If a pride of performing lions, daredevil aerialists or blindfolded tumblers jumping through hoops formed by razor-edged sabers don’t amaze audiences, the Urias family can be counted on to rev up the crowd.
Riding customized Yamaha 125cc motorcycles at speeds up to 60 mph, these bikers zip around the inside of a 16-foot-wide steel cage, sometimes passing as close as 6 inches to each other.
The Urias family’s Globe of Steel is one of the death-defying stunts you have to see to believe in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Zing Zang Zoom Gold Edition Circus. The circus presents five shows today through Sunday in McKenzie Arena.
Erwin Urias said in a telephone interview this week that he and his brother, Melvin, are the fourth generation in their family to follow in the tracks of their great-grandfather, Joaquin Urias, who created the globe act in 1912.
The third motorcyclist joining them in the cage is Melvin Urias’ fiancee, Olga Surnina.