The Speed Record on a Bicycle was Just Set at 103 mph

Austrian speed demon Markus Stöckl just set a new record for fastest speed attained on a mountain bike. Deep in Chile’s Atacama Desert, Stöckl hopped aboard a fairly standard mountain bike and pointed it straight down a massive hill and let go of the brakes. A few seconds later, he reached 167 km/h – for those not familiar with the metric system that’s 103 mph. While there were no special modifications on the bike, Stöckl donned a speed suit straight out of a cheap science fiction flick. While it may look ridiculous, aerodynamics becomes such a factor in gaining extra speed that every advantage counts.