Talk about a need for speed! An Encinitas mother of three boys broke a bicycle world record Monday.
Denise Mueller-Korenek, 45, smashed the world paced bicycle speed record with a time of 183.9 mph.
On Tuesday, Mueller-Korenek explained to NBC 7 what it was like to go that fast on a bicycle.
"You can hear and feel the sense that things are getting faster but you have an overwhelming intensity of being focused on being in that air pocket," she said over the phone from Reno, Nevada.
She set the record Monday at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
Right after, her son came over to tell her she had broken the record.
"My son said, 'Mom, I think you got it,' and I said, 'what?'" she laughed.
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The previous record was 167 mph in 1995. The two-decade-old record was held by a male Dutch rider.
Mueller-Korenek is also the president and CEO of a security systems company in Encinitas. She started racing at 14-years-old, her first race was at Liberty Station.
After raising children, she put riding on hold for 20 years until her old coach convinced her to start up again.
"My coach saw the potential was still there," she said. "When I heard no woman had ever set this record, I was on board."
She said she is passionate about helping women follow their dreams.
"Going that speed requires a lot of athleticism and guts!" she said.
After two injuries in 2017, including a broken rib, shoulder blade, and accidental firearm discharge just below her hip, she aggressively trained both physically and mentally for the challenge.
"I do neurofeedback once a week for preparation anxiety," she said of getting into the mental zone. "I also do heavy-weight lifting in the gym."
She said for now, she doesn't know what is next for her, but she is considering trying ride her bicycle at 200 mph.
