Anyone who’s seen Guy Martin attempting to break the bicycle speed record will know there’s a lot of aerodynamic advantage to be gained by sitting right behind a big, fast moving vehicle that’s punching a big hole in the air for you.
However, while that’s okay on a special bike in a controlled environment in full motorbike leathers – and even then it’s really not okay for most of us, is it? – it’s certainly not something we’d recommend you try behind a tipper truck on a fast three-lane dual carriageway in Manchester.
We were sent this footage by a reader of one brave (?) soul doing exactly that. “I noticed him a mile before this was shot, he continued drafting for a good 5-10 minutes”, he told us. “The truck driver had no idea he was there, averaging 40 as we went through the speedcam.”
It’s certainly one way to gain an advantage on the commute home, although not one we’re keen to have a go at ourselves. Anyone?
93 thoughts on “Video: tailgating a tipper truck at 40mph”
I’ve yet to see a better
I’ve yet to see a better instructional video on how to win a Darwin award
Almost as stupid as filming
Almost as stupid as filming using a camera phone whilst driving.
In portrait mode, no less.
In portrait mode, no less.
Cooks wrote:In portrait mode,
Ha ha ha.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA
[[[[[ As a teenager, I used
[[[[[ As a teenager, I used to do that a lot, until one day I realised you can’t see potholes ahead…
P.R.
One of the things that video
One of the things that video shows is illegal and the other isn’t. Not sure the video poster is in any position to judge anyone else’s behaviour on the roads.
pjt201 wrote:One of the
!
Yeah, I’ve done that, but I
Yeah, I’ve done that, but I try to pick out the truck’s with rear facing camera’s (most of them have it these days). All the ground clearance under tippers doesn’t help, double decker buses are the best option. And it’s a great way of getting out of the snow an a head wind. Also beware of potholes, I’ve punctured hitting one at around 30mph after drafting a bus. So know your road and time it right, have brakes you can trust, fat tyres and don’t get too close.
In my younger days, I lived
In my younger days, I lived in a place where there were many distilleries and I used to draft their lorries all the time, grain lorries, tankers…etc.
As you get older, you get a bit wiser and just take the draft as they pull past you, rather than sitting on their rear like that.
I read a bumper sticker
I read a bumper sticker whilst drafting which read:
‘If you can’t stop, please smile as you go under’
I used to draft lorries down
I used to draft lorries down the bypass on my way home from work. Three mile dead straight road, no junctions or lights and ever so slightly downhill. To get onto it there was a bit of a climb so the heavily laden trucks used to come off the docks, crawl up the incline then pick up speed really gradually. My record speed behind one was 56mph spinning out 53/12.
What was utterly terrifying was coming out of the slipstream at that speed. If one managed to drop you at that speed it would leave a maelstrom of wind and turbulence in its wake buffeting you around like a leaf.
Damn, I was a bit slower. My
Damn, I was a bit slower. My record is 52 spinning 53/11. That is around 140 RPM if my calculations are correct … good old days <:P =))
I used to draft lorries down
I used to draft lorries down the bypass on my way home from work. Three mile dead straight road, no junctions or lights and ever so slightly downhill. To get onto it there was a bit of a climb so the heavily laden trucks used to come off the docks, crawl up the incline then pick up speed really gradually. My record speed behind one was 56mph spinning out 53/12.
What was utterly terrifying was coming out of the slipstream at that speed. If one managed to drop you at that speed it would leave a maelstrom of wind and turbulence in its wake buffeting you around like a leaf.
Not so much these days with a
Not so much these days with a mortgage and two kids, but yeah, quickest way from central London to the City, along the Embankment in the traffic, aahhh youth, may you survive
Trying to recognise where
Trying to recognise where that is… I think I’ve seen the rider from my commute. A6 northbound out of Stockport?
Argos74 wrote:Trying to
Looks more like Wythenshawe maybe? Near M60 junction…? if so, the irony is that the cyclist is probably in the safest place.
synoptic wrote:Argos74
Most likely the East Lancs coming in through Salford – the only three lane A road i know of in Gtr Manchester.
Think you’re right – looks
Think you’re right – looks like going towards Irlam o’th Heights…I’ve seen that geezer on my commute. I ride the cycle path – he is too good for that so rides the busy dual carriageway, drafting off lorries, riding in the middle of the 2 lanes (it only goes to 3 lanes further down) when he’s going slower than both lanes.
