Athlete Elias Schwärzler (Austria) has pushed his mountain bike to the limit, breaking the record for the fastest towed bicycle by racking up a speed of 272.934 km/h (169.593 mph) in Schipkau, Germany on 22 May 2022.
The 26-year-old professional mountain biker and influencer regularly films stunts featuring the humble bicycle on his YouTube channel.
His self-proclaimed goal is to become the fastest man on a bicycle.
As such, for this new record, daredevil Elias wanted to hit a dizzying speed of 300 km/h (186.4164 mph).
Although his parents were less enthusiastic about the record attempt!
"Their first reaction was: no, definitely don't do that," recalls Schwärzler.
For this incredible feat, Elias chose to use a standard mountain bicycle and not one specifically modified.
Due to the high speed, it was important to ensure that the bicycle tyres could withstand this, which Elias solved by creating his own test stand.
The record attempt took place at Lausitz-Ring, a famous racetrack which holds annual motor racing competitions such as the German Touring Car Championships.
With Elias (and his bike) ready, it was time to start the attempt.
In order to reach the target speed, a Grand Prix (GP) motorcycle pulled Elias along on his mountain bicycle.
The main challenge during the attempt was the strong headwind. Unlike a motorcycle, a bicycle does not have a windbreak.
The wind meant that Elias had a very limited view of the track and briefly had tunnel vision, which he recalls trying to shift his body position to assist:
"I always say, you have to squat up on the bicycle. It’s really hard to steer at such a high speed."
Unfortunately, due to weather conditions, Elias couldn’t hit his personal goal but still managed to set a new world record.
I'm addicted to speed. I love to go fast and to push my limits. I love to work on myself to face the fear and to overcome fear. Being the fastest guy on a towed bicycle was a big dream and I'm proud that everything worked out and we made it to break the Guinness World Records title. - Elias Schwärzler
He hasn’t given up on his initial dream and is now trying to find a towing vehicle that is strong enough to pull him at a new record-breaking speed.
So, it’s safe to say that this won’t be the last time we’ll be seeing Elias and his mountain bike.
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