‘Finally, I did it!’: TikTok star Aurélien Fontenoy cycles up Eiffel Tower’s 686 steps in extraordinary world record time

By Jamie Barton, CNN

(CNN) — There are not many world records in sports which last for more than 23 years.

Then again, there are not many records you look at and think “Where did someone even get the idea to do that?”

On Friday, one of those bizarre records fell when cyclist and social media star Aurélien Fontenoy rode his bicycle to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, the highest platform that can be accessed by stairs.

He did so in 12 minutes and 30 seconds, smashing the previous record set by Hugues Richard in 2002 by nearly seven minutes.

The thing about cycling up 686 steps, though, is that you can’t exactly do much pedaling.

“For this challenge, I brake my brake, and I just to have to compress my tire because I don’t have suspension or anything, it’s just a rigid bike,” Fontenoy says in an interview with CNN Sports. “So we just have to pump with the brake and jump, jump, jump a lot!”

Vicious cycle

It has taken much preparation, beginning with countless hours training in the gym or with a jump rope, to get to this point.

And this is not Fontenoy’s first challenge – he has also conquered other buildings around Paris, as well as the TV Tower in Tallinn, Estonia.

But, for the Frenchman, the perils of organizing a world record attempt centered around one of Europe’s most famous landmarks have been equally taxing.

“It’s a challenge that I organized maybe three or four years ago,” he explains. “I started four years ago at the Tour Trinity and I was supposed to go to the Eiffel Tower after. But Covid-19, then the Olympic Games, then building (work) and (re)painting (the tower). So it was a lot of work to organize it!”

The fact that the attempt was so long in the making also heaped the pressure on Fontenoy.

“We had only one chance. The last record was in 2002 and we needed 20 years to make a new challenge here because it’s a lot of work to organize it. So I said I didn’t want to miss it. So yeah, it’s a small stress. Also, when you say to your friend ‘I will try and beat the record,’ and you say it also to your sponsor, everybody is waiting for something from you,” he says.

“When I arrived (at the finish line) I was destroyed because it’s 12 minutes, but 100% (effort) during 12 minutes,” he adds. “I was super happy because, I showed nothing, but, it was a small stress for me to beat this record.”

For Fontenoy, who retired from competitive mountain bike racing five years ago, these eye-catching world record attempts are about continuing to challenge himself and promote the sport he loves.

But there is also a far more practical reason for doing something as crazy as bunny hopping up the Eiffel Tower.

“When you are in the small sports like bike trials, it’s very hard to live with only competitions,” explains the 35-year-old. “So we have to find solutions to make money or to find sponsors.”

It’s a tactic which has paid off – Fontenoy has over one million followers on both TikTok and YouTube, where he posts challenge videos, tutorials and bike reviews.

“So my idea was to make more content creation and (appeal to) a larger public. And it was also a good idea to show what the sport is and do something crazy we haven’t done in the sport,” he says.

“It was a big project for me to say, ‘Okay, we can mix challenge and also social media content.’”

The Frenchman is not done yet, either.

“My plan is to climb the biggest towers,” he smiles. “So I’m already in contact with other towers in the world.

“The final point will be to climb the Burj Khalia, the highest tower in the world.”

The-CNN-Wire
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