Let us paint a scene for you. It's Monday and you're having major problems finding enough motivation to drink coffee, never mind the stack of work you should've finished last week. You look out the window for inspiration, but a dreary winter landscape has you dreaming of warm-weather adventures. Oh a whim, you get a wild idea: What would happen if I tied a river tube to the wheel of a car and punched the throttle?
Hopefully, within a few seconds, you realize how insanely unsafe this idea is and move on to something a bit more relaxing, like skydiving. The people in this Instagram post from Spa Turbo didn't make that leap, so at least we have a video demonstrating what's probably the best-case scenario in such a stunt. So we'll say it again: don't try this at home. These guys did the risky research so you don't have to.
And what is this research exactly? Tie a rope to a wheel, and by that, we literally mean a wheel – no tire involved. Tie the other end to a river tube. Jack the car up so the drive wheels are off the ground, which in this case is a front-wheel-drive vehicle of unknown origin. Place one person behind the wheel, one on the tube, and gently add some throttle.
Judging by the very sudden appearance of the tube on the river, we suspect the last step wasn't followed closely. We have no idea how fast this thing is going, but we do know the tube went airborne long before it would've lifted off the river to meet the car, perched as it was on a bridge. Its human rider exited the tube at about the same time, skipping mercilessly along the river for several feet, tumbling at least twice in the process.
Presumably, the adventurous tube rider was okay. We do see a head pop up from the water at the end, so we can sit back and laugh a bit at this unconventional thrill ride. But when warm weather does return to us in the northern latitudes, there are many ways to enjoy a day at the beach that aren't as sketchy and complicated. Parasailing, anyone?
