Biking Up Stairs
On New Year's Day 2009, the 100th-floor observation deck of Shanghai World Financial Center was certified by the Guinness World Records as the "World's Highest Observation Deck" at an altitude of 477.96 meters. On March 17, Polish professional cycling challenge athlete Krystian Herba will attempt to bike up the World Financial Center to challenge the Guinness record.
The 32-year-old Krystan has previously won multiple medals in Polish championships and is a regular participant in numerous cycling challenges around the world. His goal is to conquer skyscrapers around the globe by biking up their staircases. During the challenge, he cannot use his hands or feet to support himself against the ground or walls to maintain balance.
So far, he has conquered seven skyscrapers, most recently successfully ascending the Rose Rayhaan by Rotana in Dubai, completing the challenge of 2,040 steps across 91 floors in 73 minutes and 41 seconds.
This time in Shanghai, Krystian will take on 100 floors and 2,754 steps. The Morning Post learned that Krystian arrived in Shanghai a week early to survey the site and conduct warm-up training. His team members have clear roles: some will film the entire challenge, while others will provide water, monitor his pulse, and manage the timing.
It is reported that Krystian’s new “battle bike” this time is 700 grams lighter than the one used for the Dubai challenge. It was revealed that he started training as early as September last year, including fitness training, biking up high-rise buildings in his hometown of Rzeszów, and Poland’s tallest hotel—the InterContinental Hotel in Warsaw.