If you’re after a little midweek pick me up then might I draw your attention to cycling YouTuber Safa Brian, who just posted a beautifully shot video of himself going 105kmh on a bike. No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, he went 105 km/h on a road bike with nothing but a helmet and some lycra shorts to keep him safe.
If you aren’t familiar with Brian’s channel, you are in for a treat! Real name Brian “Safa” Wagner, the filmmaker and cyclist has built a name for himself as one of the fastest downhill cyclists outside the professional circuit. On his channel, you’ll see him tackling downhill road sections, gnarly gravel trails and some peaceful looking cross-country rides, all captured in stunning detail for you to enjoy at home.
For his latest upload, Wagner heads to California to take on the road down from Whitney Portal, a point in between Sequoia National Park and Death Valley near the state’s border.
Riding his lovely Scott Addict RC Pro road bike, Wagner describes the descent as being “a little bit more technical up top,” before becoming “pretty flat down below.” Sounds like a lovely 6 a.m. ride to me.
When he starts cycling, he quickly surpasses 64 km/h and freewheels below the 80 km/h mark. The brakes are given a slight tap to take a bit of speed out going into a sharp hairpin but, on the whole, he is flying.
He continues down and breezes above 80 km/h after less than a minute on the bike, making himself as streamlined as possible to cut down any potential wind resistance. All the while, his long brown hair blows majestically behind – it’s quite the sight.
The valley opens up and the speed stays high as the video progresses. Two minutes in and Wagner is already at 93 km/h. Above the speed limit for any car in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Quick bursts of power keep Wagner’s speed high as he negotiates a tight section of corners on the mountain pass. The onscreen data shows his power output and the revolutions per minute at which his pedals are spinning, as well as his speed. Still well above 64 km/h.
As he hits the flat, the legs start working and the speed starts rising. He’s at 55, then 56, then 57. Slowly creeping up and up. After five minutes on the bike, he’s topped 97 km/h and broken the speed limit in Hawaii.
He flies past a minivan at 101 km/h and edges onto that magic 105 km/h.
Wagner completes the 19 km ride from top to bottom in just 15 minutes and 57 seconds, which gives him an average speed of around 74 km/h. Or described in a word: fast.
It’s an incredible film to watch, so if you have a spare 15 minutes in your afternoon I implore you to check it out. Let the sights, sound and spectacle of the whole ordeal wash over you and take away any stresses you might have.