Most records have been completed under special rules and circumstances, such as being motor-paced, on terrain advantageous for speed (such as downhill or low-friction surfaces), or using highly aerodynamic cycles (for example, recumbent bicycles).
As cycling is a diverse activity with vast differences between equipment, disciplines, and terrain, there is no one record that can popularly be considered a benchmark for “fastest cyclist”.
It registers non-motor-paced records (also called unpaced), which means that the bicycle directly faces the wind without any motor-pacing vehicle in front.
The record was again surpassed on 19 September 2015 by Todd Reichert by riding the ETA, a streamlined recumbent bicycle at 139.45 km/h (86.65 mph) from the team behind the AeroVelo Atlas human-powered helicopter.
[28] On 17 May 1941 Letourneur broke the record again, reaching 175 km/h (109 mph) on a Schwinn bicycle riding behind a specially equipped midget racer, on a Los Angeles freeway near Bakersfield, California.
[30] Allan Abbott, a cycling enthusiast and motorcycle racer, elevated the motor-paced bicycle speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats, reaching 223 km/h (139 mph) in 1973.
John Howard, Olympic cyclist and Ironman triathlon winner, reset the record to 244 km/h (152 mph), also at the Bonneville Salt Flats, on 20 July 1985.
Denise Mueller-Korenek claimed a women's bicycle land speed record at 147 mph (237 km/h) at the Bonneville Salt Flats on 10 September 2016.
[1] During the last decade of the 20th century, two Frenchmen, Éric Barone and Christian Taillefer, set the speed record descending on snow several times.
On 28 March 2015, Éric Barone reached 223.3 km/h (138.8 mph) at Vars ski resort, France, besting his own record from 2000, using a specially designed prototype bicycle.
On 14 September 2007, Stöckl rode an Intense M6 mountainbike down the ski slope of La Parva, Chile, reaching the current record of 210 km/h (130 mph).
In November 2001, Éric Barone descended on the Cerro Negro volcano in Nicaragua at 130 km/h (81 mph), beating his previous record achieved in Hawaii in 1999.
In 2014, the UCI changed the hour record rules to permit using any upright bike allowed for endurance track events.
[34][35] The UCI hour records as of 13 October 2023[update] are: Another type of record registered by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA) and the World Human Powered Vehicle Association (WHPVA) is for human-powered machines, typically fully streamlined recumbent bicycles.
They enclose the rider and machine in aerodynamic shapes made of carbon fiber, Kevlar, or fiberglass to reduce air resistance.
Some of its current records are: Land's End to John O'Groats is the traversal of the whole length of the island of Great Britain between two extremities; in the southwest and northeast.
The fastest average speed records are: On Sunday 17 March 1940 Pat Hawkins, an 18-year-old female from Western Australia, set the 'World Seven Days record' in Perth, having ridden 1,546.8 miles (2,489.3 km) to surpass the previous best (1,438.4 miles (2,314.9 km)) set by Mrs Valda Unthank of Hastings, Victoria.
[88][89][90][91] In 1911 the weekly magazine Cycling began a competition for the highest number of 100-mile rides or "centuries" in a single year.
[92] The world record for distance cycled in a year began in an era when bicycle companies competed to show their machines were the most reliable.
[n 1] Apart from the 1911 competition organised by Cycling, there was no authority that set rules for record attempts nor certified the mileage ridden.
[95] The mileage had been traditionally verified by way of a sealed milometer and cards signed by upstanding members of society such as police officers or postmasters.
[94] All of the previous record holders from Marcel Planes to Tommy Godwin rode a double-triangle diamond frame bicycle, and their rides all commenced on 1 January.
[116][117] In February 1942 Pat Hawkins, the holder of the 'World Seven Days record', claimed to have ridden 45,402.8 miles (73,068.7 km) in Perth, West Australia, despite having missed seven weeks riding.
The endeavour was sponsored by Bruce Small Pty Ltd.[117][118][119][120] In 2016, Kajsa Tylen[121] broke the record, exceeding Dovey's mileage on 24 November, with over a month of the year left to go.
[115] On June 4, 2016, Alicia Searvogel became the first woman over 50 years of age to make an attempt the Highest Annual Mileage record.
[134] To qualify for the relevant Guinness World Record one must satisfy various requirements, such as total distance travelled, pass through two approximate antipodal points, provide specified evidence, etc.