33 year old Austrian Markus Stoeckl has smashed the World Speed Record for series mountain bikes. Stoeckl, nicknamed "Hercules" because of his 6’4", 220 lbs. frame, broke the 8 year old record by 14 mph on the 2000 meter, 45 degree La Parva run in what are known as the Chilean Alps. Because of the extreme cold, Hercules had to hold his breath for the 40 second duration so his helmet didn’t fog up.

Crazy, indeed, but we wonder how on Earth he stopped. Those disc brakes were surely useless. See the video below, wherein Stoeckl makes it all look effortless.

Markus Stoeckl breaks record for series mountain bikes by 23 km/h [Intense Cycles via Bicivilizate]