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New Land Speed Record Set on a Bicycle (Sorta)

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Cycling speed records are defined in many unusual way. For purists, it’s about the athlete pushing themselves on flat ground to the utmost speed. These mad men and women have pushed speeds of 83 mph (133 km/h) and 75 mph(121 km/h) respectively.

Then there are the paced records, where a cyclist utilizes a motor vehicle to minimize wind resistance. The first record of this style was set in 1899, when Charles “Mile a Minute” Murphy convinced a railroad company to lay down plywood sheets between railroad tracks and draft a train. He hit 60 mph (96 km/h) and became the first person to ride a mile on a bicycle in under a minute.

There are also the downhill records where riders hurtle down snow capped mountains (or sometimes a volcano) to reach speeds of over 100 mph (160 km/h)

Then there is this guy. Who used a Swedish designed hydrogen peroxide powered rocket to propel himself to 163 mph (263 km/h) on a former military base in France.

Despite the auxiliary power, this daredevil still wasn’t fast enough to surpass the flat surface, motor paced record of 167 mph (268 (km/h) set by Fred Rompelberg (who was fifty at the time!) in 1995.

Via Nos.SL

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rider
rider
10 years ago

So it´s a rocket powered (not) bike then.
Let me just see if Trek have them in 29er ……..

NotAMachinist
NotAMachinist
10 years ago

I don’t think Mile-A-Minute Murphy was on plywood, it was more like a planked floor.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1130167/index.htm

From the article: “And another incidental feat of his which has gone unnoticed but has never been equaled: Has anyone but Murphy ever boarded a train going roughly 60 miles an hour?”

Watchtower
Watchtower
10 years ago

“(who was fifty at the time!)”

50 is not that old : )

Argh
Argh
10 years ago

Imho, only track speed is legal (pure man power on classic bicycle)

Mindless
Mindless
10 years ago

Any speed is “legal”. Human powered bicycle record is almost ~60 miles in an hour (for a full hour) – on a recumbent..

WannaBeSTi
WannaBeSTi
10 years ago

Canellara has one of these…

Ryan
Ryan
10 years ago

Thanks, now I’ve got “Rocket Man” stuck in my head.

Alan
Alan
10 years ago

I wonder if Lennard Zinn would do this in conjunction with one of his no-handed speed wobble tests.

kyle
kyle
10 years ago

They could afford a rocket strapped to a bicycle, but not a higher definition camera?

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