For me, 51MPH. Not sure I want to do that again!

55 mph several times down Hogpen Gap near Helen GA.

I've hit 52-53 a couple of times on a descent in the Loveland Lake to Lake triathlon.

I've hit 50 in several races. On normal training days I often will get to 45-46 but rarely faster. Not worth the risk when it doesn't count.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

61 mph coming down Sugarloaf Road here in Boulder, CO. It’s a steady 10% grade and nearly perfectly straight for a mile. Plus, there’s often a strong tailwind coming from the mountains.

The scariest part was that I looked up some of the top descent times on that road after my ride, and Taylor Phinney hit something like 74 mph.

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Alex Arman

Strava

While I hit 62 mph a few times on training rides back in the late 80's early 90's, I am not sure that was accurate. So, I will add a deviation of +-2 mph. But what's 2 mph among friends when you are going that fast?

And, before any of you question my speed and ask "How the hell did you go that fast?", my answer is simple: 1. At 63" and 118lbs I was more aerodynamic than all y'all and 2. I made sure I had full water bottles on board! That is my final answer and I am sticking to it. As to whether or not I was scared? Helllll yes!

[Insert green sick face emogee here]

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

55 and don't want to do it again; gust of wind hit me and moved me over a couple feet

What is the max speed you have ever hit a cat at on a descent? 52 mph according to black box (Garmin) data recovered by investigators from the accident scene.

Paging Murphy's Law. He's been consistently the fasted down the front drop at American Zoffingan.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

55mph on the big downhill at IM Lake Placid. The scariest part were the people riding their brakes and in the middle of the lane.

My max speed was on this downhill too, during the LP70.3. I didn't hit my brakes, but once I hit 47mph I chickened out of aero and grabbed the base bars!

I found the aerobars to be more stable.

67.3mph, several years ago on CR219 outside of Clear Lake Riviera. That's a fairly straight 10% grade just under a mile long. I routinely break 50mph, and this felt a hell of a lot faster...

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"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

Mid 50s quite a few times. Never hit 60 and not sure I want to.

I hit 60 on a long smooth decent during a race in NC several years ago. The most terrifying decent though was during a gravel race in PA.... high 40s on shaky dirt roads was scary as hell.

How did you do that?! Smooth gravel? Or just very steep? The trails we have here it's not possible to hit 30 on a descent. Too much rolling resistance.

89.9kph coming down the Azami Line road on the descent from the 5th station on the side of Mount Fuji in Japan. It was insane in a fun way passing buses filled with tourists!!!! I think it would be easy to hit 100kph on this descent on your second time when you know the road and know when you can open it up and then slow down to a safe speed. There is a section of straightish road on smooth tarmac with no complicated turns or negative cambers around a sweeping blind corner than you could easily and safely carry 80kph into with no worries.

I’ve hit 85 (kph. It’s 2020 people, come on) numerous times at my Tremblant and can’t bring myself to go faster than that. Tri bike if it matters.

Even some descents in France that are long straight and sometimes steep I’d hit the brakes well before 90 kph. I just don’t have it in me to go faster. Incidentally, I go faster on twisty descents because I feel like I have more control if I’m turning.

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Dan Mayberry
Amateur a lot of things, professional a few things.

in the late 90s I hit 52 mph on a $200 'carbon steel' pos KHS that was never meant to be ridden how I was riding it. Bike shop was amazed at how much riding and racing I got out of it.

I got close to that at Lake Placid in 2005. I got a tremendous death wobble I did not think I was going to get out of. That was the last time I topped 50. I think about dental insurance when I am speeding down a hill now.

My favorite descent now is south side of Unicoi in north Georgia, outside of Helen. It was not too steep and has nice sweeping turns. I can fly and lean into the curves without topping 50. It does require peddling to keep the speed up.

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"Remember: a bicycle is an elegant and efficient tool designed for seeking out and defeating people who aren't as good as you."

--BikeSnobNYC

88 kph down the back of Yellow Lake in 2010. It was pouring rain, and freezing! Terrifying, but at the same time I felt somehow fearless and strangely invincible...

When I finished the race, I was talking to someone about it and my wife heard 88... she said "you mean 38, right?" with a look that told me I was best to never tell her... to this day, I hit 38kph down that hill...

I did the same thing in 2010 going down after Yellow Lake. I don't know what my speed was, but it was so effin' cold and wet that I just wanted to get down to the highway as soon as I could. Hail on Richter, and I think it was 9C at the top of the hill.

I hit 53mph on a descent on my road bike once. Was trying for a top speed record.
It was scary fast. Now I'm happy with mid/low 40's mph as fast enough.

72kp/h for me. I normally ride on a relatively flat course, and on it there are 2 descents about 300m long that have my 11/25 gears spinning out. Even on some proper descents I didn't push it past 70 because I didn't know the road well enough nor did I want to test the limit of my clinchers.

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The more people I encounter the more I love my cats.

I hit a marmot a couple years ago on Beartooth Pass at 49mph. Cut the poor thing in half and zero damage to the bike. I have gone faster a bunch but that was a heavy reminder on how bad it could be at that speed. I was helpless and there was nothing I could do. Good news is I believe I still hold the KOM on the full descent.....ha.

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24 Hour World TT Champs-American record holder
Fat Bike Worlds - Race Director
Insta: chris.s.apex