5,000 People Watched Two Men in Armor Joust on Electric Bikes in a London Park
After video of their first duel drew millions of views, the pair staged a charity rematch.
Global News Podcast · Violent protests in France for the third weekend in a rowAn estimated 5,000 people crowded into London Fields, a park in East London, to watch two men in full suits of armor ride straight at each other. The riders were Jack Carden and Cameron Carnegie Brown, wearing helmets, chain mail, capes, and steel plate. Their steeds were rented electric bikes, decorated in heraldic colors to match their lances.
A joust is a medieval contest in which two armored riders charge each other and try to knock each other off with long poles called lances. There were no horses. The riders used rented electric bikes.
What brought the crowd was an accident that turned into a cause. Footage of the pair's first bike joust had attracted millions of views online, and the sudden attention inspired them to stage a charity rematch. Cameron, who performs in costume as Camtholomew I, took the second duel.
The organizers did not expect such a big crowd. Despite safety warnings from Lime, the company that operates the rental bikes, the men had gotten permission from police for the event. They had not expected quite so many people to come.
Cameron said of the moment: "Hearing the crowd roar was phenomenal, honestly." He added, "I love wearing armour, I love medieval stuff, and I was just like, yeah, let's do it, why not?"
Spectators seemed delighted and slightly baffled, with one saying she had learned about it only at the last minute and calling it "bonkers." Another said the event fed people's imagination and that Halloween was a good time for it.
The event also won approval from the Royal Armouries, Britain's national museum of arms and armor. Andy Dean, who works with the museum, calls bike jousting a real sport and a good option for people without the money for a horse.
Questions people ask
How heavy is a real suit of armor?
A full steel field armor for battle typically weighed about 45 to 55 pounds, distributed across the body. That is heavy, but a fit wearer could run, mount a horse, and even get up from the ground while wearing it.
What is the Royal Armouries?
It is Britain's national museum of arms and armor. It displays thousands of weapons and suits of armor, mainly at its museum in Leeds, with historic pieces also at the Tower of London and other sites.
Is bike jousting a new idea?
No. Bicycle jousting has popped up for more than a century at fairs, festivals, and college events, often with padded lances and costumes. The bikes change, from ordinary bicycles to electric rentals, but the joke and the challenge stay the same.