Where the M61 joins the East Lancs under the motorway bridge there is a lot of traffic changing lanes both ways, 1 on 1 filtering, and he sails down the middle of where cars are doing that!! When I’m in the car I don’t wonder why people hate cyclists with arrogant people like him.
Safety first.
Can we have some near –
Can we have some near – hysterical condemnation please? Preferably with a few quotes from the IAM roadcraft manual too. :S
With the buses, drafting a
With the buses, drafting a bit on the right corner is OK as you can dive past them when they pull in. Hopefully. People carriers are good as you can see over them but they still provider a good slipstream.
The biggest crime here is
The biggest crime here is Roxette
picko wrote:The biggest crime
Hello you fool. I love you!
Come on, join the joyride! Join the joyride!
I have this etched in my brain as the most banal lyrics ever.
looks like a really stupid
looks like a really stupid thing to do: dangerous, fills your lungs with diesel exhaust, doesn’t help you get fitter, puts cyclists in disrepute. what a stupid twit.
philtregear wrote:looks like
Vertical exhaust! You can see it sticking up between cab and body so limited exhaust fumes. :B
Although I should condemn his actions I can’t really cast any stones. I regularly used to slipstream the Withernsea bus on Patrington straight (between Patrington and Hollym) in my youth. Another good one was Ottringham straight between Ottringham and Winestead Bends.
i love his casual peddling,
i love his casual peddling, thats the best bit, know you don’t have to do much at all to keep up!
FREE SPEEEEEED!
the rider has got some high
the rider has got some high viz on so it’s very safety concious tipper truck drafting
Been there, done that and
Been there, done that and have the scars to prove it 👿 But now I have grown up and feel I have enough scars 😐 Even the memory of coming out of the slip-stream scares the s**t out of me :&
Let he who is without sin etc 😀
Loved it !
I’ve done it in my
Loved it !
I’ve done it in my youth behind buses but now that i’m older i’m to slow to get behind anything !
I can’t believe that people
I can’t believe that people are justifyi ng the actions of a twat. If he wants to kill him self then fine but what sort of example does this set for younger cyclist ‘s. It gives cycling a bad name.
What a prat. Hopefully he’ll
What a prat. Hopefully he’ll live to tell the tale. The car driver shooting the clip is committing an offence of course, even if the dumbass cyclist isn’t.
If you consider the ‘normal’
If you consider the ‘normal’ scenario for a person in the rider’s position, it would would result in them being overtaken by tens or even hundreds of motor vehicles, only one of whom has to be under the control of someone inattentive/sleepy/evil/filming on a camera phone (*furls eyebrows*) to collide and potentially kill them.
This could arguably be much safer, even if it’s not what we expect. Also, it’s unarguably more energy efficient; if a vehicle can create so much energy, at least it’s not being wasted. You could fit quite a few people behind that and it’d be like a big ol’ cyclobus.
Although… there seems to surprisingly little reactionary nonsense posted here, so I don’t know who I’m really getting at. Nobody, I suppose. Which is nice.
I’ve been guilty of drafting
I’ve been guilty of drafting buses in London, but not at those speeds. You listen out to the tone of the engine to get a heads up before the vehicle is about to break.
To rephrase; he’s essentially
To rephrase; he’s essentially got his own giant personal shield. No-one would attempt to side-swipe a huge bloody truck. Maybe we should equip all cyclists with trucks. They’d be safe from idiots illegally filming on camera phones.
Quince wrote:To rephrase;
But they’d also be in danger of going underneath the lorry, wouldn’t they?
I love how this idiotic behaviour can be ignored because of righteous indignation about a driver possibly using a handheld device.
For the avoidance of doubt, in case you haven’t tried it, please don’t draft lorries like this on your bike. If nothing else, then at least have some thought for the poor lorry driver who will have a death on their conscience when they brake, not knowing a cyclist has just slipped under their vehicle and died.
Just out of interest, how has
Just out of interest, how has the conclusion been made that the person filming this was also driving? Unless of course I’m mistaken and in fact it is also illegal for passengers in cars to film with a cameraphone. In which case I sincerely apologise….
He’s won that Strava seg.
