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 1995.[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 1995 he achieved 334.6 km/h breaking the record by 88 km/h[3] on a rolling road in the Malcolm Campbell building[4] at Brooklands Museum 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.[7]

Uri Geller helped him train his mind during record bids.[7]

Bursford died in a collision with a truck while training on the A47 at Easton near Dereham, Norfolk.[7]

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See also
  • Fastest speed on a bicycle

References
  1. Chou, Aileen (2001). Elert, Glenn (ed.). "Speed of the fastest human, cycling". The Physics Factbook. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  2. http://www.bikebrothers.co.uk/
  3. Clark, Liz. The Ultimate Bicycle. Britannia, 1996
  4. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/pounds-1m-bike-breaks-record-by-going-nowhere-1597625.html
  5. http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/archives/august95/30_8.html
  6. Photo of Bruce and his bicycle
  7. BBC news http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/638297.stm Record-breaking cyclist killed


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