Annie Ford Sets New World Record

On January 20th, the Aussie shredder just broke the world record for the most vertical descent on a mountain bike in 24 hours, descending 182,831 feet or 34.6 miles on her Santa Cruz V10 at Coronet Peak Bike Park in New Zealand.

🙋‍♀️ Who Is Annie Ford?

The real question isn’t who is Annie Ford but rather who is she not?

A marine biologist, surfer, climate activist, and mountain biker–Anne is known for wild feats that raise awareness for causes she believes in.

For example, Annie rode 1800 miles on her full suspension mountain bike from Mexico to Whistler last year, which helped her raise $35,000 for organizations working to stop offshore drilling projects.

😬 The New Record

This wasn’t the first time Annie broke the world record for the longest vertical descent as she set the record with a descent of 137,000 feet in 2023.

But Annie’s most recent attempt smashed her previous run by nearly 50,000 feet, showing her insane commitment this time around.

After finishing, Annie had raised over $35,000 for reforestation in New Zealand and donations are still open if you’re feeling inspired.

📋 More Wild MTB Records

• Longest jump on a MTB: In 2018 Fabio Wibmer jumped 141 foot / 43 meters in the snow on his Specialized Demo - a new world record

• Backwheel action on speed: NWD-legend Bobby Root achieved a speed of 138.56 km/h (86.1 mph) on the rear wheel at Palmdale, California in 2001

• Flipping for miles: Tom Isted did the longest mountain bike dirt-to-dirt backflip in 2023. With 120ft or 37 meters he managed to beat Cam Zink’s record!

• Frontie record on dirt: The Spanish madman Bienvenido Aguado landed a 100ft frontflip on the biggest dirt jump at DarkFEST 2021.

🙋‍♂️ RECON’s Take

For some, chasing world records are a way to stroke the ego. But Annie proves they’re a tool to drive awareness and raise money for a good cause. These kind of all-out feats combined with a charitable mission are core to the culture of mountain biking. Can’t wait to see what Annie sets her mind to next.