He’s won that Strava seg.
7 miles at 40mph is my best
7 miles at 40mph is my best behind a Sainsbury’s artic, certainly livened up the commute. 56mph on one section, damn those limiters
Next time road.cc posts one
Next time road.cc posts one of its many ‘cyclist dies’ story, can we make sure that it isn’t a complete and total effing nitwit like this imbecile?
If he were injured, it would’ve been 100% his own fault.
What a moron.
But yeah, I’ve
What a moron.
But yeah, I’ve done it…
Nothing wrong with that,
Nothing wrong with that, nothing at all, so long as you can do it without dying.
Of course it’s perfectly safe
Of course it’s perfectly safe – he has a helmet and hi-vis and is therefore pretty much immortal, surely? 😉
Of course it’s perfectly safe
Of course it’s perfectly safe – he has a helmet and hi-vis and is therefore pretty much immortal, surely? 😉
Lighten up you naysayers.
Lighten up you naysayers. It’s all about perceived risk, and not dying. If you’ve never, ever done it …. maybe you’re a bit dull 😀
The Highway from Tower Bridge
The Highway from Tower Bridge to Canary Wharf in the morning has construction lorries (specifically from a company called Keltbray, which sponsors a cycling team I recall) that go at a steady 30mph. Sticking behind one of those, and staying in the centre of the lane, is actually safer than the punishment passes you get from drivers otherwise. But that is 30mph, not 56mph, and stopping is simple.
If he’s stupid, then what are
If he’s stupid, then what are these guys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO7_Fq56g2c
This guy tailgated for 310km
This guy tailgated for 310km (averaging 70 kmh) from Riga to Tallinn.
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jckZW6NOWSo[/url]
P.S. Bike was modified and truck was in on it… and there was support car.
A wartime measure for heavy
A wartime measure for heavy goods vehicles was to restrict the speed to comply with fuel rationing and economy, no speed cameras then. The engines were fitted with a govener to limit fuel and they were registered for an appropriate speed badge, 20 or 30 mph. In the early fifties this still applied.
This was great for young and foolish teenage cyclists,(I was one) and faced with a gale force wind riding fixed gear from Lancaster to Preston on the A6 it was a no brainer for me at the time to take advantage of a lift. At 76 I could have done with one of these in last nights ten mile time trial, but then again I would not have been able to avoid the pot holes.
Is it illegal? I don’t think
Is it illegal? I don’t think so… So I can’t really condemn it, even if it is daft. The first word that came to mind was ‘Darwin’… If he takes himself out that’s his problem.
Darwin Award waiting to
Darwin Award waiting to happen.
The “outraged” type comments
The “outraged” type comments kind of make me chuckle, I wonder how many of them / you enjoy the scene from “Breaking Away” when the main character is doing just this…
Like a fucking boss.
If it
Like a fucking boss.
If it had gone wrong he’d only have himself to blame. To clarify this for the wailing banshees of moronity getting their knickers twisted, this would not be the same as getting hit by a truck from behind or a truck turning left. Not even close to being the same. You’re not even comparing apples and oranges, you’re comparing apples and pan-galactic gargleblasters.
farrell wrote:You’re not even
Whats a pan-galactic gargleblaster ? they sound cool and can you get one fitted to your bike for numpty car drivers ????
stumps wrote:farrell
Its this: http://youtu.be/Boo9llCz4CM
stumps wrote:What’s a
There are young men out there who have never heard of a pan-galactic gargleblaster? Man, that makes me feel old.
arowland wrote:stumps
Sadly, they need not necessarily be that young either.
It obviously dangerous and
It obviously dangerous and irresponsible to do this drafting behind a lorry like this.
That’s why many of us won’t admit to doing this on many occasion sometimes at much much faster speeds. :*
Still think riding through red lights is much more dangerous X(
If you ride through red lights as a cyclist please stop doing it, it is dangerous and sets a very bad example.
Dumb Ways to Die Number 37.
Dumb Ways to Die Number 37.
actually doing this is no
actually doing this is no where near as dangerous as it looks
I love the hyperconcentration
I love the hyperconcentration bubble you need to be in to do this- you have to zone out everything except your distance from the back of the lorry and the sound of it’s engine and brakes.
The violent buffeting when you get out of the dead spot immediately behind the vehicle is more than a bit scary, though.
