The 167 MPH Bicycle Ride That Defied Physics for 23 Years

On October 3, 1995, a 50-year-old Dutch cyclist named Fred Rompelberg climbed onto a specially designed bicycle on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats and did something that sounds physically impossible: he pedaled to 167.04 miles per hour. To put that in perspective, that's faster than most cars on the highway, twice the speed limit anywhere in America, and roughly the speed at which your face would freeze into a permanent expression of terror.

But here's the catch—he didn't do it alone.

The Slipstream Secret

Rompelberg's record-breaking ride used a technique called motor pacing, where a cyclist rides in the slipstream of a vehicle to dramatically reduce wind resistance. In this case, that vehicle was a custom dragster with a massive shield on the back, creating a pocket of calm air for Rompelberg to pedal through. Wind resistance is the main enemy at high speeds—it increases exponentially as you go faster. By drafting behind the dragster, Rompelberg essentially eliminated this obstacle.

The setup was incredibly dangerous. One wobble, one moment of lost concentration, and Rompelberg would have veered out of the slipstream and been hit with a wall of air moving at 167 mph. The result would have been catastrophic.

Breaking a Ten-Year Record

Rompelberg's achievement shattered the previous record of 152 mph, set by American cyclist John Howard in 1985—also at Bonneville. Howard had used the same motor-pacing technique, and his record had stood for a decade. The Dutch cyclist's feat was the culmination of years of attempts and near-misses.

What makes this even more remarkable? Rompelberg was 50 years old when he set the record. Not exactly the age when most athletes are breaking world records.

The Record That Finally Fell

For 23 years, Rompelberg's 167 mph stood as the fastest speed ever achieved on a bicycle. Then, in 2018, American cyclist Denise Mueller-Korenek broke the record, reaching an astonishing 183.9 mph on the same salt flats. She was 45 at the time—proving that middle-aged cyclists apparently have some kind of supernatural advantage when it comes to insane speed records.

Mueller-Korenek's record currently stands, but the achievement belongs to a very select club. Only a handful of humans have ever pedaled a bicycle faster than 150 mph, and each attempt requires custom equipment, perfect conditions, and a degree of courage that most of us can't even imagine.

Why Bonneville?

There's a reason both records happened at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The location offers:

• Perfectly flat terrain stretching for miles
• Hard, smooth salt surface ideal for high-speed runs
• High altitude (4,200 feet) with thinner air creating slightly less resistance
• Decades of history hosting land speed records of all kinds

The salt flats have been the proving ground for speed demons since the early 1900s. If you want to find out how fast something can go, you go to Bonneville.

Rompelberg's 167 mph bicycle ride remains one of the most audacious athletic achievements ever recorded. It took a half-century of life experience, years of training, custom engineering, and nerves of absolute steel. And for nearly a quarter century, nobody on Earth could match it.