Bruce Bursford

Bruce Bursford (29 April 1958 - 9 February 2000) was a British sportsman who broke the record for the fastest speed on a bicycle on a treadmill at 334.6 km/h in 1996.^[1] He designed the bicycles Ultimate and Millennium.^[2]

History

Bruce Bursford was a schoolboy cycling champion and claimed nine speed records.

The idea for a bicycle to be made using the advanced materials and techniques usually found in aerospace and Formula 1 came from Bursford himself. In 1996 he achieved 334.6 km/h breaking the record by 88 km/h^[3] on a rolling road in the Malcolm Campbell building^[4] in Surrey, England. To achieve the speed, conditions were simulated whereby Burford was "towed" until he reached 100 mph (160 km/h). The towline was then "released", and he was left to pedal.

Bursford's speed was attained during a half-minute interval with him reaching 60 mph (97 km/h) in two seconds at the start of the attempt.^[5] This feat was achieved on his specially built bike called the Millennium Cycle. The record-breaking machine used silica tyres filled with helium and ceramic bearings designed to revolve with minimum friction.^[6]

Bursford's 'Ultimate' bike won him a Millennium Product Award.

Uri Geller helped him train his mind during record bids.

Bursford died in a collision with a van while training.^[7]

See also

• Fastest speed on a bicycle

References