Originally Posted by
SethAZ
You'd go 75? I think I broke 50 one time on an insane descent and it scared the living bejeezus out of me. The thought of how far I'd ricochet off the road surface before finally coming to rest was terrifying.
I dunno how impressed I am with efforts like this one. It's more an answer to a question nobody really asked than it is a physical or athletic achievement. Whoever said above that it was more mechanical engineering than athletics hit the nail on the head. Of course, even with athletic achievements nobody doubts such as the hour record, engineering still plays a massive role.
Someone may as well build a 5-mile long vacuum tunnel and see how fast someone in a space suit can ride a bike where wind resistance is just completely eliminated. That's more or less what they're doing, only it's extreme drafting behind a dragster in this case.
To tell the truth, I'm not sure I'd ever want to go more than 45. Breaking speed records involving motors is always a bit of a nutty and expensive enterprise. I think the feat does require that she be an athlete, but since basically almost no one would do this, there's no way to know how good she is compared to other riders.
It's basically a very expensive, extremely dangerous stunt. Whether it was worth doing is in the eye of the beholder.