Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Biking @ 80 MPH

Posted by Hemos on from the varoom dept.

sadclown writes "Saturday marked the conclusion of the World Human Powered Speed Challenge in Battle Mountain Nevada. Canadian Sam Wittingham now holds the world record for human powered speed on land, 80.55 mph, on the Varna Diablo, a fully enclosed 60 pound recumbent bicycle. Other competitors included Matt Weaver, with his video-camera-navigated bike (no windows)the Kyle Edge, World (conventional bike) Sprint Champion Jason Queally, with his bike the Blue Yonder Challenge, designed by the formula one race car designer Reynard, and the UC Berkeley team, The Bearacuda, in which two riders pedal back to back. Wittingham's new record is nearly 8 mph more than his record last year. Hopefully some of the aerodynamic technology can be applied to commercially available vehicles (cars, maybe?)."

3 of 344 comments (clear)

  1. Metric conversion by D+Anderson+n'Swaart · · Score: 5, Informative
    For those of you not in the US, here's the story again:

    top speed: 129.7 km/h
    weight of bike: 27.3 kg

    --

    A word can paint a thousand pictures

  2. Re:design factors by Domini · · Score: 3, Informative

    Actually, they were given sufficient distance to start from. They can choose any distance, but their speeds are measured over a 200 meter stretch.

    There are also several other different classes, for more info, here are the RULES

    Also for a more detailed listing of the records (with km/h and miles/h):
    Go HERE.

    It contains more that just land speed records.

    (I also read that he is only reported to have gone faster than 80 miles per hour, but I do not see it on the official site.

  3. Re:The word is ... by sacherjj · · Score: 3, Informative

    You can buy recumbent HPVs for road use, but down there the trucks aint gonna see you. keeping out the way should give you an extra speed boost even if nothing else does. Some models have things like flags on long poles to give you a chance of being seen.

    Have you actually riden a recumbent? My RANS Rocket has an aerodynamic advantage over an upright, and I ride it safely on the street. Instead of looking at my front wheel, I am in a upright position looks at drivers directly in the eye at their eye level. I am far from invisible. I also can ride 100 miles in a day without sore arms, neck, and wrists and without feeling like I just got a prostate exam with a weed eater.

    Please learn just a little about the subject before making ignorant flippant remarks. You sould like one of the upright riders I recently toasted... :)