Speeds achieved on indoor tracks are usually greater than those on roads. Other factors affecting speed are the route profile (flats and hills), wind conditions, temperatures and elevation. At a 2009 event in Russia, Kevin Sireau achieved an average of 20.73 meters/sec with a flying start over 200 meters. The speed over 1000 meters at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games was 16.39 meters/sec recorded by Chris Hoy. Average speeds clearly drop with increasing distance, so that over the 120 kmCootamundra Annual Classic it is 11.78 meters/sec. In the 259 km 2010 Paris-Roubaix, the winner set a speed of 10.92 meters/sec, while over the 818 km Furnace Creek 508, the speed drops dramatically to 8.34 meters/sec. For an extreme road distance such as the 4800 km Race Across America, the average speed of the record holder is 5.65 meters/sec, while the 2350 km Freedom Trail over mountainous terrain in South Africa is at a record speed of 1.9 meters/sec.
The record for the fastest speed on a bicycle is the fastest that a person could go on a two wheeled bicycle. The table below shows the records that people have attained while riding bicycles.
| Name | Year | Speed | Type of record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Whittingham | 2009 | 133 km/h (83 mph) | Flat surface, unpaced[1] |
| Barbara Buatois | 2010 | 121 km/h (75 mph) | Flat surface, unpaced (woman)[1] |
| Fred Rompelberg | 1995 | 268 km/h (167 mph) | Flat surface, motor-paced[2] |
| Bruce Bursford | 1996 | 334 km/h (208 mph) | Riding on a roller[3] |
| Markus Stöckl | 2011 | 164.95 km/h (102.50 mph) | Downhill on a volcano, on a serial production bicycle.[4] |
| Eric Barone | 2002 | 172 km/h (107 mph) | Downhill on a volcano, on a prototype bicycle[5] |
| Markus Stöckl | 2007 | 210.4 km/h (130.7 mph) | Downhill on snow, on a serial production bicycle[6] |
| Eric Barone | 2000 | 222 km/h (138 mph) | Downhill on snow, on a prototype bicycle[7] |
On land, the speed record registered by a rider on a 200 meter flying start speed trial is 133.28 km/h (82.82 mph) by the Canadian Sam Whittingham riding the Varna Tempest, a streamlinerrecumbent bicycle in year 2009[1] at Battle Mountain, Nevada.
The woman record holder for this same category was Lisa Vetterlein who reached 107.16 km/h (66.59 mph) in 2005. This record was beaten by the French womanBarbara Buatois when she reached 121.44 km/h (75.46 mph) at Battle Mountain, Nevada in 2009. She subsequently achieved 121.81 km/h (75.69 mph) at the 2010 running of the Battle Mountain event.
Motor pacing is a type of human powered record where a pace vehicle is modified by adding a tail fairing to keep the wind off the cyclist who is riding behind it. This type of record was invented by Charles “Mile-a-Minute Murphy” who drafted a train to set a 96 km/h (60 mph) record at end of the 19th century. A mile of plywood sheets was attached to the railroad ties, so Charles would have a smooth surface riding behind the train[8][9].
In 1928, Leon Vanderstuyft from Belgium reached 122 km/h riding behind a motorbike at a velodrome[9]. Alexis Blanc-Garin from France set the record to 128.20 km/h in October 1933 riding behind a motorbike[10]. Albert Marquet, from France, reached 139.90 km/h riding behind a car in 1937[11]. On 22 October 1938, Alfred Letourneurreached 147 km/h at a velodrome in Montlhéry, France, riding behind a motorbike[12]. On 17 May 1941 Letourneur broke the record again, reaching 175 km/h (108.92 mph) on a Schwinn bicycle riding behind a car on the Los Angeles freeway near Bakersfield.
Another person to reach a remarkable record was the Frenchman Jose Meiffret in year 1962, when he reached 204 km/h (127 mph) behind a Mercedes-Benz 300SL car on a German motorway[13].
Allan Abbott, a cycling enthusiast and motorcycle racer, established the motor paced bicycle speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats, a dried up salt lake in Utah, reaching 223 km/h (139 mph) in 1973.
John Howard, Olympic cyclist and Ironman triathlon winner, set a 244 km/h (152 mph) speed record also at the Bonneville Salt Flats, on July 20, 1985.
Fred Rompelberg from Maastricht, the Netherlands is the current holder of the motor paced speed world record cycling with 268.831 km/h (166.9 mph). He used a special bicycle behind a dragster of the Strasburg Drag Racing Team at the Bonneville Salt Flats. It is a Guinness record.
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