The World’s Fastest Downhill Mountain Bike Ride in the Atacama desert
Austrian downhill rider Max Stöckl broke the world speed record for stock mountain bikes on gravel, in the Atacama desert of Chile, reaching an incredible top speed of over 167 km/h (104 miles per hour).
To quench his thirst for speed, the 42-year-old downhill rider chose a mountain slope in the desert that had a summit of 3,972m altitude (Cerro 'El Flaco'), a 45-degree slope at the start area and a run-off that was 1200m from top to bottom.
“It was so exhausting, even though the ride only lasted for 20 seconds. I just can’t express the feeling in words. Even if you know it is only going to be 10 or 15 kph quicker than the last training run – standing up on the summit of the mountain, looking down and feeling the adrenaline was a very moving moment!” – Markus Stöckl.