‘Buck Norris’ an internet sensation
Published
A screenshot from a YouTube video showing mountain biker, Evan van der Spuy being taken out by a red hartebees. A screenshot from a YouTube video showing mountain biker, Evan van der Spuy being taken out by a red hartebees.
A KwaZulu-Natal mountain biker became an internet sensation after a video of him being pounced on by charging hartebees received nearly five million views on YouTube, since it was posted there on Monday.
Evan van der Spuy, 17, was taking part in a mountain bike race near Pietermaritzburg on Sunday when the 150kg hartebees tried to jump over him.
“It was a freak accident. I knew the buckhad rushed up to me, but I can't remember what happened after that,” Beeld newspaper quoted him saying on Wednesday.
Van der Spuy's teammate, Travis Walker, was behind him, filming with a camera mounted on his handlebars, when the hartebees jumped.
The video was broadcast in the United States through ABC and CNN news, and was posted on the Huffington Post website. In Britain, it made The Telegraph website. The Mirror tweeted a link to the video with a hashtag calling Van der Spuy “Buck Norris”.
Race organiser Max Cluer told Beeld that Van der Spuy's helmet saved his life.
“The buck's hooves hit him by his right temple. The helmet broke with the impact,” he said.
Van der Spuy suffered a mild concussion. The hartebees was not injured.
He later tweeted: “Haha, ya, told you I would always give it (the helmet) horns.” - Sapa