Reflected in a motorcycle side mirror, stuntman Pedro Aldana performs a wheelie on his motorbike during an exhibition in the Ojo de Agua neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. “This is my passion and my work,” he said. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
If police aren't shutting down his street shows for lack of permits, Venezuelan motorcycle trick rider Pedro Aldana is battling coronavirus quarantines or the tropical rains that turn the asphalt slick and send fans running for cover.
Despite life's obstacles, Aldana — a natural-born showman who performs in wild checkered clothes and dyed green hair — has kept up his performances, which draw hundreds of people to unused parking lots or obscure city streets.
“This is my hobby, my art," said Aldana, who is leading a movement to win official recognition of motorcycle acrobatics in Venezuela — a sport nurtured in poor neighborhoods like his, where he sometimes mentors young fans in basic mechanics. "This is my passion and my work.”
Awards and medals won by motorcycle stuntman Pedro Aldana sit on a wall at his home in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. The 33-year-old makes a living with his shows inspiring his young fans who flock to his shop, where he teaches them to change the oil and tune up their bicycles. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
If police aren't shutting down his street shows for lack of permits, Venezuelan motorcycle trick rider Pedro Aldana is battling coronavirus quarantines or the tropical rains that turn the asphalt slick and send fans running for cover.
Despite life's obstacles, Aldana — a natural-born showman who performs in wild checkered clothes and dyed green hair — has kept up his performances, which draw hundreds of people to unused parking lots or obscure city streets.
“This is my hobby, my art," said Aldana, who is leading a movement to win official recognition of motorcycle acrobatics in Venezuela — a sport nurtured in poor neighborhoods like his, where he sometimes mentors young fans in basic mechanics. "This is my passion and my work.”
Motorcycle stuntman Pedro Aldana waits for his friends for an exhibition in the Ojo de Agua neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. The motorcycle trick rider and adrenalin junkie who prefers the nickname "Crazy Pedro," draws masses of Venezuelans starved for entertainment to his shows across the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
If police aren't shutting down his street shows for lack of permits, Venezuelan motorcycle trick rider Pedro Aldana is battling coronavirus quarantines or the tropical rains that turn the asphalt slick and send fans running for cover.
Despite life's obstacles, Aldana — a natural-born showman who performs in wild checkered clothes and dyed green hair — has kept up his performances, which draw hundreds of people to unused parking lots or obscure city streets.
“This is my hobby, my art," said Aldana, who is leading a movement to win official recognition of motorcycle acrobatics in Venezuela — a sport nurtured in poor neighborhoods like his, where he sometimes mentors young fans in basic mechanics. "This is my passion and my work.”
Motorcycle stuntman Pedro Aldana cleans motorcycle parts with his daughter Alanis, right, with help from his young neighbor and admirer, 6-year-old Milan Sandoval Ramos, outside Aldana's home in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. Of Aldana's two children, 4-year-old Alanis is the only one interested in his work, who he plans to teach her how to ride a motorcycle. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
If police aren't shutting down his street shows for lack of permits, Venezuelan motorcycle trick rider Pedro Aldana is battling coronavirus quarantines or the tropical rains that turn the asphalt slick and send fans running for cover.
Despite life's obstacles, Aldana — a natural-born showman who performs in wild checkered clothes and dyed green hair — has kept up his performances, which draw hundreds of people to unused parking lots or obscure city streets.
“This is my hobby, my art," said Aldana, who is leading a movement to win official recognition of motorcycle acrobatics in Venezuela — a sport nurtured in poor neighborhoods like his, where he sometimes mentors young fans in basic mechanics. "This is my passion and my work.”
Motorcycle stuntman Pedro Aldana fixes his brakes during an exhibition in the Ojo de Agua neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. The 33-year-old makes a living with his shows, inspiring his young fans who flock to his shop, where he teaches them to change the oil and tune up their bicycles. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
If police aren't shutting down his street shows for lack of permits, Venezuelan motorcycle trick rider Pedro Aldana is battling coronavirus quarantines or the tropical rains that turn the asphalt slick and send fans running for cover.
Despite life's obstacles, Aldana — a natural-born showman who performs in wild checkered clothes and dyed green hair — has kept up his performances, which draw hundreds of people to unused parking lots or obscure city streets.
“This is my hobby, my art," said Aldana, who is leading a movement to win official recognition of motorcycle acrobatics in Venezuela — a sport nurtured in poor neighborhoods like his, where he sometimes mentors young fans in basic mechanics. "This is my passion and my work.”
Motorcycle riders gather to see stuntman Pedro Aldana do an exhibition performance in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021. The 33-year-old makes a living with his shows inspiring his young fans who flock to his shop, where he teaches them to change the oil and tune up their bicycles. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
If police aren't shutting down his street shows for lack of permits, Venezuelan motorcycle trick rider Pedro Aldana is battling coronavirus quarantines or the tropical rains that turn the asphalt slick and send fans running for cover.
Despite life's obstacles, Aldana — a natural-born showman who performs in wild checkered clothes and dyed green hair — has kept up his performances, which draw hundreds of people to unused parking lots or obscure city streets.
“This is my hobby, my art," said Aldana, who is leading a movement to win official recognition of motorcycle acrobatics in Venezuela — a sport nurtured in poor neighborhoods like his, where he sometimes mentors young fans in basic mechanics. "This is my passion and my work.”
