xcel
08-09-2008, 05:53 PM
Low-slung recumbent cycles can hit 75mph - backwards. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article4484188.ece)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Sam_Whittingham_and_Diablo-II_-_world_record_holders.jpgPaul Grogan – UK Times – Aug 10, 2008
Sam Whittingham and Diablo-II – 81 mph world record holder.
Emergencies and human power are two approaches condoning beyond the limits :) -- Ed.
On the eve of the world championships I meet the top British female rider and rashly challenge her to a race.
The next time you’re tearing down the motorway risking a speeding ticket at more than 70mph, imagine doing the same thing on a bike. Now glance at the tarmac, and imagine doing it with your head inches from the ground. Sound terrifying? How about backwards, with only a rear-view mirror to help you steer?
Welcome to the world of HPV racing, proving ground for the fastest bikes on the planet. The term HPV - or human-powered vehicle - can be used to describe anything from a bike to a pedal-powered biplane, but it’s generally used to refer to recumbents, or “bents” as they are known in the US.
Low-slung bikes with sloping seats (think Easy Rider, but with pedals instead of pistons), recumbents can be faired or unfaired: unfaired models are recognisable as bikes, but faired models - which are encased in ultra-light carbon-Kevlar shells to keep air resistance to a minimum - are state-of-the-art speed machines that look more like bullets than bikes.
More than 100 of these contraptions from several different countries will descend on Bentwaters Parks in Suffolk this week to take part in the annual HPV world championships. The championships have been taking place since 1975 and this year competition promises to be fierce. Current world champions Barbara Buatois from France and Ymte Sijbrandij from Holland are both expected to compete… http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article4484188.ece
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Sam_Whittingham_and_Diablo-II_-_world_record_holders.jpgPaul Grogan – UK Times – Aug 10, 2008
Sam Whittingham and Diablo-II – 81 mph world record holder.
Emergencies and human power are two approaches condoning beyond the limits :) -- Ed.
On the eve of the world championships I meet the top British female rider and rashly challenge her to a race.
The next time you’re tearing down the motorway risking a speeding ticket at more than 70mph, imagine doing the same thing on a bike. Now glance at the tarmac, and imagine doing it with your head inches from the ground. Sound terrifying? How about backwards, with only a rear-view mirror to help you steer?
Welcome to the world of HPV racing, proving ground for the fastest bikes on the planet. The term HPV - or human-powered vehicle - can be used to describe anything from a bike to a pedal-powered biplane, but it’s generally used to refer to recumbents, or “bents” as they are known in the US.
Low-slung bikes with sloping seats (think Easy Rider, but with pedals instead of pistons), recumbents can be faired or unfaired: unfaired models are recognisable as bikes, but faired models - which are encased in ultra-light carbon-Kevlar shells to keep air resistance to a minimum - are state-of-the-art speed machines that look more like bullets than bikes.
More than 100 of these contraptions from several different countries will descend on Bentwaters Parks in Suffolk this week to take part in the annual HPV world championships. The championships have been taking place since 1975 and this year competition promises to be fierce. Current world champions Barbara Buatois from France and Ymte Sijbrandij from Holland are both expected to compete… http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/article4484188.ece