24Snapshots
nature
Like the wind
VARS, FRANCEYes, that is someone cycling.
Down the side of a mountain.
This is Eric Barone, also
known as Le Baron Rouge,
setting a new world speed
record for mountain biking on
18 March 2017. He reached
a speed of 227.7km/h
(141.5mph) while bombing
it down the snow track
at Vars ski resort in France.
“The only thing propelling
the bike was gravity,” explains
Marc Amerigo, lead engineer
of the project, “so Eric’s bike,
helmet and latex suit were all
designed to minimise air
resistance. We made a 3D
scan of the bike with Eric
sitting on it, and then added
external ‘fairings’ to the frame
to get an optimal airflow.
He also has pieces of foam
under his suit to make him as
aerodynamic as possible.”
Eric Barone has a taste for
speed. As well as working
as a stunt double for actors
like Sylvester Stallone and
Jean-Claude Van Damme,
the 56-year-old Frenchman
also holds the world record
speed for bicycle on gravel –
an equally impressive
172km/h (107mph).