What is the maximum speed a person can develop while riding a bicycle? There are many records achieved in different conditions, in different situations and at different times.
Cycling speed
An ordinary untrained person, not in a hurry, on the city highway can move at a speed of about 12-15 km per hour, taking into account both the slopes and the climbs of the road. This value is taken as the average speed of the bike.
A little training person on a bicycle with certain amenities (for example, there are torpedo clips, a gear shift, good brakes) is able to move faster - at a speed of 30 km / h.
And if the same person is transferred to a lightweight road bike, for example, without a rear and front wing, then on the most level section he will be able to accelerate it to 40 km / h and continue to maintain this speed for several minutes.
There are not only speed records for cycling, but also world records for speed retention. In 2005, on the famous cycle track in Krylatskoye, the Czech representative O. Sosenka kept the achieved speed (49.7 km / h) on a bicycle for 60 minutes. He could not keep the value of 50 km / h due to the fact that his bike had only one gear and a rather high saddle. Such a record is complicated by wear and tear.
On good roads, you can safely maintain a high speed of 60-70 km / h on a 9-kilometer descent, even on heavy mountain bikes. It turns out that these values should be taken as the maximum speed for ordinary cycling enthusiasts.
How did it all start?
Cyclist Jose Mayfret set the world record for speed on a bicycle (204.73 km / h) in 1962 in Friedberg (Germany). And it all started earlier. Since the creation of the bicycle, many attempts have been made to achieve maximum riding speed.
Perhaps it’s worth telling about the most significant and important records in the history of the development of this sport, and the transport itself.
In 1899, Charles Murphy, having trained for about 2 months, decided to set a record for the speed of riding in Long Island by rail. To do this, it was necessary to attach one car to a steam locomotive and equip it with a cap so that the cyclist could hide from the wind. At first, due to a mistake by Murphy himself, he lagged behind the train, but then still caught up with him. Thus, in June 1899 a record of maximum speed was set. It amounted to 100.2 km / h.
The next bike speed record was set only in 1937. This happened in Los Angeles, California. Record holder Albert Marche moved behind the car, which was also equipped with a fabric frame, so that the cyclist moved inside it. His record was 139 km / h.
After 5 years, in 1942, a new record was set (again in California). And in this case, the car in front was racing, and the bike was improved. At that time, the record holder Alf Leturne developed the most maximum speed on a bicycle.
The record was fixed at 175 km / h. But world achievements did not end there.
Highscores. World bike speed record
The absolute record for cycling speed was set in 1995. Its value is 268.8 km / h. This was achieved by the Dutchman Fred Rompelberg. The record was important and valuable not only for the cyclist, as he turned 50 that year.
This event took place on a highway in Utah (USA). It was a perfect flat surface of an ancient lake (salt), this is the Bonneville plain. And the bike was specially equipped (
gear ratio and a special transmission system to the rear sprocket were significantly increased). And, as always, a car was moving ahead of him, which also created behind him a zone of reduced pressure.
Mountain bike speed record
Descent from the mountain can also be under different conditions: on the icy surface and dirt. Therefore, the records are divided.
On the winter mountain bike track, with excellent transport equipment (excellent bike aerodynamics, aerodynamic equipment), athlete Eric Baron firmly holds the speed record on a bicycle. In 2000, in the Alps (April 12), he accelerated his bike to 222 km / h.
Despite the fact that he was descending from the mountain, his record was lower than the absolute (F. Rompelberg). Nevertheless, one must take into account that the air resistance during the descent increased more and more, and the vibration intensified, worsening the stability of transport. This vibration also prevented him from setting a record on a gravel descent (sad finish).
Two years later, on the slope of Sierra Negro, the same athlete took 3rd place, after his own second, literally “driving” about 400 meters down the gravel. It was a real hell for a cyclist: at the finish of this terrible gap, the maximum speed of the bicycle reached 210.4 kilometers per hour, and his bicycle literally exploded.
Good training, competent protection and a quality helmet helped the Baron to survive in such a deadly situation.
There is no limit to human and technical capabilities. Man will always strive to conquer new heights.