Cycling 50km without a chain is likely to set a new world record

The first time you manage to completely circle a pump track without pedaling, it’s a real sense of achievement. After over 200 record laps? That’s a different feeling.

“It’s hard work,” says professional mountain biker Jason Connor. “When you ride about 70, 80 laps, something different happens to your body than what normally happens when you’re pedaling through the trails.”

On October 12th, Connor set out to break his own world record for the longest distance covered without pedaling on a pump track. Although the record has not yet been officially certified by Guinness, he broke his previous 25 km record, completing 50 km (over 31 miles) in just over two hours, completely without a chain.

“During the last 40 laps I felt kind of distant, but it was just faint and towards the end it was an interesting feeling.” Although he already had the record firmly in his hands at this point, Connor didn’t want to stop.

“My father always taught me that if you say you want to do something, you should do it,” he said. “I don’t like coming up short. The most important thing I wanted from this whole event was to get kids on bikes and show them that something is possible, that you can do whatever you want.”

Connor’s record attempt took place during a community event at the Capasso Pump Track in the community of Sage Creek in Winnipeg, Manitoba. According to real estate developer Qualico, the pump track designed by Velosolutions is the first in the province, which is home to nearly 1.5 million people. Nearly 2,000 community members attended the event in October, and many in the crowd stuck around to cheer Connor’s efforts.

He rode a Norco Rampage dirt jump bike equipped with Goodyear Wing Foot Park tires and RST suspension tuned for the attempt.

The main thing I wanted from this whole event was to get kids on bikes and show them that something is possible, that you can do whatever you want.

Jason Connor

Feeling pumped up on pump tracks

Connor began pump track riding in New Zealand in 2020 while recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in a downhill mountain bike accident at Crankworx. A “little boy,” as Connor puts it, sarcastically asked if he was trying to set a world record or something. He did so later that year.

Connor has relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba and tells me that mountain biking is just starting to take off in the Canadian province, where long, cold winters make regular off-road riding a challenge. He sees pump tracks as a way to advance the sport in a place where mountain biking hasn’t traditionally been popular, and in a way that makes adults feel like kids again.

“We opened the pump track and it was a huge success. Hundreds of children are there every day. And some really cool local kids have come out of hockey and soccer and have just discovered a sport that they never knew existed and they absolutely love it.” His latest world record attempt should bring attention to that in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba more facilities like this need to be built.

Connor says he believes pump tracks are an important development for the sport, almost on par with the improvements seen in cycling technology over the last 10 to 15 years. From a young age, children can use pump tracks to improve the skills they need for other forms of riding such as downhill, BMX and motorcross.

A pump track is “a great place to watch kids expand their skills,” he told me. “You learn a lot for racing, body positioning and maneuvering. It’s just a whole different kind of bike skill.”

Can the record be broken again?

Toward the end of both attempts, Connor says his feet began to go numb and his hands began to feel sore. The Capasso Pump Track in Manitoba, where Connor made his last attempt, is 230m long and features tight turns, which he says isn’t ideal for pumping over long distances. To keep moving forward, Connor says it’s important to focus on everything from nutrition and training to course design and proper footwear.

“This was largely done through determination,” he said. “There really wasn’t much else that went into it. There are a lot of kids here who really deserve it, and someone had to somehow get attention and create some kind of starting point to get the wheels rolling.”