Cyclists break human-powered speed record with amazing ride
A major record was shattered this month, when cyclists managed to break the land speed record for human-powered transportation twice at the 2016 World Human-Powered Speed Challenge. During the event, held at Battle Mountain, Nevada, cyclists riding the Eta bike from Canadian company AeroVelo zoomed to a speed of 89.95 mph, CNET reports.
The first record was smashed on September 14, when cyclist Todd Reichert was clocked at 88.26 mph, beating the previous record of 88 mph. For “Back to the Future” fans, it’s worth noting that’s also the speed Doc Brown calculated was needed for time travel.
“For all our fellow nerds out there, breaking 88 mph (a.k.a. the speed necessary for time travel in the movie “Back to the Future”) was almost as exciting as setting the world record in the first place! Of course, the following night/day was filled with various discussions of time travel and how we could use it to our advantage to attain even higher speeds,” the AeroVelo racing team wrote on the company’s website.
Just two days later, Reichert beat his latest record, clocking in at 89.59 mph.
The spaceship-looking Eta bike is aerodynamic, possessing an exterior shape with drag that is “more than 100 times less than that of most streamlined cars,” according to AeroVale’s website.
After dealing with some unpredictable conditions in the form of rain, lots of bugs, and colder air, the team reflected on what made the record-breaking runs so special.
“Looking back at the year, there are two lessons that were further hammered into our team’s psyche: First, no matter how much we think we know, the harsh reality of the real world will always keep us humble. These days we assume our ideas have a 50% chance of being wrong until they’re actually proven on the road,” the team wrote. “Second, is the importance of being absolutely prepared, consistent and mentally focused for every single run. In the end there’s not much we can do about bugs and weather, except how we prepare and how we react.”
