The Fastest Man on Earth

I just received the latest newsletter from the Human Powered Vehicle Association, which had the results of the Nissan One Hour Challenge. The car company donated the use of its 5.6 mile oval test track in Standfield Arizona for a unique bicycle race. The competitors ride recumbent (sitting position) bicycles with aerodynamic carbon fiber shells as fast as they can for one hour.

A Canadian named Sam Whittingham pedaled a world record distance of (are you recumbent?) 53.918 miles. This guy maintained highway speeds for an hour. The top three competitors all exceeded 50 mph, and the fourth and fifth bested 47 mph.

Here’s a video clip from Whittingham’s chase car in the last two minutes of the race. The streamlined bike is barely visible at the beginning.

If that isn’t impressive enough, consider this: In 2002, on possibly the flattest, straightest section of highway in America, in a place called Battle Mountain, Nevada, Whittingham accelerated his bike to just over 81 mph. He still holds the world record with that run.

Here’s a short video about Battle Mountain and another attempt by Whittingham to beat his own record.

If you want to know what it’s like inside the carbon fiber shell, here’s a helmet camera video of “Fast Freddy” Markham reaching 78 mph at Battle Mountain. Fast Freddy, by the way, set the previous one-hour record in 2006 of 53.43 mph.

Sam Whittingham is a serious physical specimen. In 2003 he was monitored during a competitive run and produced 450 Watts of power going 78 mph. 450 Watts is about three times what your average schmo can put out. His bike, the Varna Diablo II is something special itself. The Diablo looks like a cruise missile on wheels, and is about as aerodynamic as any land vehicle can be. The gear train starts out higher than the top gear of a normal bike and goes up from there.

I keep thinking about that 450 Watts. Consider that when you drive down the road in your car at highway speeds you are expending about 15,000 Watts, 33 times the power that the Diablo needs. Of course, the Diablo is specifically designed as a speed bike, and not practical for everyday transportation. Still, it gives an idea of what can be accomplished down at the other end of the transportation spectrum. Post peak oil I could imagine people using vehicles that look much more like the Diablo than an SUV.

So, if you are driving on highway SR305 out in Nevada in October and a small cruise missile on two wheels passes you as if you were parked, smile and wave. It’s probably Sam.