We bikers love speed records. Be it our own (mediocre) records or those of other athletes. The faster the better - some of us only really wake up when the wind is rushing around our helmets. The bike pros - of course - go one better and race downhill at speeds that would make normal bikers' handlebars fly out of their hands.
And then there are extreme speed junkies who have specialised in high-speed riding. Athletes from other sports also battle it out in who's the fastest. Which extreme sport is the fastest - where are the speed records?
Speed check: Which bikers are the fastest?
Downhill racing: In the World Cup, so-called speedtraps are set up to measure the athletes' speeds at particularly fast sections of the course. They often measure 60 km/h and faster. Anyone who has ever ridden at 60 km/h on a steep tarmac road can imagine what that must feel like off-road.
On just one bike: In his 2001 world record in Palmdale, California, Bobby Root reached an incredible 138.6 km/h on the rear wheel. Even crazier: Root also set the record for the fastest ride on the front wheel. In the Nose manual, the professional freerider reached an incredible 90.7 km/h.
Top speed on take-off: Professional freerider Cam Zink sets a world record. He flipped 30 metres at Mamoth Mountain. When he jumped off, he was travelling at 74 km/h. His record has since been broken. Britain's Tom Isted flipped even further at Darkfest in South Africa in 2023 and was probably even faster on the jump.
On sand: 2011 Markus Stöckl (born 1974) hurtles towards his world speed record for production mountain bikes: 164.95 km/h on sand and gravel on the volcanic cone of Cerro Negro, Nicaragua. Track length: 550 metres on a 45° slope; the previous, nine-year-old record set by Frenchman Éric Barone was beaten by 1 km/h; Barone, who had a serious fall during his attempt and has been unable to ride himself ever since, was the organiser of Stöckl's attempt.
High speed at the Tour de France: The allegedly highest speed in 2016 was achieved by German Tour de Franc rider Markus Burghardt from Team BMC on the Port de la Bonaigua descent at a measured 130.7 km/h. Insane on narrow tyres! This record remains unbroken to this day.
Speedcheck: Speed records in other sports
Surfing: No wave accelerates as much as the monster wave in Nazaré, Portugal. Here, record-breaking surfer Sebastian Steudtner slides into the depths on a tow board with a special coating. He reached speeds of over 80 km/h on his record-breaking wave, which was over 25 metres high, according to sensor measurements.
Cliff jumping: Laso Schaller jumps from a height of almost 60 metres (58.8 m) into a mountain lake in Switzerland on 4 August 2015 - a record! He hits the water at 123 km/h. The extreme deceleration caused Laso to tear ligaments in his knee joint and ankles.
Windsurfing: Björn Dunkerbeck is the fastest windsurfer in the world. He reached 103.7 km/h on the Lüderitz Seed Channel in Namibia on 23 November 2021. The fastest sailing boat in the world, on the other hand, is the Vestas Sailrocket 2, which holds the world speed record for sailing boats at 65.45 knots (121 km/h), set by Australian sailor Paul Larsen on 24 November 2012 at the Lüderitz Speed Challenge in Lüderitz Bay in Namibia.
Skiing: Downhill skiers can reach speeds of up to 153 km/h on the legendary Streif in Kitzbühel (photo). The absolute record on skis is held by Simon Billy. The Frenchman set the world record in speed skiing at the 2023 World Championships. The Frenchman won in Vars, France, with a speed of 255.50 km/h. Billy thus replaced Ivan Origone as the record holder. The Italian had held the previous record of 254.985 km/h from 2016.
Skydiving: A skydiver falls towards the ground at around 180 km/h in the box position (bent arms and legs, hollow back). In the speed skydiving competition, Marco Hepp managed to reach an incredible 530 km/h by diving down head first. The fastest wingsuit pilots fly at speeds of up to 400 km/h, albeit horizontally.
Superstunt: Felix Baumgartner from Salzburg during his record jump from a height of almost 39,000 metres! The stuntman is the only skydiver to have broken the sound barrier. Top speed: 1357.6 km/h. A helium balloon with a special capsule transported Baumgartner into the stratosphere. After his super stunt, Baumgartner retired from extreme sports and now flies rescue helicopters in Switzerland.
For comparison: the fastest animals in the world
In the air: Peregrine falcon in a dive (383 km/h),
Bulldog bat in a turn (160 km/h)
On land: Cheetah (120 km/h)
In the water: Mako shark, fan fish, black marlin (110 km/h)
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
