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Neil Campbell aiming to become fastest man ever on a bicycle this weekend

Essex-based architect who already holds European record will undertake attempt in North Yorkshire

Essex-based architect Neil Campbell will next weekend attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the highest motor-paced speed ever achieved on a bicycle by a man.

The existing record of 268.8 kilometres an hour (167 miles an hour) has stood for almost a quarter of a century, having been set by Fred Rompelberg of the Netherlands at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in 1995.

That’s the record that Campbell will be targeting at Elvington Airfield, North Yorkshire, England, where last September he broke his own European motor-paced record, hitting a speed of 239.8 kilometres an hour (149 miles an hour).

As on that occasion, his latest record attempt will see him draft in the slipstream of a Porsche Cayenne, reports inthebunch.co.za.

“I’ve known about this record for 25 years since meeting the former British record holder Dave Le Grys,” said Campbell.

“I’ve harboured the long obsession to attempt to ride that fast since then. It was only when Guy Martin broke it [the British record] that it became apparent that I should get on with it.”

Ultimately, Campbell plans to target the world record set last September by Denise Mueller-Korenek, with plans for a future attempt on it at Bonneville, where last year she rode at 296 kilometres an hoiur (184 miles an hour).

> American woman smashes cycling land speed record, hitting nearly 184 miles per hour

He acknowledges it “would be impossible to attempt that in the UK on such a short [3km] runway, but the men’s record still stands and is there to be beaten in the meantime.”

“Besides that, we’ve been told so many times that it can’t be done in the UK and we’re doggedly determined to prove that with a little ingenuity and brave pills it can be.”

He acknowledges that there are risks, however, saying: “For this to work the planets really will have to align. So much can go wrong and the stakes are high, not to mention having the British weather to contend with.

“We simply don’t have the distance to get to top speed and in reality only have 400m to get back to 0 kilometres an hour, hence the parachute,” he added.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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7 comments

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whobiggs | 4 years ago
0 likes

Why does the person driving the car need a better helmet than the cyclist?

Avatar
Miller | 4 years ago
1 like

Not only but also, doesn't this bloke get towed up to 100mph+ before he even has to start pedalling? Although to be fair it seems this is accepted practice among those who target this kind of record.

Avatar
Mathemagician replied to Miller | 4 years ago
1 like
Miller wrote:

Not only but also, doesn't this bloke get towed up to 100mph+ before he even has to start pedalling? Although to be fair it seems this is accepted practice among those who target this kind of record.

Well yea, but if you think you can turn that gear from a standing start, you're either deluded or have actual hydraulic presses for legs.

Avatar
Simon E | 4 years ago
3 likes

But he's drafting behind a SUV. 

If someone sets/breaks a record by their own ability that might actually be of worth a mention.

Avatar
Smultie | 4 years ago
1 like

Didn't a lady from the USA break the record recently?

 

Nevermind, I should read the complete posting next time  1

Avatar
only1redders replied to Smultie | 4 years ago
2 likes

Smultie wrote:

Didn't a lady from the USA break the record recently?

 

Nevermind, I should read the complete posting next time  1

Yes, you may have been well served by reading to the end - or even just the title, as it says fastest MAN. He's going to try to break the record FOR A MAN first, in the UK. The overall world record is currently held by a woman (Denise Mueller-Korenek)

There's 30 seconds of my life I won't get back

Avatar
Organon | 4 years ago
1 like

I am an architect, they call me a butcher. I am a pioneer, they call me primitive.

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