicing the sport. This last lesson he attributes to his father, who always emphasized the importance of safety and encouraged him to use the proper protective equipment.

His dad’s influence, by the way, was the root of this connection with radical sports. A practitioner of paragliding, cycling, and other sports, Rafinha’s dad would always take him, since he was a kid, to go on bike tracks and encouraged the son to practice all sorts of sports, as long as there was no pressure to achieve results. When this started happening at basketball, for instance, he supported Rafinha on his decision to leave the team and dedicate his time to what he liked the most: the bike.

Today, our videomaker is the one who encourages his girlfriend to cycle around town. As they are both Troopers, they ride their bikes to Hotmart together.

When asked about how he felt riding his bike during the photo shoot in a Pump Track, Rafinha said:

“It’s something I cannot describe. It’ peaceful. You let go of everything and it helps you release stress. I can’t think of anything else when I’m on my bike”.

Though looking a little bit tired, the smile on his face says it all: he is happy.