# Fastest bicyclist clocked at 154 mph? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744 "2004-05-05T23:53:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/1 "2004-05-05T23:53:04Z")
From the Snapple “Real Fact” cap # 152: “In 1985, the fastest bicyclist was clocked at 154 mph.” Was he in a car? A rocket bike? What gives? ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/2 "2004-05-06T00:00:44Z")
I don’t know about this particular case but I know several bicycle speed records have been set with the bicycle behind some motorized vehicle that was punching a hole in the air for it so to speak. Oh, here’s a picture: [http://www.canosoarus.com/08LSRbicycle/LSR%20Bike01.htm](http://www.canosoarus.com/08LSRbicycle/LSR%20Bike01.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/3 "2004-05-06T00:01:58Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > From the Snapple “Real Fact” cap # 152: “In 1985, the fastest bicyclist was clocked at 154 mph.” > > Was he in a car? A rocket bike? What gives? IIRC, it was under no-wind-resistance conditions. In other words, he was tucked behind a truck or similar object which was going that speed. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/4 "2004-05-06T00:03:33Z")
Yup. [http://www.canosoarus.com/08LSRbicycle/LSR%20Bike01.htm](http://www.canosoarus.com/08LSRbicycle/LSR%20Bike01.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/5 "2004-05-06T00:04:43Z")
Damn. Same link, even. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/6 "2004-05-06T01:30:28Z")
> [@Random](#): > > Damn. Same link, even. Google, yes? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/7 "2004-05-06T01:43:38Z")
Human Powered Vehicle Association speed records [http://www.ihpva.org/hpva/hpvarech.html](http://www.ihpva.org/hpva/hpvarech.html) ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/8 "2004-05-06T02:11:53Z")
Man, and I started to freak out when I got up to 40 mph! ---
**Author:** ![Ottoerotic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6de8d8/32.png) [@Ottoerotic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ottoerotic)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/9 "2004-05-06T04:29:16Z")
Doesn’t mean that you should trust Snapple, the last cap that I had informed me of the interesting fact that “A duck’s quack doesn’t echo” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Joe\_Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Random)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/10 "2004-05-06T04:54:16Z")
> [@Ottoerotic](#): > > Doesn’t mean that you should trust Snapple, the last cap that I had informed me of the interesting fact that “A duck’s quack doesn’t echo” :rolleyes: Geez, what’s next for the Snapple cap? “0.9999…(repeating) doesn’t equal 1”? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/11 "2004-05-23T07:40:05Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > I don’t know about this particular case but I know several bicycle speed records have been set with the bicycle behind some motorized vehicle that was punching a hole in the air for it so to speak. > > Oh, here’s a picture: > > [http://www.canosoarus.com/08LSRbicycle/LSR%20Bike01.htm](http://www.canosoarus.com/08LSRbicycle/LSR%20Bike01.htm) Drafting? :dubious: It looks like he’s being towed. How could anyone pedal 154mph, even without wind resistance? ---
**Author:** ![LuckySevens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@LuckySevens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LuckySevens)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/12 "2004-05-23T09:36:28Z")
> [@Joe Random](#): > > Geez, what’s next for the Snapple cap? > > “0.9999…(repeating) doesn’t equal 1”? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/13 "2004-05-23T10:28:18Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Drafting? :dubious: > > It looks like he’s being towed. > > How could anyone pedal 154mph, even without wind resistance? Well, take away wind resistance and what resistance is left? Not much friction on a well made bicycle. Getting the gearing right is probably crucial. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/14 "2004-05-23T13:17:18Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > From the Snapple “Real Fact” cap # 152: “In 1985, the fastest bicyclist was clocked at 154 mph.” > > Was he in a car? A rocket bike? Freefall? ---
**Author:** ![Armilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@Armilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Armilla)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/15 "2004-05-23T13:38:14Z")
I saw a bicycle speed record set on TV once, quite a few years ago now - I’m pretty sure it must have been on the BBC show _Record Breakers_. The attempt was made on a rolling road type contraption that kept the cyclist stationary in the studio. If anything this actually seems fairer than doing it riding the wake of a moving vehicle. The slipstream wouldn’t just push the air out of the way but I’m sure it would add several mph to the top speed due to the aerodynamic “tow” effect. The bike itself wasn’t anything special except that it had only one gear with an absolutely _huge_ primary cog. Because of this it took the rider a couple of minutes to get up to full speed, fighting the mechanical disadvantage. I forget the exact speed he was said to have attained, but it was well in excess of 100mph. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/16 "2004-05-23T17:07:22Z")
IIRC, this speed was set by an amateur cyclist and an attempt was made on it by Francesco Moser - former world road race champion, on the perfectly logical grounds that surely a pro would do better. At this speed other issues come into play, such as accurate wheel balancing and aerodynamic stability, result was that Moser underestimated these other effects and nearly fell off. The gearing on that attempt was so high that he had to be towed to around 70-80mph before he could even turn the pedals, I imagine this had to happen on the prvious succesful attempt. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Green\_Feather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@The\_Green\_Feather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Green_Feather)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2004, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastest-bicyclist-clocked-at-154-mph/243744/17 "2004-05-23T17:44:40Z")
From [Guinness Word Records](http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/): The highest speed ever achieved on a bicycle is 268.831 km/h (167.043 mph), by Fred Rompelberg (The Netherlands) at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, on October 3, 1995. His record attempt was greatly assisted by the slipstream from his lead vehicle. Fred has been cycling professionally for nearly 30 years and during that time has held 11 world records.