Wind resistance is a necessary evil. We can’t really get rid of the air, but we can lessen its effect on things. That’s what 32-year-old Dutch speed skater and Olympic champion Kjeld Nuis did, using a Dakar Rally truck to pull a wind catcher behind it so he could set a new speed skating record. He hit 62 miles per hour (103 kilometers per hour) on Norway’s Savalen Lake.
Piloting the Dakar Rally truck was 19-year-old Seth Quintero, who “couldn’t imagine anyone achieving that kind of speed with their own legs.” He found accelerating in the correct way was one of the biggest challenges to the whole event, adding that he’s “never felt so much tension at such a low speed.”
