Peloton Take Off
Social & YouTube campaign
The Challenge
Red Bull recently entered the world of Road Cycling, becoming title partners of the Red Bull BORA - Hansgrohe team, and are on a mission to bring new energy and originality to road cycling content.
They approached us with an idea to create something only Red Bull would attempt: the first ever launch of plane, powered solely by a team of professional cyclists.
The idea was bold. A peloton of riders from Red Bull BORA hansgrohe team would attempt to tow a plane into the air using only human power. The team needed to hit 54 km/h on a 1500 meter runway, hold formation while connected to a 150 meter cord, and produce more than 650 watts each for ninety seconds.
Bringing this to life demanded absolute precision, deep technical planning, and a creative approach that made the scale of the feat feel real to audiences.
Our challenge was to translate a complex engineering project into a piece of storytelling that felt immediate, emotional and unmistakably Red Bull, while capturing the pressure, talent and coordination of the team .
Not only that, but the project's final take-off attempt took place during the week of the 2026 team launch, so we shot, edited and delivered it on the ground in Majorca over just a few days.
“The challenge was to translate a complex engineering project into a piece of storytelling that felt immediate, emotional and unmistakably Red Bull”
The Insight
Road cycling teams rarely launch their seasons with anything beyond a roster reveal and a kit photo. The sport is full of personality and character, yet most team announcements feel flat, predictable, and almost identical. Peloton Takeoff was an opportunity to break that pattern and show road cycling in a completely different light.
To make that work, the audience needed to understand what made this challenge extraordinary. The physics,, the power required, the teamwork, the risk. Without this context, towing a plane could look like a simple stunt rather than a world first that pushed riders to the edge of their ability.
The human truth was clear. People connect when they grasp both the scale of a challenge and the human effort behind it. By revealing the technical demands and the difficulty of the task, we gave viewers a way into the story. Once they understood what it took, the emotional connection and sense of awe followed naturally.
The Idea
The story begins at in Salzburg close to Red Bull HQ, where the riders receive their first technical briefing. From there, the team moves into early formation tests, harness system trials and aerodynamic modelling before arriving in Mallorca for the full scale launch attempt. A custom towing rig connects the riders directly to the glider, meaning every pedal stroke affects the pilot’s ability to take off.
Anchoring the film is Dan Bigham, an elite level cyclist himself, but also renowned for his expertise of physics and aerodynamics in cycling – the perfect host to guide viewers through the physics, engineering and team dynamics with clarity and authenticity.
What We Did
Creative Development
We developed a narrative structure and story beats, specifically for YouTube, and designed to balance tension, performance and human storytelling. Based on a 4 act that could evolve as the project progressed and evolved. Act 1 established the challenge. Act 2 broke down the engineering and testing. Act 3 focused on the riders learning to operate as a cohesive unit. Act 4 delivered the dramatic final attempt, supported by real speed and power data.
Production across testing and final execution
We documented both the initial test in Austria and the final successful attempt in Mallorca. This allowed us to show the progression, the challenges, and the refinement of the custom engineered harness system required to tow the plane safely.
We built a multi angle filming approach including tracking vehicles, onboards, aerial coverage and embedded radio comms. The goal was to reveal the strain, synchronisation and precision required for takeoff. The combination of high energy action coverage and documentary moments created a film that felt both cinematic and intimate.
Graphics and Data
We created simple graphics overlays specifically for a YouTube audience to enable them to both understand the challenge, but also to immerse them in the drama during the final attempt.
Team and Character Integration
The riders were supported by mechanics, engineers, analysts and pilot Andy Hediger, who each added technical context and personality. Their real reactions, effort, nerves, humour and problem solving helped ground the story in the human experience behind the challenge.
Post production and editorial
Our post production team worked on the ground in Majorca in the days following the shoot, shaping the story at speed so the project could launch in sync with the Red Bull BORA hansgrohe 2026 team announcement. We crafted an edit built specifically for YouTube, balancing cinematic scale with fast moving clarity, combining athlete sound, engineering insight and the defining moments of the attempt. The workflow allowed us to refine the narrative, integrate key technical details, and deliver a polished film ready for global release at the exact moment the team stepped into their new season.
YouTube specific delivery
From the very outset, we tailored the project capture, storytelling and creative approach for 2 specific channels; social and YouTube. Working closely with the Red Bull social team to deliver a host of social clips across Instagram Reels and TikTok, and also delivering an 8 minute YouTube specific edit that not only tells the story of the challenge, but in a way designed to retain audience attention and maximise engagement.
The final project was created to live on Red Bull Bike YouTube and social channels across the Red Bull ecosystem, supported by press distribution and editorial assets through Red Bull Content Pool.
The Result
The impact was huge.
Within the first 48 hours of release
25+ million views on Red Bull/Red Bull Bike instagram reels
450k+ YouTube views with over 700 comments
2.5m views on Red Bull TikTok
Leading news across global cycling press
Unprecedented audience engagement and retention stats for a road cycling campaign.
Watch the full film, and if you’re looking for a creative partner, let’s chat.