José Meiffret pedaled a bike 80+ MPH at the velodrome and crashed. The newspapers said he had died. He later pedaled a bike 127MPH. After that he became a Trappist monk.
"In case of fatal accident, I beg of the spectators not to feel sorry for me. I am a poor man, an orphan since the age of eleven, and I have suffered much. Death holds no terror for me. This record attempt is my way of expressing myself. If the doctors can do no more for me, please bury me by the side of the road where I have fallen."
Date with Death
Motorpaced or not, he was pretty awesome IMO.