What’s your fastest recorded speed…

[Accy cyclist]

Collisions with vehicles while out driving certainly take the wind out of your sales, as after being hit by a 'boy racer' cutting across my path nine years ago, while I was doing 26mph I never went above 35mph again, always covering my brakes thinking it might happen again. I descended down the same hill where I reached 55mph, about a year after being hit, but I was so cautious and lacking confidence that I could only get to 35mph, braking frequently just in case.

 

[Accy cyclist]

It's quite a few years ago and recorded in one of my many cycling rides diaries. I can't remember the exact speed, recorded at the time on my bike's cycle computer, but I think it was either 54 or 56 mph, so we'll say it was 55mph. It didn't take much effort to reach that speed for just a few seconds as the hill/slope must have the gradient of a ski jump. I got up to about 35 mph then pedaled like billyo at the start of the descent, stopping when gravity took over. I glanced at my computer to see my speed then thought I was taking a risk as nearing the bottom of the hill, there are farm tracks either side where tractors tend to pull out without looking. I braked, dropping from 55mph to around 25mph in a few seconds and that was it.

Funnily enough I've driven down that hill many times since my 55mph top bike speed all those years ago. Even In my small car I still feel nervy and tend to break and cover my brakes, only reaching 30 or so mph on the 50 mph speed limit hill, especially when I get to the point where those farm tracks are, where tractors tend to just pull out without looking. The next time I drive down it I'm going to look at the sign just before the descent to see what the gradient of that hill is. 🤔

 

[Accy cyclist]

I suppose the question is what is/was your top cycling speed on a flat road without wind assistance or wind hindrance.🤔 With the wind behind me I've reached something like 25mph. On the same road on the way back with the wind in my face it was 7mph if I remember rightly.

 

[Punkawallah]

Fastest I’ve ever done downhill was ‘shoot,! I’ll lose grip on these bars in a minute!’

 

[sevenfourate]

Fastest I’ve ever done was ‘shoot,! I’ll lose grip on these bars in a minute!’

…..right ! It’s like will my equipment or nerve give up first 😳

 

[HLaB]

Collisions with vehicles while out driving certainly take the wind out of your sales, as after being hit by a 'boy racer' cutting across my path nine years ago, while I was doing 26mph I never went above 35mph again, always covering my brakes thinking it might happen again. I descended down the same hill where I reached 55mph, about a year after being hit, but I was so cautious and lacking confidence that I could only get to 35mph, braking frequently just in case.

I think it's a series of events that has resulted in me losing the nerve big time on descents, so much so it's actually dangerous 😕

One of those events was finding a 'rat runned' country lane barely the width of a car. Looking frantically for a gap in the high hedge to pull into. I was a little too fast on a descent into a bend, only for a SUV to appear coming the other way and I had to use their front bumper as a ultimate brake. Fortunately they had been more observant and were actually driving at a sensible speed and I never even put my wheel out of true.

 

[presta]

Collisions with vehicles while out driving certainly take the wind out of your sales, as after being hit by a 'boy racer' cutting across my path nine years ago, while I was doing 26mph I never went above 35mph again, always covering my brakes thinking it might happen again. I descended down the same hill where I reached 55mph, about a year after being hit, but I was so cautious and lacking confidence that I could only get to 35mph, braking frequently just in case.

I was doing 13mph on the level when I went over the bonnet of a car that pulled out in front of me.