12 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s how long it took trials pro Aurelien Fontenoy to climb 686 steps by bike. I’m assuming that’s faster than most people would take by foot. The effort landed him a new world record, beating the time previously set by Hugues Richard in 2002 of 19 minutes and 4 seconds.
*The feat took place at the legendary Eiffel Tower, but doesn’t the tower have more than 686 steps? Yes, climbing 686 steps will just get you to the second floor, where most visitors will take an elevator to the top. According to the official website of the Eiffel Tower, there are 674 steps that most visitors can climb (327 to the first floor, then 347 to the second), at that point, you’ll have to take the Duolift elevators to the top.
In total, there are actually 1,665 stairs to the top, which are not open to most tourists. The tower does hold a “vertical Race” regularly, which has seen Poland’s Piotr Lobodzinski make it the full distance to the top in under 8 minutes, and the women’s record held by Australian Suzy Walsham, who made it in under 10 minutes – both by foot.
So it seems climbing the stairs by foot is still the faster way to go, but it’s not all that surprising for anyone who has ever hopped up steps on a trials bike. Just having the stamina to do that 686 times in a row is absolutely impressive!