Motorcycle stuntman Pedro Aldana performs a front end wheelie during an exhibition at the Ojo de Agua neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. Aldana draws masses of Venezuelans starved for entertainment to his shows across the country. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
If police aren't shutting down his street shows for lack of permits, Venezuelan motorcycle trick rider Pedro Aldana is battling coronavirus quarantines or the tropical rains that turn the asphalt slick and send fans running for cover.
Despite life's obstacles, Aldana — a natural-born showman who performs in wild checkered clothes and dyed green hair — has kept up his performances, which draw hundreds of people to unused parking lots or obscure city streets.
“This is my hobby, my art," said Aldana, who is leading a movement to win official recognition of motorcycle acrobatics in Venezuela — a sport nurtured in poor neighborhoods like his, where he sometimes mentors young fans in basic mechanics. "This is my passion and my work.”
Motorcycle stuntman Pedro Aldana shows his Yamaha logo neck tattoo as he works in his workshop in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. "This is my passion, and my job," he said, planning his next show. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
If police aren't shutting down his street shows for lack of permits, Venezuelan motorcycle trick rider Pedro Aldana is battling coronavirus quarantines or the tropical rains that turn the asphalt slick and send fans running for cover.
Despite life's obstacles, Aldana — a natural-born showman who performs in wild checkered clothes and dyed green hair — has kept up his performances, which draw hundreds of people to unused parking lots or obscure city streets.
“This is my hobby, my art," said Aldana, who is leading a movement to win official recognition of motorcycle acrobatics in Venezuela — a sport nurtured in poor neighborhoods like his, where he sometimes mentors young fans in basic mechanics. "This is my passion and my work.”
Motorcycle stuntman Pedro Aldana performs a wheelie on his motorbike as he rides to an exhibition along the old highway from Caracas to La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. Aldana, who prefers his show name "Crazy Pedro," dares to beat the odds and put on exhibitions of speed and agility with a crew of like-minded daredevils atop their motorcycles. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
If police aren't shutting down his street shows for lack of permits, Venezuelan motorcycle trick rider Pedro Aldana is battling coronavirus quarantines or the tropical rains that turn the asphalt slick and send fans running for cover.
Despite life's obstacles, Aldana — a natural-born showman who performs in wild checkered clothes and dyed green hair — has kept up his performances, which draw hundreds of people to unused parking lots or obscure city streets.
“This is my hobby, my art," said Aldana, who is leading a movement to win official recognition of motorcycle acrobatics in Venezuela — a sport nurtured in poor neighborhoods like his, where he sometimes mentors young fans in basic mechanics. "This is my passion and my work.”
“Espectáculos de dobles en Venezuela”
Pedro Aldana encabeza un movimiento que busca el reconocimiento oficial de las piruetas acrobáticas de las motos en Venezuela, una actividad popular en barrios pobres como el suyo, donde enseña a algunos admiradores las cosas básicas de ese deporte. Si la policía no le impide hacer su espectáculo por falta de permisos, encontrarás a Aldana luchando contra los encierros por el coronavirus o contra las lluvias tropicales que hacen que el asfalto sea resbaladizo y hacen que los fanáticos corran en busca de refugio.
Aldana, quien tiene el nombre artístico de “Pedro Locura”, cuenta con un equipo leal de gente, apasionada por este deporte, que lo acompañan en espectáculos de velocidad, agilidad y equilibrio. A lo largo de la última década ha estado recorriendo Venezuela y ofreciendo exhibiciones que han atraído hasta 7.000 espectadores en un día. El grupo cobra entre tres y cinco dólares por una entrada, suma importante en un país donde la mayoría de las personas gana menos de dos dólares al mes.
“Stunt shows in Venezuela”
Pedro Aldana leads a movement that seeks the official recognition of street motorcycle stunts in Venezuela, a popular activity in poor neighborhoods like his, where he teaches some fans the basics of the sport. If the police do impede him from doing his show due to lack of permits, you will find Aldana struggling against the lockdowns brought on by the coronavirus or the tropical storms that make the asphalt slippery, causing fans to run to safety.
Aldana, whose stage name is “Pedro Locura”, Spanish for “Crazy Pedro”, has a loyal team of people who are passionate about this sport, and accompany him in shows that combine speed, agility and balance. Over the last decade he has been travelling around Venezuela and offering shows that have brought in audiences of 7,000 people in one day. The group charges somewhere between three and five dollars per ticket, an expensive price in a country where the majority of people earn less than two dollars a month.
Matías Delacroix
Fotógrafo independiente, con más de diez años de experiencia trabajando para medios como Movistar Arena, Terra Network, Agencia Uno, El Mercurio, Aton Chile, The Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Getty Images y Agence France-Presse (AFP). Colaborador en el Australian Open 2016 en Melbourne. Actualmente trabaja como stringer para Agence France-Presse en Venezuela.
An independent photographer, Matias has over 10 years’ experience working for media like Movistar Arena, Terra Network, Agencia Uno, El Mercurio, Aton Chile, The Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Getty Images, and Agence France-Presse (AFP). He was a collaborator on the 2016 Australian Open in Melbourne. Currently, he works as stringer for Agence France-Presse in Venezuela.