Buses are better than lorries- you can hear the engine better when it slows down and they obligingly stop at bus stops to let you get off. But they [b]really[/b] don’t like you to be there. Can’t say I blame them.
Sometimes I’ve found a driver who will have some fun himself by towing me- I’ve had Harley riders out for a spin who are chilled enough to oblige.
More concerned with the
More concerned with the Public safety matter that someone still thinks its acceptable to listen to Roxette.
I don’t see what’s wrong with
I don’t see what’s wrong with this, there are so many reasons that drafting something large and fast is preferable to sitting in the gutter doing 23mph, with cars whizzing past your elbow, that I can’t be bothered to list them.
Obviously the main disadvantage is that you can’t be holier-than-thou on a cycling forum, which I think for some people is more important than getting some miles in.
“what sort of example does
“what sort of example does this set for younger cyclist ‘s”
I used to draft the school bus regularly as a teen on my MTB, brilliant fun. Didn’t need any encouragement from seeing others do it in traffic, I knew about drafting from watching the TDF : )
Massive fun, one of my best
Massive fun, one of my best rides home from work involved drafting a tractor up and down hills for several miles on a country road – cheers tractor man!
As for this guy in the vid, ok maybe he is taking a risk but then throughout life everyone takes risks on a daily basis. How much of a risk is it? Not much from my view, appreciate he may be doing 40mph without much braking space but lorries aren’t exactly known for rapid stopping powers, so I can see no reason why he couldn’t stop in time if he needed to.
Good work that man!
regularly draft tractors and
regularly draft tractors and mopeds, not big not clever, but beats dealing with a headwind all the time!
Drafting a truck on the way
Drafting a truck on the way to work makes for a great ride in. Always fun to see the people riding on the left look up in surprise as you flash past.
This hardly ever happens since congestion in London is so bad, but on the rare occasions the road is free why not give it a try.
By the way you don’t have to be as close as that, 10-15m will still give you a decent draft and not as scary.
I drop off the back if they go over 30 mph, I don’t want to be smeared down the road if I hit a pothole.
drmatthewhardy wrote:I drop
This.
Potholes, ruts in the tarmac, exposed/sunken ironwork… they all ruin drafting. Even on roads where you know the pothole “layout” like the back of your hand, it can be difficult to judge exactly where you are in relation to the next one and you only get so many successful flicks/bunnyhops before you get caught. 🙁
A Pan Galactic GargleBlaster
A Pan Galactic GargleBlaster is a drink (from the book, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)
“Its effects are similar to having your brains smashed in by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick” (apparently)
“After two of those babies, the dullest, most by-the-book Vogon will be up on the bar in stilettos, yodeling mountain shanties and swearing he’s the king of the Gray Binding Fiefdoms of Saxaquine”
Wise advise is to, “never drink more than two Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters unless you are a thirty ton mega elephant with bronchial pneumonia”
God I love those books! They were a four part trilogy of books (apparently)
Or was a trilogy in four parts? I cannot remember….
And absolutely f. all to do with this story…..
This is not the first one of
This is not the first one of these videos I’ve seen: a Dutch cyclist drafting at 85kph! http://youtu.be/lnYp4srEooI
Another at 49mph: http://youtu.be/bTLrp0JgZt0
I regularly used to draft buses around London but they started putting the exhaust at the back rather than on the side so its really not pleasant to do any more.
Back in the 60s, a clubmate
Back in the 60s, a clubmate of mine got behind a truck on the A38 in Staffordshire. Bowling along happily at about 35mph, the lorry passed over a fallen kipper box without touching it. Roger did not!
idiotic irresponsible and
idiotic irresponsible and dangerous, reverse the situation and how many would be whining about being tailgated by the truck?
And I believe the government made tailgating illegal recently along with middle lane hoggers too so hes probably also breaking the law..
McDuff73 wrote:idiotic
Yeah, 90kg of cyclist bearing down on 10 tons of tipper truck is EXACTLY the same as 10 tons of tipper truck bearing down on 90kgs of cyclist.
Christ almighty.
farrell wrote:
Yeah, 90kg of
Yes because the laws of the roads only apply to certain vehicles dependent on their size and the damage they can cause….
good grief do all us cyclists a favour and stay off the roads if you dont know how to abide by the laws all of them.
