TikTok Star Aurelien Fontenoy Hops Up Eiffel Tower On Cycle In 12 Minutes, Sets World Record

A French cyclist and social media influencer has set a new world record, cycling up the Eiffel Tower's 686 steps in 12 minutes and 30 seconds. With this, Aurelien Fontenoy became the fastest athlete ever to climb to the second floor of the massive structure on an all-terrain bike. He smashed the previous record set by Hugues Richard in 2002 by nearly seven minutes.

In an interview with CNN Sports, Fontenoy explained the gruelling nature of the attempt. He said, "For this challenge, I brake my brake, and I just have to compress my tyre because I don't have suspension or anything, it's just a rigid bike, so we just have to pump with the brake and jump, jump, jump a lot!"

Fontenoy further revealed how he trained for months to complete the challenge. In preparation for the climb, he focused on intense gym workouts and jump rope training to build his strength and endurance.

The record attempt had been a long-term goal that took years of planning and preparation. Before this, he also conquered other buildings around Paris and the TV Tower in Tallinn, Estonia.

"It's a challenge that I organised maybe three or four years ago. 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 organise it," Fontenoy said. 

"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 organise 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 added.

After finally reaching the second-floor platform, Fontenoy confessed that he was completely exhausted and "destroyed" because it was 12 minutes. "I was super happy because I showed nothing, but it was a small stress for me to beat this record," Fontenoy concluded.

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