A Polish cyclist broke his own record in the Guinness Book of World Records by climbing a 492-metre-high Shanghai skyscraper by cycling on a bike with no saddle. Another remarkable aspect of the feat was that Krystian Herba, the Polish extreme athlete, climbed 100 floors and 2,754 stairs by not touching the ground with his feet or arms even once.

During his ascent, one member of his team tracked his climb with a camera on his head for documentation, and the other member of his team looked after his physical conditioning, providing water to fight exhaustion and keep track of the time. Herba said he would send the video and other materials to get it verified by the Guinness Book of World Record, once he reached Poland.

Shanghai World Financial Centre
Shanghai World Financial Centre, Wiki commons

Herba, who has pursued the unusual hobby since 1995, said his motivation is "the strength, desire to strive for something, to be better, faster, to overcome not only another record but also weaknesses".

He completed climbing the 474-metre high observatory of the Shanghai World Financial Centre in one hour, 21 minutes and 51 seconds, thereby rewriting the world record he previously owned when he climbed 2,040 steps of the 72-storey Rose Tower in Dubai in January 2012.

He climbed the 72 floors in the world's tallest hotel then in one hour, 13 minutes and 14 seconds. Rose Tower in Dubai, which stands 333-metres tall, held the distinction of being the tallest hotel in the world between 2009 and 11 November, 2012.

(Courtesy: RotanaHotels, YouTube)

This was the eighth skyscraper Herba had climbed, and has vowed to break records by challenging himself to climb the tallest buildings in the world.

"It is like asking a Himalayan climber why he is going to the mountains if he can simply stay at home," said the Polish acrobat, who is a physical teacher by profession.

Skyscrapers that he has achieved till now:

30.01.2012 - Rose Rayhaan by Rotana - Dubai, United Arab Emirates - the highest hotel in the world 91 floors, 2040 stairs, time: 1 h 13 min 41 sec. - GUNNESS WORLD RECORD

05.11.2011- MesseTurm- Frankfurt, Germany- According to the number of floors the highest building in Europe 61 floors, 1212 stairs, time: 27 min 04 sec.

16.02.2011- Gran Hotel Bali- Benidorm, Spain- the highest hotel in Europe 52 floors, 921 stairs, time: 19 min 27 sec.

02.10.2010- Millennium Tower- Vienna, Austria- the highest building in Austria 48 floors, 818 stairs, time: 18 min 09 sec.

05.06.2011- Altus- Katowice, Poland 46 floors, 908 stairs, time: 23 min 57 sec.

06.02.2010- InterContinental- Warsaw, Poland- the highest building in Poland according to the number of floors 44 floors, 859 stairs, time: 26 min 09 sec.

26.05.2009- Palace of Culture and Science- Warsaw, Poland- the highest building in Poland 30 floors, 785 stairs, time: 19 min 15 sec