Cycling speed records

What is the speed record on a bicycle - it would seem such a simple question. However, the answer is often difficult. This is because this question is ambiguous. The maximum speed depends on many factors: on the direction and speed of the wind, on the type of road surface, on the weather conditions, on the bike model, on the slope of the road, as well as on the availability of assistance.

All of the above factors should be taken into account in order to give an accurate answer. In addition, different records were set in different conditions. Let's consider the indicators of the maximum speeds on a bicycle in more detail.

To understand what the maximum speed a bike can reach, you need to take into account its average speed indicators for people with average training without assistance and special equipment.

If a cyclist has a certain training and is engaged in this sport for at least two hours a day, then he has the opportunity to accelerate and maintain a speed of 30 km / h for some time. Gear shifting, toe clips (a special device that allows you to pick up speed when lifting the pedals up) and good brakes will allow you to pick up even higher speeds - from 30 to 40 km / h.

You can pick up the same pace without any problems on a lightweight road bike, which has no front and rear fenders.

Today, there are many world records related to the maximum speed of a bicycle. And this is understandable, because you cannot compare an athlete moving on a flat road and on a slope. In addition, many have achieved incredible results with outside help and with special equipment. Consider all kinds of records under different conditions.

It is very difficult to find a perfectly flat road without ups and downs in an ordinary city. Therefore, to set world records, athletes prefer to use the famous track in the American state of Utah. This road has a very smooth surface without natural obstacles, its name is Bonneville Plain.

It was in this place that the Dutchman set his record in 1995 Fred Rompelberg. At the age of 50, he was overclocked up to 268.8 km / h with a racing car - dragster. The record holder moved behind the car, which created a reduced pressure environment, protecting from the headwind. This record was held for a long time until September 16, 2018.

This year Denis Müller-Korenek set a new cycling record on the same track. The speed she reached while following the racing car is 295.6 km / h.

Another record holder who was able to accelerate to a speed of 133.78 km / h, but without assistance - Sebastian Bower... On a specially equipped bike, the Dutchman accelerated to such a speed on a 200-meter track. He used a model of a “recumbent bike” with the pedals in the front and placed it in a special streamlined cocoon.

Completely different speed records were set when driving downhill.

In 2000, Eric Baron, descending from the Alps on a mountain bike, reached a speed of 223.3 km / h. At the same time, he was in special aerodynamic equipment, which simultaneously protected him and helped to overcome air resistance. However, descending even on a snowy slope is dangerous: the increasing vibration makes it almost impossible to control the bike.

The same athlete in 2002 in the Sierra Negra drove 400 meters on a gravel slope, almost dying. The maximum speed that he managed to develop on this site - 210.4 km / h.

Without any outside help and without special equipment in 1994, sprinter Peter Rosenthal accelerated to 29.7 km / h on a 100-meter track in just 12 seconds.

Another absolute speed record for a bicycle set Francois Gissy. With the help of a jet engine, he was able to accelerate up to 333 km / h and overtake the Ferrari sports car. However, muscle strength was not used. Earlier, with the participation of the same extreme, the Swiss company conducted an experiment with a bicycle equipped with a jet engine that ran on hydrogen. However, then the cyclist was able to accelerate only 263 km / h.

In 1984, Francesco Moser was able to complete a 51,151 km velodrome in an hour using a road bike. However, he used blood doping, which was not prohibited at the time.

Accelerating to a certain speed is one thing, but maintaining it is quite another. So, in Moscow, on the highway track in 2005, the Czech Ondřej Sosenka maintained a speed of 49.7 km / h for an hour, thereby setting a new world record. Perhaps he was aiming for 50 km / h, but he was prevented by the bicycle equipment - only one speed, a high saddle and a fixed gear.

As we have seen, there is no definitive answer to the question of the maximum speed for a bicycle. But this is good, because there is still room for new records and inventions.

Watch the video below for the most incredible cycling speed records.