Eric Barone, who broke the world speed record for mountain biking in Nov 4, 2001, tried to break it again by riding down Cerro Negro volcano in Nicaragua.

Seconds into his descent, Barone’s bicycle snapped in two, hurtling the cyclist down the volcano.

“It looked as if there was a rock or something in the path that made the bicycle break in two,” said one of Barone’s assistants.

His first run was on a standard Mountain Bike and he smashed the previous world record (set by himself a couple of years earlier) by recording a speed of 101mph. His second run, on a specially modified bike ended in this spectacular crash. He broke several ribs and his sternum but was lucky to be alive.

He had crossed the speed sensor when the crash happened whcih recorded his speed at 107mph.