We all remember where we were when Robbie “Maddo” Maddison seemingly did the incredible when he rode a KTM->ke1954 dirtbike on Tahiti’s world famous Teahupoo and Papara waves. At that time, everybody was going nuts over the stunt, including yours truly. But anybody who knows anything about physics will tell you that unless it’s Jesus we’re talking about, riding a bike on a wave is impossible.

Naturally, Maddison didn’t really ride the world famous waves. A lot of work and preparation went into making it look like he really ride those waves yesterday, September 27, 2015, ABC took its viewers behind the scenes into the making of the stunt. The one-hour show, dubbed “Behind the Dream: The Making of Robbie Maddison’s Pipe Dream,” was shown at 4pm ET. Most people might have been enjoying their fill of NFL football, but those who did watch the episode caught a good glimpse of the incredible amount of work that was put into perfecting the stunt. The episode offered a complementary take into a similar “making-of” episode created by DC Shoes, videos of which you can watch above.

Let’s not just consider the fact that it was a dangerous stunt to begin with. No amount of preparation can really prepare anybody, Maddison included, for the elements that come with riding waves as huge as the ones found in Teahupoo and Papara. But thanks to a dedicated group of professionals, we were treated to what really is one of the most incredible stunts we’ve ever seen. Visually, it looks absolutely incredible, even if there were a few sleight of hands involved in making it look the way it did.

Check out the videos above and learn how Robbie Maddison’s Pipe Dream episode came to life.

Continue reading to read more about Robbie Maddison's amazing wave-riding stunt.

Why it matters

No matter how you slice it, Robbie Maddison’s stunt was one for the books. Not only did it garner worldwide attention, it also thrust Maddison’s name into the mainstream, which seems odd considering that he’s already well-known in other circles for his stunt-riding and daredevil exploits. Remember, this is the same man who pulled off another record-setting jump in February 2015 when he managed to jump over Utah’s Olympic Park to add to his collection of stunts at the Arc de Triomphe in front of Paris Las Vegas and the Tower Bridge in London.

Performing some of the most dangerous stunts in the world is old hat for Maddison. But that wave-riding stunt still captured a lot of people’s attention for the way it seemingly looked like he was actually riding his bike on the surface of the waves without going under water. I still watch it to this day and it still pretty awesome to see him actually doing it.

So whatever you make of the stunt after watching the behind-the-scenes videos, I think it’s still important to give this guy some serious props for just doing it, regardless of the dangers involved. After all, this is the man many have dubbed the “next Evel Knievel.”

Certainly, the original Knievel would’ve been proud to watch the stunt too.