THE RED BARON FLIES AGAIN!
We ind out what’s propelled speed addict Éric Barone into the record books – and what he’s got planned next
DUBBED ‘THE RED BARON’ because of the scarlet skinsuit he wears for his record attempts, Éric Barone is recognised by Guinness as having achieved the highest downhill speed on a bicycle. Going this fast takes more than just balls of steel – the 57-year-old has been riding mountain bikes for over two decades and is seriously talented on two wheels.
“I started mountain biking in 1994 and, after just eight official events, in 1995 I managed to become Masters French, European and world champion,
I HAD AFTER MY ACCIDENT “NINE YEARS OF WANTING MING FEELINGS OVERWHEL I GOT THE BALL AGAIN, SO TO DESCEND ON THE BIKE” GET ME BACK ROLLING TO
all in the same year,” says the Frenchman. “At the same time, I started trying to ride as fast as possible. I wanted to conquer the fear of speed, and what better way to do this than take to some of the steepest ski slopes around? In 2000 I managed to hit 222.22kmh on snow, setting a record that would hold for 15 years.”
But it’s not just on snow that Éric is able to ride flat out. “A few years later, after much practice and testing, I took the speed record to dirt on a Nicaraguan volcano,” he recounts. “I hit 172.61kmh. Shortly after the speed was registered, my bike broke in two and I crashed. After my crash my friends told me that I’d changed, but for the better. My rehabilitation process was long and painful, but I didn’t just want to get better, I wanted to return to how I was before.”
It wouldn’t be long before Éric would return to his record-breaking ways. “Nine years after my accident I was helping [Austrian rider] Markus Stöckl beat my gravel record,” he says. “On his last attempt, when we were heading up the volcano, I had overwhelming feelings of wanting to descend again, so I got the ball rolling to get me back on the bike, and in 2012 this became a reality.” Just three years later, in Vars, France, Éric hit 223.30kmh, breaking his own record on snow.
As he approaches his seventh decade, Éric has been working on several new projects. He’s been putting his efforts behind a series of downhill races on snow and aiming to get them recognised by French cycling’s governing body. The thrillseeker is also hoping to break his current speed record on snow this year. “I’ve been preparing my final attempt for the past couple of years,” he says. “I wanted to share the experience with my team and we’ve been working closely on my vision for my last record attempt.” We wish Eric all the best and hope that he smashes his record – and not himself!