Biking 50km without a chain likely sets a new world record

Jason Connor attempts to break the world record for longest distance ridden on a pump track without pedaling or stopping. — Photos: Seth Franklin @seth_franklin

The first time you make it all the way around a pump track without pedaling, there’s a real sense of accomplishment. After 200+ record-breaking laps? That’s a different feeling.

“It’s hard work,” professional mountain biker Jason Connor says. “You get to around 70, 80 laps and something different happens to your body than what normally happens when you’re out pedaling through the trails.”

On October 12, Connor set out to beat his own world record for the longest distance traveled without pedaling on a pump track. While the record hasn’t been officially certified by Guinness yet, he smashed his previous 25km record and rode 50km (over 31mi) in just over two hours, completely chainless.

“The last 40 laps, I was feeling kind of dissociated, but it was just faint, and it was an interesting feeling toward the end there.” Though he had the record well in hand at that point, Connor wasn’t going to stop.

“My dad always taught me if you say you’re going to do something, do it,” he said. “I don’t like to fall short. The biggest thing I wanted from this whole event was to get kids out on bikes and show them that something is possible, you can do whatever you want to do.”

Jason Connor performs a jump on a dirt jump bike, capturing mid-air action against a backdrop of a blue sky with scattered clouds. A cellular tower is visible on the right side of the image.

Connor’s record attempt took place during a community event at the Capasso Pump Track in the Sage Creek community in Winnipeg, Manitoba. According to real estate developer Qualico, the Velosolutions-designed pump track is the first in the province, which is home to almost 1.5 million people. Almost 2,000 community members attended the October event, with many in the crowd sticking around to cheer Connor’s effort.

He rode a Norco Rampage dirt jump bike outfitted with Goodyear Wing foot Park tires and RST suspension tuned for the attempt.

The biggest thing I wanted from this whole event was to get kids out on bikes and show them that something is possible, you can do whatever you want to do.

Jason Connor

Feeling pumped on pump tracks

Connor got into riding pump tracks back in New Zealand in 2020 while rehabbing from a shoulder injury suffered in a downhill mountain biking crash at Crankworx. A “young kid,” as Connor puts it, sarcastically asked if he was trying to set a world record or something. So he did, later that year.

A transplant to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Connor tells me mountain biking is just starting to find its footing in the Canadian province where long, cold winters make regular off-road riding a challenge. He sees pump tracks as a way to progress the sport in a location that hasn’t traditionally embraced mountain biking, and in a way that makes adults feel like kids again.

Jason Connor leans into a curve on a Velosolutions-designed pump track in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

“We got the pump track open and it was a huge success. Just hundreds of kids down there every day. And some really cool local kids have emerged out of hockey and football, and they’ve just found a sport that they never knew existed, and they’re absolutely loving it.” His latest world record attempt was designed to draw attention to the need for more facilities like this one to be built in Winnipeg and across Manitoba.

Connor says he believes pump tracks are a major development for the sport, almost on par with the improvements seen in bike tech over the past 10-15 years. Starting at a young age, kids are able to use pump tracks to progress the skills they need to pursue other forms of riding like downhill, BMX, and motorcross.

A pump track is “an awesome place to sort of see kids expand on their skill sets,” he told me. “For racing, it teaches you a lot, the body positioning, manualing. It’s just another completely different set of bike skills.”

Jason Connor stands beside his Norco bicycle, holding a trophy in one hand and wearing a helmet with pink graphics in the other. He is dressed in a black racing outfit adorned with various sponsor logos and medals around his neck. The background features a skate park with houses in the distance under a partly cloudy sky.

Can the record be broken again?

Toward the end of both attempts, Connor says his feet started getting numb and his hands were feeling sore. The Capasso Pump Track in Manitoba where Connor made his latest attempt is 230m long with tight turns, which he says isn’t ideal for long-distance pumping. To go farther, Connor says it will be important to focus on everything from nutrition and training to the design of the track and proper footwear.

“This was mostly just done with determination,” he said. “There really wasn’t a lot else that went into this. There’s a bunch of really deserving kids here and someone kind of had to generate some attention and create a bit of a starting point to get the wheels rolling.”