I hit 42.1 on a relatively small hill at Oak Mtn. State Park(Bham,Al.). Was pedalling like hell.

I like the fact that you know it is stupid, but still do it. I draft trucks and busses all the time.

That's not stupid. I'm 40 and I still do it. Or maybe I'm stupid too. Whatever the case, the kids get a kick out of it rooting you on through the rear window and you get a good workout. Gino

When you guys are drafting trucks & school buses, how do you keep an eye on the road? What if there is a hugh pothole or an open manhole cover?

Pretty scary.

We do it on roads that we know there is a road on my way to school that is 2 lanes each way with a turning strip in the middle. Busy as hell. It has the smooth seal (the smoothest you can get) for about 2 or 3 km, and there are no obstructions. I know it well. I draft trucks and buses at over 50kmh uphill along there! I once moved off from the lights behind a bus though, but flagged drafting it as soon as the water started running off the back of the thing! This is on the MTB too, not the roadie!

Brendon

Also, you dont watch the road, you make sure you get a bus/truck with working stoplights and watch those for all your life is worth! Or if I get a SUV or Van I look straight through from rear to front and watch the road

Brendon

Yea I know the road well, but if something happens, well s**t happens I guess.

As for the kids in the school bus, the ones in the back are usually people that I know, and they think it's greaaaaat fun watching me busting my ass to have a bit of fun they also gimme respect cos there is no chance they wuld beat me on a bike. I am officially the fastest kid in my school!!!!

All it takes (aside from the stupid left turn that started the "Man Down!" thread) is a tap on the brakes, a slight tug of the steering wheel, a patch of oil or someone in front to forget trucks need longer distances for signals and you're wrapped against the bumper.

You're only going to hurt yourself so if you want to go for it, by all means. It's just not worth the risk for me. I sure don't understand anyone who does it while, at the same time, endorses safe riding techniques.

(I'd avoid head injuries by riding bare headed and by staying away from this practice than wearing a helmet and doing it!)

I'd be worried about breathing in all the crap pumping directly from their exhaust.

I'd be worried about that exhaust pipe being shoved down my throat after the truck hits the brakes!

Well, I have never actually had a major crash like that. However, the fastest that I was rolling that I ALMOST had a crash was 89km/h. This also happens to be my fastest speed ever. I had a 30km tail wind and I was going down a 24% hill. I was more scared of frying the bearings in my hubs at 90km/h. Luckily, I had just greased them 24hours prior to the ride. BIking back up the hill was a b****.

On a level surface with the wind at my back using a commuter bike, I managed about 45 km per hour.

How do you guys work out the gradients?

Brendon

A lot of the gradients around here are signed.

well lucky you!

Brendon

Years ago, in a race across Baja, California, I remember several tandems drafting behind delivery trucks which had both back doors tied wide open to create a vacuum. The tandems seemed to be riding within a foot or two of trucks' back bumper. I don't know how fast they were going, but I know they were really hauling on flat land. Seemed like maybe 45-50 mph when they passed me like I was standing still.

I managed to pull off 37 mph on my MTB on a surprisingly puny hill south of here. The wind conditions were just right and there weren't any cars so I just went for it. My biggest fear was foot slip since I don't use clips or cages but everything worked out ok.
Once I did 32 on a flat stretch during a winter weather advisory...the snow had not made it here yet but the winds out ahead of that system were INCREDIBLE. Now when the weather gets really windy I start thinking which direction to head off in so that I can challenge my record.

Oh and I know this doesn't count, but the last cyclometer I had got moisture in it (get what you pay for) and everytime you got up past 20mph or so it would suddenly go berzerk and start flashing 99s and 100s and stuff. Either that or I inadvertently rode thru a wrinkle in time.

73mph sprinting dh with a 64 ring up front.

A little over 135 mph. But I was driving my car - ha

Is that it?
<<<<not before driving

A few years ago I finally broke the 60 mph barrier by hitting 62 while coming down from Berthoud Pass in Colorado. Then shortly after that, peaked at 63 mph while in a full out sprint accelerating down Crawford Notch in New Hampshire.

All I know is it scares the bejeezus out of ya...seems like you must be doing about 80! Fun though!

Max

i find it funny that this thread has totally divereged from the original isssue - what to do when crashing at high speed - to another old pissing contest. i'm guessing most people are posting by looking only at the thread title

My top speed was 52 mph coming down a very steep hill, would have been faster but caught up with a car. As far as crashing at high speed hasn't happened "yet". I hope it never does too!

BMW maniac, you should ride up the kaimai's from Tauranga. Then turn round and come down.

The second 'step' (sorry can't remember the name of any features - had two bridges at the bottom about 600 metres apart) of the twenty km climb touches 1 in 10 in places and is as smooth as a billiard table - and did I mention loooooooong. I clocked 114kmph - had the cateye memory to prove it.

65 mph. It was during RAGBRAI in 1998. Going down pilot Mound hill near Boone, Iowa.

I managed to get into a pace that ended up being about 30 bikes long by the time we got to Pilot Mound hill. It was lead by 2 tandems. But for some reason no one switched off the lead. so we just all kept on truckin. We got so long that we had to split into a double paceline of 15 bikes each.

About a mile before the hill we were discussing what to do when we got there. It was decided that we should hold it together for as long as we could.

So down the hill we all go. This hill had no hills before or after it. So it was all flat until we reached it.

We held together all the way down. I looked down at my computer and saw that I was doing 65 mph! And I was feathering the brakes. So imagine how fast the riders ahead of me were doing.

We split up on the up hill part though. I passed the 2 tandems halfway up the other side. And all you heard was the crunching and clanking of gears as everyone had to gear down.

Talk about a fun euphoric high!