Essex-based architect Neil Campbell has set a new European motor-assisted cycling speed record of 217.7 kilometres an hour (135.5 miles an hour).
He broke the existing record of 204 kilometres an hour (127 miles an hour) over a 200 metre timed section after being towed up to speed behind a Porsche 4×4 on the runway at Elvingrton airfield in North Yorkshire yesterday.
The European Cycling Speed Record has been broken… in Yorkshire! pic.twitter.com/h8LgQQQviR
— BBC Look North (Yks) (@BBCLookNorth) June 19, 2018
The 44-year-old broke Guy Martin’s British record in 2016, riding a converted 20-year-old tandem to a speed of 183.8 kilometres an hour (114.19 miles an hour).
> Operation Pacemaker breaks Guy Martin’s GB motor-paced speed record
The bike he used in yesterday’s successful record attempt was made by Wybunbury, Cheshire-based Moss Bikes and incorporated 3D-printed parts.
It was unveiled earlier this year at the Bespoked show in Bristol. and Moss Bikes has uploaded pictures of it to its Instagram account.
Campbell’s speed also eclipsed the 202 kilometres an hour (125 miles an hour) achieved by Brazil’s Evandro Portela last year, when he set a Guinness World Record for the highest speed ever achieved on a public road.
> Video: Watch Evandro Portela’s record-breaking 202 kilometre an hour ride
According to ITV.com, Campbell now has his sights set on the 268.8 kilometres an hour (167 miles an hour) world motor-paced record set at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, United States, by Fred Rompelberg of the Netherlands in October 1995.
14 thoughts on “Neil Campbell breaks European motor-paced cycling speed record”
“Architect from Essex hit
“Architect from Essex hit 2217.7 kilometres an hour – and now he has the world record in his sights”
Broke the sound barrier too then?!
2217.7 or 217.7?
2217.7 or 217.7?
But this was towed rather
But this was towed rather than drafting like the Brazilian chap – right? Not sure that counts as a fair comparison.
Er, the record is 166.944mph
Er, the record is 166.944mph not 167, please bother to check facts Road CC and not rely on some idiots at ITV!
Also this is only over a 200m timed course which is a complete nonsense, the existing and previous record holders had to cycle and get an average of the speed over a mile. Typical ‘modern’ variant way of beating old records by bending the rules not impressive. It’s far harder holding that speed over a mile than it is 200m ffs!
This twisting of the rules is perfectly shown in the breaking of Tommy Godwin’s year record by using completely flat routes, driven back to a starting point to take advantage of terrain and weather, closed circuit routes and even recumbents. meh.
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
Nothing was stopping Tommy from doing any of those things? Just sayin’.
Although, being towed up to speed doesn’t seem to be in the spirit of the record. 200m might be more for safety? Less chance of falling off compared to a mile. Also, how long would the runway need to be if you had to accelerate up to ≠167mph, do a mile, then deccelerate to a stop?
ChrisB200SX wrote:
Recumbents weren’t a thing in 1939 and are a completely different machine and have their own section when it comes to speed/distance records, they should not be allowed. if you think Godwin would have got away with being driven back to a starting point a la KS to take advantage of prevailing winds/terrain say to ride in the Fens on totally flat terrain you’ll be kidding yourself. He would have been ashamed to do it as no-one else of that era or the record hoders before had done such a thing and certainly joe public would see it as cheating and it certainly wasn’t within any spirit of what cycling was about. Riding on a closed circuit AKA a track that has zero elevation whilst using a recumbent just takes the piss, it’s a totally different record to Godwin’s, yet again the Ultra cycling lot make a mockery of the old records. In fact Guiness and indeed UMCR both ignore Godwins monthly mileage record of 8583, which eclipses Croker’s effort by over 500 miles.
As I said, the modern rules allow virtually anything and the records and rules of old are ignored, just in exactly the same way the flying mile is ignored for a far more simplistic and easier flying 200m is for the speed record, that’s EIGHT times less to maintain top speed, not even close to being the same record!
It does appear to be more a
It does appear to be more a record for successfully slowing down from X rather than one for pedalling at or getting up to X. Like jumping off a low step and then claiming that technically your were flying.
sizbut wrote:
Well put. Also the Brazilian record was achieved on a normal road bike as far as I am aware. I know which one feels like the more impressive exploit.
How come this gets into road
How come this gets into road.cc, but not Mark Beaumont smashing the Ordinary Bike hour record last week? I thought road.cc was ignoring it because it was a track record.
What is it with Campbells and
What is it with Campbells and speed records?
Should stick to making soup. 😉
Elvington, surely, not
Elvington, surely, not ‘Elvingrton airfield in North Yorkshire’
Is there a record for the
Is there a record for the fastest speed on level ground achieved on a ‘normal’ or track or TT bike without any drafting assistance?
That would seem to me to be more relevant.
So he got towed until they
So he got towed until they hit 90mph then pedalled to the 114mph speed. I can see that was necessary as they didn’t have the runway length for him to pedal all the way but still…
He’s going to need to take this effort to a whole other level if he wants to get Rompelberg’s record. Fred was about 50 when he set that record but he’s an ex-pro, he was riding behind a dragster, and he got up to speed under his own steam.
Isn’t the current absolute
Isn’t the current absolute record held by an American lady ? So why would he target someone else’s record ?
And is this the same guy who was a track sprinter for Team GB or just a bloke with the same name ?
It’s very confusing.