A need for speed.

Can Bicycles be pedalled at 128 Kilometres an hour? Yes they can, and they do it at Battle Mountain, Nevada in October, every year.

If you're like me and just like to poke along at 20 K's or so a bike that travels at over six times that speed seems like a stretch of the imagination. What is it like to be in a car speeding along faster than we ever usually drive and some guy on a bike is riding just ahead of you?

But of course these are special bikes and they are used under special, favourable conditions.

They are of course Recumbent Bikes encased with their rider in a streamlined cocoon of Carbon Fibre, Kevlar and Lexan plastic.

There is nothing new about Recumbents, they have been around since the dawn of the Bicycle when nobody knew what a Bicycle was supposed to look like. But the ascendency of recumbents was dealt a severe blow when the French cycling body, the UCI, banned them from competiton in 1936 because they were too fast.

Recumbents are now being rediscovered by people who are interested in alternative designs and have been boosted by Lance Armstrong who recently stated that if they were allowed in the Tour de France Time Trials section he would ride one.

If you couple the efficiency of Recumbent bikes with the latest Space-age composite materials and a strong rider we now have a bike that is faster than some cars!

The HPV, Human Powered Vehicle association, is making great advances in the science of human propulsion. Nobody took this very seriously until a pedal-powered aeroplane crossed the English Channel powered by an ordinary cyclist.

These super-bikes that compete every year in the desert dusk and dawn of Nevada are the Third generation of the science that has literally become an art, the Art of Human Propulsion.
Some are so streamlined that they have no windshield to look through, instead the rider sees his way via an external camera and steers via an LCD TV screen inside the cramped cocoon.
Even more suprising is that some of the riders are in their fiftieth year!

The official course is over a one mile distance and the bikes which have only ONE gear wind themselves up to speed over a 3 mile course, so no special endurance training is required.
The shape of the outer shell is like the aerofoil of an aircraft wing, designed to develop lift and make the bike lighter the faster they go, so they are not even made especially light.

Your average small Cessna aeroplane develops enough lift to take-off at about 45 Knots or 83 Kilometres an hour, so sometimes these bikes actually do leave the ground and wipeout if they are unlucky and experience an unexpected headwind gust that exceeds the design airspeed.
That's why they are raced at still-air times early and late in the day. The 8000ft altitude at Battle Mountain also decreases air resistance as there is only half as much air at 10,000ft as there is at sea-level.

Why do they do it? Well, if two men have two wheelbarrows they will figure a way to compete with them. But also the materials, design and construction techniques have downrange benefits for every cyclist who want to ride a modern bike.

I have been fortunate enough to be invited onto the Bentrider Magazine Team as a general dogsbody who helps with jobs such as "Catching" the Streamliner as it finishes its course.
I hope to be able to post more personal photos of this event when I return from my 4-month Recumbent cycling tour in the USA.

I would be glad to answer any questions if you mail me at skymax@iinet.net.au.

MY USA BLOG: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/usa2005

More info: http://www.easyracers.com/virtual_rush.htm

Or: http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2007/03/bikerecord_0330

Mark (Max) Townsend.

[Max was talking to one of our BUG members one Saturday morning after the community ride, and was asked to contribute to the blog! Thanks Max -Bon Voyage, and we hope to hear anything on your bike touring in the States, and of course your experience at the World Bicycle Speed Event]

100 MILES IN ONE DAY!!!!

FULL DETAILS:

Okay! The idea is now a plan with a date set too!

The date is 26 August 2007.

The end of August is usually when we get the first warmer spring weather. The climate statistics indicate we can expect low humidity, a maximum temperature of about 23 degrees in Grafton, a one in seven chance of rain and a high chance of a sunny day.

It is also pre-daylight saving time so it will be easier to make an early start. The sun will rise at 6:15am. The sun will set at 5:25pm.

Should the weather be bad that weekend we would postpone it. We want to be able to enjoy the experience - we don't have to be heroes.

The plan of course is to ride Brooms Head - Maclean - Lawrence - Grafton - Glenreagh - Coffs Harbour. In one day! And yes, that is 100 MILES! 160km!

This route seems ideal for a “century” attempt as it has very few serious hills. The Maclean – Grafton section is totally flat. Traffic should be light but for most of the route the road lacks a road shoulder. Be prepared to form a single file when cars approach. Of course you will make sure you are wearing highly visible clothing. We will have some vehicles providing support. They will take all your gear and will be able to assist if any riders are unable to continue.

To get an early start we would camp at Brooms Head the night before. So we will drive to Brooms Head near Maclean on Saturday (or Friday if you like) and have a beach day and camp overnight. Brooms Head is a great place to camp. Cabins or tent sites are available.

[ You might like to check this website ]

Travelling time to Brooms Head from Coffs Harbour is maybe 2 & 1/4 hours via the Pacific Highway. Turn left off the highway at Maclean sign and then turn right to Brooms Head after about 1km.

At this stage we appear to have four vehicles with non-riders who can provide transport to Brooms Head for bikes and riders. We may need more non-rider drivers. Non-riders are welcome to come for the beach / camping / social experience.

THE RIDE PLAN -distances and approximate timetable:

Early Sunday (6:30 am) hit the road.
Brooms Head – Maclean 24km [24]
Maclean – Lawrence (via the ferry) 15km [39]
Morning Tea at Lawrence beside river 8:30am – 9:00am
Lawrence – Grafton 33km [72]
Lunch at Grafton beside river 10:30am – 11:30am
Grafton – Glenreagh 48km [120]
Afternoon Tea at Glenreagh 2:00pm – 2:30pm
Glenreagh – Nana Glen 11km [131]
Nana Glen – Coramba 11km [142]
Coramba– Coffs Harbour (Jetty) 19km [161*]
Arrive at Jetty 4:30pm –cheers, beers, pizza, ice-cream, certificates!
*Apparently 100 miles = 160.9344 km so you will have to do an extra kilometre!

Who should attempt this ride? Provided you are experienced and fit this ride is an achievable challenge. Can you meet these criteria?
· You need to have done a ride of 100km before (that’s km not miles).
· You need to be able to average at least 20kmh for the day. On the Maclean – Grafton leg we would have a higher average. The day is planned assuming an average of 20kmh. Anything slower would make the day too long and tiring. An average of only 18kmh would add almost a whole hour to the riding time.
· You need to do as many hard rides as you can (up to 80km+) in the month leading up to the ride. Suggested rides are the CHBUG ride from Nambucca Heads to Bowraville on Sunday 19th August and DUBBUG ride from Urunga to Bellingen (South Arm Road/North Bank Road) on Sunday 12th August. I suggest we also follow up the Saturday morning community rides with an extra ride starting from the Coffs City Square and tackling rides such as Bruxner Park Road.

Ring me on 6655 4898 or 04 22 333 238 if you want to take on this challenge, provide support or just come for the camping. We need to book camping so don’t delay.

John Gray 5 / 7 / 2007