YouTube influencer Elias Schwärzler: The man who always wants to go higher

It all began with a football idol

Elias Schwärzler, born on 13 September 1995, grew up with three older brothers. As a young boy, Elias was initially fascinated by football. His idol: Lionel Messi. Not just because of his technique – but because of his determination to succeed. He took up cycling at the age of eleven and later came third in the Austrian National Championships. His three older brothers were of little help: they had no interest in cycling. Two became doctors; the third became a financial manager. Elias became a world record holder.

The Sick Series – and a friend for life

In 2014, Schwärzler moved to Innsbruck to study. A year later, he met Fabio Wibmer, who is from East Tyrol. Wibmer was studying sports management, whilst Schwärzler was studying business administration. They quickly realised that they both loved cycling and had crazy ideas, so they started making their first video clips together. The videos weren’t about racing, but about everyday situations, tests of courage and just having a bit of fun on their bikes. From 2016 onwards, this evolved into the Sick Series – the most successful video series in cycling, with over 500 million views. The secret to its success? Action alone isn’t enough. There are plenty of people who can do that better. You need a story. Schwärzler’s most successful solo clip, ‘Dreamgirl’, has racked up 39 million YouTube views. In 2019, the two went their separate ways. Their friendship remained.

272 km/h – and that was just the start

Schwärzler is fascinated by records. His goal was to break the 300 km/h barrier – whilst being towed by a motorbike. In the end, he managed 272 km/h – but still: an official world record. On a standard Scott Gambler downhill bike. Guinness-certified. He’s planning his next attempt using a Formula 1 car as the towing vehicle. Whether it’ll work remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure: he’s going to give it a go. He describes the world record attempt as his greatest test of courage. He says he had to muster all his courage for it.

From a hot-air balloon into free fall

The craziest stunt to date: mountain biking, hot-air ballooning and base jumping in a single, continuous sequence – two years of preparation, a budget of 70,000 euros, a team of 20 people, filmed in Bulgaria because nobody there asked too many questions. Schwärzler rolled down the surface of a hot-air balloon into the depths, performed front flips in free fall, let go of his bike and pulled his parachute. He had to repeat the first attempt because the photo drone failed. In the end, 200 TV channels worldwide covered the story – cumulative media value: three to five million euros.

Adventurer, entrepreneur, visionary

In his video series “Paradise of Pirates”, Schwärzler travelled to an island off the coast of Somalia, notorious for piracy – in search of the world’s most beautiful descent. Seven days without electricity, without the internet, cut off from the outside world. Running in parallel: his “Bike the World” project – the first stops were Bolivia and Japan. Alongside this, he runs his business: at his Senders Academy in Rankweil, Schwärzler employs 20 full-time staff. 180 workshops are on offer. The programme for young riders covers not only riding technique but also workshops on sponsorship, social media and the path to becoming a professional. His dream goes even further: his own bike park, his own mountain bike secondary school – and, one day, a world champion to emerge from his academy. His vision: his own sports school for mountain bikers with an accompanying bike park. As anyone who knows Elias Schwärzler is aware, this isn’t just a pipe dream. He has taken the first steps; the project is underway. That’s Schwärzler for you.

Fame as an end in itself? He’s not particularly interested in that. Signing autographs for hours on end is less satisfying than when someone says: ‘It’s because of you that I learnt how to do a wheelie’ – or ‘I’ve stopped smoking weed and am now taking up cycling’.