Current Record - 1:32:14 Proxyfoil ride on Lake Starnberg

The Epic Record Run

On January 21, 2023, Jan Grebe turned a winter session on Lake Starnberg in Germany into a serious Proxyfoil endurance test. The ride is notable not only because of the 18.14 km distance covered, but because Jan kept the effort going for 1:32:14 of moving time in conditions that made every minute harder.

This was not a comfortable long-distance cruise. The air temperature was -3°C, and the lake water was only 1°C while still liquid. Jan was riding in full cold-water protection, including a 5 mm wetsuit, cap, gloves, and shoes. With his nutrition bottle and winter gear, he estimated he carried about 5.5 kg of extra weight.

The lake was also quiet. Boats were not allowed on Lake Starnberg during the winter, so there was no external support following along. Jan rode up and down the shoreline instead, staying close enough to land while still pushing the Proxyfoil through a long, continuous test. While others were off skiing, he was testing how long the system and rider could keep working together in freezing conditions.

According to the Strava activity shown on the Proxyfoil website, Jan’s ride lasted 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 14 seconds of moving time. During that session, he covered 18.14 km. The distance matters, but the duration is what makes this record especially important. Jan rode for about 1.5 hours without falling into the water.

Eventually, the limiting factor was not the Proxyfoil. It was concentration and fatigue. Jan noted that after roughly an hour and a half, his focus faded, he became weak, and he finally fell. At that point, he stopped the test.

This ride demonstrated that the Proxyfoil could be controlled for an extended period, not just for a short demonstration run. It also showed that a rider could sustain a long-duration Proxyfoil session in harsh winter conditions without boat support and without repeated falls.