One Woman’s Quest to Become the Fastest Bicyclist on Earth

Denise Mueller-Korenek lives life fast. Drafting behind a motor vehicle zipping across Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats well in excess of 150 miles per hour on a bicycle… Racing is not for the faint of heart. She is out to beat the paced bicycle land speed record set by Fred Rompelberg in 1995—an astonishing 167 miles per hour. Mueller-Korenek’s coach, cycling legend John Howard, is confident in her abilities. He has known Mueller-Korenek since she was a teenage bicycle racing prodigy, destined for the Olympics. Then, one day, she walked away from her bike, taking a break from racing for more than two decades to work and raise a family. Now, does she have what it takes to get back in the saddle and become the fastest bicyclist on Earth? We followed the athlete through her last month of training for the feat, all the way to Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats to witness her historic attempt.