The Goudurix, a roller coaster located in Parc Astérix in Plailly, France, has been dubbed the "worst coaster ever."
@bruceleroytravels90/TikTokLeroy Tyler documented his ride on the Goudurix for a TikTok video.
Some people travel to France for the cuisine, art, and culture. Leroy Tyler traveled to France to ride one of the world’s “worst” roller coasters: the Goudurix.
In a TikTok video with more than 608,000 views, Tyler documented his journey and gave his own thoughts on the amusement park ride. According to him, the Goudurix is “legendary for the wrong reasons.”
What Riders Have To Say About The Goudurix
In his video, Leroy Tyler (@bruceleroytravels90) shows himself on Goudurix, a roller coaster located in Parc Astérix in Plailly, France. “A lot of people say it’s one of, if not the, worst coaster ever,” Tyler begins. “We’re about to find out.”
The rest of his video illustrates why the ride has such a bad reputation. With every turn, Tyler’s body bounces around the seat as he shouts, “Ow!” By the time the ride finishes, Tyler has clearly had enough of it.
“That was the jankiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he declares. “Never again.”
In the caption, he adds, “I never thought I’d ride a coaster worse than Ninja at Six Flags St. Louis.”
Other riders have reported similar experiences.
“It’s a very pretty ride, but that’s about where the fun ends,” one reviewer wrote. “Even with the new trains it’s horrendously rough, some real jarring moments of headbanging, and whilst the new vests are very comfortable and soft, the headrests are rock solid, which isn’t great when your head is thrown backwards into them. Shame as the layout is quite unique but it’s just too rough to be enjoyable.”
Trifonneke/Wikimedia CommonsWhile the Goudurix has plenty of the drops and loops that thrill-seekers crave, many riders say the coaster is simply too jarring to enjoy.
“ABYSMAL. ATROCIOUS. DOWNRIGHT DANGEROUS,” another man said. “I’m a tall guy, so the back of my head kept banging against AN EXPOSED BIT OF METAL in the headrest. Never had I genuinely feared for my physical wellbeing on a roller coaster, until I rode this Medieval torture device that Parc Astérix manages to pass off as an attraction. The day this gets torn down, I will gladly travel to France just to do a happy dance in front of the empty plot of land.”
Among the most cited issues are severe head-banging, excessive vibration, uncomfortable restraints, rough transitions, and an outdated design — though many praise the view from the coaster.
Given these reviews, is it possible that the Goudurix really is the world’s worst roller coaster?
‘The Worst Coaster Ever Built’
To determine whether the Goudurix truly deserves its critical title as the “world’s worst coaster,” it’s important to look at what makes a roller coaster “good.”
According to the Roller Coaster DataBase, there are an estimated 6,800 roller coasters around the world, ranging from micro kiddie coasters to steel behemoths. It’s understandable that some are better than others, but what features does the thrill-seeking community look for in their favorite rides?
In 2014, Jake Kilcup, a roller coaster designer and the chief operating officer of Rocky Mountain Construction, spoke to TIME about his experience creating coasters.
Chabe01/Wikimedia CommonsThe Goudurix is located at Parc Astérix outside of Paris.
His company built the Goliath at Six Flags Great America in Illinois, which once boasted the record for the longest drop and fastest speed of all the roller coasters in the world. Rocky Mountain Construction added a “Topper” track made of wood and metal to the coaster, which “gives a smoother ride than you get on an all-metal track and makes the overall roller coaster stronger than an all-wooden one.”
The restraints on the Goliath are also constructed to ensure that guests aren’t “coming out of [their] seat” due to the coaster’s g-force, Kilcup said.
Many features of roller coasters, such as drops and corkscrew movement, create this g-force, or gravitational force. The Goliath, for instance, can reach a g-force of 3.5, making a 150-pound person briefly feel as if they weigh 525 pounds.
However, roller coasters can also do the opposite, reducing the g-force riders experience to make them feel lightweight — or even lift them out of their seats. Roller coaster fans call this feeling of weightlessness “airtime.”
Apart from airtime, roller coaster lovers crave interesting experiences. While a roller coaster that quickly shoots a rider through several loops may be good for a single ride, the average amusement park guest may not feel the need to ride it again.
As a result, many highly-rated coasters offer a variety of experiences over the course of a single ride. For example, Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point in Ohio is consistently ranked as one of the best roller coasters in the world. It features a variety of different features — from high drops and sharp turns to inversions — offers great views at its peaks, and leaves riders wanting to return again and again.
Jeremy Thompson/Wikimedia CommonsThe Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point is considered one of the world’s best roller coasters.
Naturally, there are other aspects that are crucial to a good roller coaster experience. For example, the seats need to be comfortable, and restraints must be secure. Otherwise, a rider may end up bouncing from side to side, lowering the enjoyment of the ride.
This is one of the main issues cited with the Goudurix — and the cause of the low score that initially sparked Leroy Tyler’s curiosity.
@bruceleroytravels90 I never thought I’d ride a coaster worse than Ninja at Six Flags St Louis…#rollercoastertiktok #amusementpark #travel #parcasterix #fun
All That’s Interesting reached out to Tyler via email and Instagram direct message and Parc Astérix via email.
After reading about the Goudurix, sometimes called the “world’s worst roller coaster,” explore Six Flags New Orleans, a theme park that’s sat abandoned for decades. Then, go inside some of the world’s worst amusement park disasters.
