Have you ever wondered how fast you could cycle backwards underwater on a unicycle? Neither have I… but amidst the more bizarre records there are quite a few which take the breath away. For example, the most vertical distance climbed in 24 hours = 20,000 metres – (or 100 ascents of a 200m climb or Alpe D’Huez 40 times up and down in a day (Maybe one to attempt in a few years….) It would be easier than cycling an average of 205 miles a day to break record for most miles cycled in a year…
World Hour Record
Furthest distance travelled in one hour on a track
- 49.700 km (30.882 mi) Ondrej Sosenka, (2005)
- 56.375 Km – Chris Boardman (1996) The record before the UCI bizarrely changed the regulations meaning attempts had to use 1970s technology.
BTW: the first hour record was set on a Penny Farthing. In 1876 Frank Dodds rode 26.508 km (16.471 mi).
Female Record
- 46.065 km/h Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel (NED), October 2003
Most Wins in the Tour de France
- 7 – Lance Armstrong 1999-2005 List of Tour Winners
- Most Monument (Classic one Day Races) wins: Eddy Merckx 19
- Most Grand Tour wins (tour of France, Spain, Italy): Eddy Merckx 11
World’s Biggest Bike Race
- 31,219 finishers in the 2004 Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour in Cape Town
Longest Distance Cycled Backwards in 24 Hours
Darl Bonnema (USA) cycled 180.177 km (111.956 miles) backwards on a bicycle in 24 hours at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, Florida, USA, from 19 to 20 November 2004.
Fastest Speed on a Bicycle (downhill on the snow)
The fastest ever speed attained cycling downhill on snow or ice is 222 km/h (138 mph), by Eric Barone (France) at Les Arcs, France on 21 April 2000.
Most People on A Unicycle at one Time
The most people riding unicycles simultaneously is 1,142 at an event organized by Andrea Hardy at the Dultplatz in Regensburg, Germany on 12 June 2005.
Most Vertical distance in 24 Hours
The record for the most vertical metres cycled in 24 hours is 20,049.9 m (65,780 ft 4 in) and was achieved by Horst and Gernot Turnowsky (both Austria) at the Rinnegger highway, Austria, from 30 June to 1 July 2007.
Lightest Full Scale Riding Bike
Mirko Glöckner (Germany) constructed a full-size racing bicycle called Sub 4.0 weighing 3.89 kg (8 lb 9.2 oz). The cycle has a carbon fibre frame weighing 873 g (1 lb 14.7 oz) and components made of largely of aluminium, titanium, and carbon fibre. The bicycle is completely rideable.
Heaviest Rideable Bike
The heaviest rideable bicycle weighs 750 kg (1650 lb) and was built by Wouter van den Bosch (Netherlands) and ridden in Arnhem, Netherlands, in May 2010. It was built with a tractor tyre on the front.
Most Distance Cycled in One year
1939 Tommy Godwin England 75,065 miles – (120,805 km) (Source: Cycling 1972)
Longest Distance in One Hour No Hands
The longest distance cycled in one hour without hands is 37 km 417 metres (23.25 miles) and was achieved by Erik Skramstad (USA) at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, USA, on 23 June 2009.
Fastest Time Cycling Around the World
The current world record for cycling around the world (over 18,000 miles) is held by Vincent Cox in a time of 169 days 6 hours 58 minutes see: World Record for Cycling Around the World
Race Across America
Fastest average speed (men): Pete Penseyres, 1986, who averaged 15.40 mph (24.8 km/h) riding 3107 miles (5000 km) in 8 days, 9 hours, and 47 minutes.
Woman: Seana Hogan, 1995, who averaged 13.23 mph (21.3 km/h) riding 2912 miles (4686 km) in 9 days, 4 hours, 2 minutes. (RAAM)
Longest distance static cycling by 100 teams in 24 hours
The record for the longest distance static cycling by 100 teams in 24 hours is 64,524 km (40093.27 miles) and was set during the CentrO Festival in Oberhausen, Germany, between 30 September and 1 October 2006.
Fastest Lands End to John O’ Groats
The fastest journey from Land’s End to John-O’-Groats by bicycle by a man is 44 hr 4 min 19 sec and was achieved by Gethin Butler (UK), in September 2001.
Fastest cycle backwards 50 km
Markus Riese (Germany) cycled 50 km (31 miles) backwards in a time of 1 hr 46 min 59 sec on the track of VC Darmstadt 1899 e.V. cycling club, Darmstadt, Germany, on 24 May 2003.
Highest Rates of Cycling
- Highest rates of cycling per inhabitant – Netherlands
Oldest Bike Race
Catford CC hill Climb, first run on Westerham Hill on August 20th 1887. Oldest bike Race
Most Expensive Bike
The most expensive bike was auctioned for $500,000 at Sotherby’s. It was a Trek Madone designed by artist Damien Hurst.
Most Potholes circumnavigated in a 1 Km stretch whilst simultaneously avoiding impatient 4WD drivers and explaining to White Van Driver why cyclists don’t pay road tax.
135 on A307 southbound Hampshire.
Related
Tejvan, making up the last category (the pothole-4WD-whitevan-roadtax record) is a record on its own, worthy of mention on a Monty Python sketch.