McDuff73 wrote:Yes because
Erm, yes actually. Hence speed limits don’t apply to pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders amongst other things…
I’m really not sure why you are and the other posters are so dumb as to think that a ten ton tipper truck being deliberately driven behind a cyclist is the same as a cyclist drafting behind a truck. I’m genuinely baffled by it.
farrell wrote:
Erm, yes
they dont apply to pedestrians and skateboarders because they are not vehicles on the road… and despite the fact that speed limits do not apply to bicycles, you can be prosecuted simply for cycling too fast – under the charge of ‘cycling furiously’, so nothing whatsoever to do with damage they cause nor size etc…
The only dumb thing about this discussion is thinking that the laws of the road dont apply to cyclists in the same manner they do other vehicles, but its that sort of attitude that leads to drivers thinking cyclists are self centred and ignorant, so well done for fostering such thoughts in other road users and generally making me and any other cyclist a little less safe because of your crap attitude towards the laws.
McDuff73 wrote:idiotic
I have to agree
Not read every post on here, but a quick look through, seems that most think this is ok, admit to having done it at some point.
I can’t think of anyhting more idiotic TBH!
If that truck slams it brakes on for any reason, there is no way that rider could react quick enough. Or what if he was to suddenly swerve, or there was an object in the road that the lorry cleared..?
We get so many cyclist moaning about vehicles being too close to use when we’re out, we’re the first to moan about poor drivers, hundreds of us now run headcams to try cover ourselves should the worse happen.
Social media is full of drivers slagging off cyclists, moaning that we don’t obey the law, pay some mythical thing called ‘road tax’
If this was a lorry tailgating the cyclist you’d all be up in arms…so why is OK when the positions are reversed?
Just more fuel for the likes of Keith Peat & his anti-cycling clan to rant about
So
Dizzy wrote:…. Just more
If you seriously give any credence to Keith Peat and his alleged clan of followers, then you should know that you’re pretty much one of the only people who does.
The guy is an impotent bellend. Dint make him out to be any other than that.
zanf wrote:Dizzy wrote:….
I don’t give any credence to Keith Peat, the man is a complete cockwomble.
My point was that the likes of Keith Peat, and numerous other in the anti-cycling brigade, will use any tiny incident invloving a cyclist to fuel their arguements… and this video is exactly the sort of stuff they will make a meal out of
Dizzy wrote:zanf wrote:Dizzy
I don’t give any credence to Keith Peat, the man is a complete cockwomble.
My point was that the likes of Keith Peat, and numerous other in the anti-cycling brigade, will use any tiny incident invloving a cyclist to fuel their arguements… and this video is exactly the sort of stuff they will make a meal out of— Dizzy
If you think he is a cockwomble and will use any tiny incident to fuel their arguments, then you must grasp that he is a reactionary fuckwit that is going to do that no matter what, and the best thing you can do is stop giving him any kind of credibility.
He has nothing to contribute to any dialogue that ever has, or may occur, so stop worrying about what his shitty opinion will be about anything.
zanf wrote:Dizzy wrote:….
I don’t give any credence to Keith Peat, the man is a complete cockwomble.
My point was that the likes of Keith Peat, and numerous other in the anti-cycling brigade, will use any tiny incident invloving a cyclist to fuel their arguements… and this video is exactly the sort of stuff they will make a meal out of
McDuff73 wrote:idiotic
There is a vast difference to drafting a truck and being tailgated by one and comparing them is being overdramatic, to say the least.
zanf wrote:
There is a vast
Not in the eyes of the law and idiot drivers who would use such behaviour as an excuse to treat other cyclists badly as its an example of a cyclist breaking the law…
The laws apply to us as equally as they do motorised vehicle drivers.
McDuff73 wrote:zanf
Not in the eyes of the law and idiot drivers who would use such behaviour as an excuse to treat other cyclists badly as its an example of a cyclist breaking the law…
The laws apply to us as equally as they do motorised vehicle drivers.— zanf
Depends whether you are arguing about law or morality, really. You can keep emphasising the law, but it doesn’t change the previous posters point that there is a significant difference between the two cases from a moral point-of-view.
What occurs to me about this is that its unfortunate that the demographics of UK cycling mean two fundamentally unrelated issues get conflated in the public’s mind.
