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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →In a 2014 interview with New Atlas, French rider François Gissy said he reached 333 km/h (207 mph) on a rocket-powered bicycle at Circuit Paul Ricard in southern France, hitting that speed in 4.8 seconds. The report presents the figures from the run and Gissy’s account; it does not describe independent timing or verification by a record-sanctioning body.
How was the rocket bicycle set up?
Gissy described a bicycle propelled by a rocket thruster, with three small thrusters clustered together. He said an earlier setup used two. The interview identifies highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide as the fuel and attributes 4.5 kN of thrust to the system. Those are technical figures reported from Gissy’s account, not independently measured specifications.
New Atlas also reports Gissy’s comparison that the thrust’s power at 333 km/h was 416 kW. That figure is likewise attributed to the interview, rather than a separately documented measurement.
The machine’s exposed, minimal appearance was part of the contrast: the report says it had no aerodynamic fairings, rear suspension, or disc brakes. It was a bicycle carrying rocket thrusters, not a conventional bicycle with a small motor added.
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What did 333 km/h feel like on an exposed bicycle?
Gissy called the acceleration frightening while it was happening and exhilarating once he had stopped. In the interview, he put it this way: “In the moment it is scary, but as soon you stop, you also realize how amazing that was!”
Asked about wind at more than 300 km/h, he compared its force to the damage powerful storms can cause. That is his personal recollection of the run, not a general safety assessment or a recommendation for riding at such speeds.
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Why choose a bicycle instead of a motorcycle?
Gissy said he preferred the challenge of making the run on a bicycle, despite the possibility of using a motorcycle. He also mentioned that the team had a powerful motorcycle project waiting in the wings. The interview does not establish that the motorcycle was built or provide a performance comparison, so the meaningful contrast is the one Gissy emphasized: the challenge of the bicycle’s spare, exposed form.
Was 333 km/h a verified world record?
New Atlas described the 333 km/h run as Gissy’s new personal record, following a reported 285 km/h (177 mph) run the previous November. The interview names no independent timing protocol or record-sanctioning organization. It is therefore accurate to describe 333 km/h as the speed reported for the run and as Gissy’s personal record in that account—not to claim that an independent authority verified it as a world record.
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What was the “Spine Crusher” project?
In 2014, Gissy said the team wanted serious sponsors for a more powerful bicycle they called “Spine Crusher.” The stated ambition was to exceed 400 km/h (249 mph) in less than two seconds, conditional on sponsorship and approval to start construction. That was a proposed target, not a result: the interview does not establish that the bicycle was built, attempted, or reached its goal.
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The same interview says Hublot had sponsored the earlier 285 km/h run, but Gissy said the sponsorship had not continued as expected. This is historical context from the 2014 report, not evidence of a current partnership.
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