That would be a double backflip with a 360 – a trick no one has ever achieved on a bike, but which Travis Pastrana is heartbreakingly close to doing. This video shows his best attempts and even offers a glimpse into how he gains the coordination for new moves like the American roll.

To prepare himself for this ultimate expression of spinning and flipping power, the motocross and rally superhero launches into a pit of foam several times. He quickly takes his trick to a soft dirt ramp. After a few tries, it looks as if he will most certainly go down as the first to complete the roll – a trick he has been working on for four years. On his final attempt, Pastrana spins in precisely the right way and lands squarely on both wheels. The soft dirt of the ramp, though, won’t allow him to ride out the trick.

Pastrana’s attempts came just one day before going under the knife for shoulder surgery, so he could get in as much practice as he could before undergoing a long healing process. Soon he’ll be back riding this way, but until then, the tantalizingly close American Roll will have to wait.