Daredevil backflips motorcycle between barges on London's Thames

Action sports performer Travis Pastrana somersaults on his motorbike as he jumps between two barges on the River Thames with the O2 Arena sports venue seen behind, in London, Britain, October 5, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - Extreme sports rider Travis Pastrana performed a backflip motorcycle jump over a 23-metre (75-ft) gap between two barges floating on London's river Thames on Thursday, 11 years after the last rider who tried the stunt suffered serious injury.

Set against the backdrop of London's O2 arena, Pastrana had only 150 feet to accelerate to takeoff speed before jumping, with only 36 feet to come to a stop before he would have fallen into the river.