One being cycling as a means of transport, the other being the (seemingly timeless) association between young(ish) men and risky behaviour and doing things to prove their technical skill to themselves and others.
I don’t really have a strong opinion on the rights-and-wrongs of the latter (no clue even whether its social or genetic in origin), but its really a separate issue from transport policy.
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:
Not when the two come together as in the example of this idiot, not only is he putting himself at risk but those around him too of emotional harm, its not only a matter of the law but also morality that you are responsible not just for yourself but those around you. This idiot crashes and hits any of the vehicles around him, who suffers emotionally, because he wanted to participate in risky behaviour and prove his skills to others. There are places where you can go to participate in riskier behaviour that doesn’t put members of the public at risk as this one does, he is an example of a selfish, irresponsible cyclist and he does a disservice to all responsible law abiding cyclists.
When I was young a man
When I was young a man committed suicide under a lorry my father was driving, it was a simple size of lorry. I remember vividly how my father described the police hosing the road and putting the victims body parts into a bucket :&
Hope he was honest on Strava!
Hope he was honest on Strava! All done it, dangerous, yes, fun yes, life without any risk…boring! Also if he hits the truck, it is his fault! Better than being targeted by looney ‘I pay road tax’ (actually my new car is exempt, do I need to get it crushed now?) drivers!!
I think the rule ‘anyone can
I think the rule ‘anyone can do anything they want, as long as it does not adversely affect someone else’ applies.
What few have grasped here is the impact on the driver if it goes wrong.. and if nothing else it’s pretty rude if you haven’t got permission beforehand, it would stress out many a driver I imagine.
By condemning this behaviour I realise I’ll get branded as a ‘hysterical wailing moronic banshee with my knickers in a twist’ by some, (probably by the same people who themselves wail hysterically about the daily injustices visited upon them by dangerous motorists!)
But so be it – I’d rather be alive.
PS I have learned from experience how little time you have to react when a lorry you are drafting suddenly brakes – this is the main reason why I wouldn’t do it again after I almost went under. The new Michelin pro3’s I flat spotted probably saved me, TBH.
Mad bloody tipper drivers.
Mad bloody tipper drivers. Likely to brake hard for no reason. X(
Bloody irresponsible of some
Bloody irresponsible of some people!
Did he not know that using a mobile phone while driving is illegal. :W
Was on a club run back in the
Was on a club run back in the eighties and had just got my first Avocet computer. I got in behind an artic at the top of a long smooth dual carriageway descent; hit 67mph.
I was seventeen at the time. Foolish, irresponsible, dangerous, a twat! Yes.
One of the scariest, enjoyable, intense, visceral, memorable moments of my life; absolutely!
I doubt there are very few on here who haven’t ever done this.
Bloody idiot what on earth
Bloody idiot what on earth does he think he is doing having fun on a bike! To make matters worse his bike isn’t steel and there no brooks saddle!! He needs to understand that cycling is serious stuff!
Imagine thinking personal autonomy still exists in this day and age I mean the days of John Stuart Mill and all that liberty crap are well gone 😉
Mill states that it is
Mill states that it is acceptable to harm oneself as long the person doing so is not harming others. He also argues that individuals should be prevented from doing lasting, serious harm to themselves or their property by the harm principle. Because no one exists in isolation, harm done to oneself may also harm others, and destroying property deprives the community as well as oneself.Mill excuses those who are “incapable of self-government” from this principle, such as young children or those living in “backward states of society”.
Good for him! We used to be a
Good for him! We used to be a country of great adventurers, people pushing themselves to their limits, going above and beyond. Now we are a country whose favourite occupation is putting ourselves (usually others) down. Lets all mind our own business and get on with enjoying our own lives. Just because you couldn’t countenance drafting a moving vehicle doesn’t mean its wrong. Spending long hours on a computer getting high blood pressure worrying about everybody else’s business is probably more dangerous….. just saying. Oh, and if you ever see me doing anything you think I shouldn’t, please don’t worry about me ‘cos I certainly won’t be worrying about you!
Roads are not the right place
Roads are not the right place to behave in such a reckless and selfish manner, go to a racetrack or a velodrome or take part in an organised event if you want to ‘prove’ yourself, but putting others at risk for your own ends is immoral and illegal.