NEWS

HPV records tumble

New HPV hour record takes the prize

One of the richest prize funds for human-powered vehicle performance has fi nally been awarded after seven years, following the ‘HPV Hour Prize Competition’ held recently at the Nissan test track in Arizona,USA. The event also saw a new HPV hour record set. The hour speed record was, remarkably, achieved by 49-year old Fast Freddy Markham riding the Varna Mephisto. He covered 85.991 km (53.432 miles) in the hour. The UCI-sanctioned hour record for ‘standard’ bikes (and top-class riders) is just over 49 km, less than 60% of the HPV fi gure. The event also marked the fi nish for the Dempsey/MacCready Prize, set up in 1999 to foster the development of human-powered vehicles. The price was funded by Ed Dempsey, a businessman and racing driver fascinated by speed, who became friends with Dr. Paul MacCready, a pioneering fi gure in human powered fl ight. The original announcement stated: “A new $25,000 cash prize will be awarded to the fi rst single rider human powered land vehicle to equal or surpass 90 kilometers in one hour (55.924 mph).” Originally due to run for fi ve years but unclaimed at that point, the

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prize was then extended for another two. At the end of this period – marked by the fi nal Hour Prize Competition – the prize would be split between the fastest performers to date. Fast Freddy’s recordbreaking run won him $18,000, followed by $10,000 for Sam Whittingham for his 84.215 km set in 2004 in Dudenhofen, Germany. Matt Weaver’s 82.755 km, also set in 2004 but in California, was rewarded with $6000. Two special prizes were also awarded to foreign competitors, $4000 to Damjan Zabovnik of Slovenia and $2000 to Rob English of the UK, who set a British record of 49.836 miles or 80.203 km.

Chet Kyle, co-founder of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association who administered the prize, said “The original goal was to spark innovation and prove that human powered vehicles could maintain high speeds for long time periods. This goal has certainly been accomplished in dramatic fashion. There have been dozens of attempts at the prize since 1999. During the seven years of the prize, the World HPV hour record has been broken five times and the distance raised from 79.136 km to 85.990 km.” Our congratulations to all concerned. Full details of the prize and closing event can be found online at www.hpva.us/dmprize.html t

New 24 hour HPV record set

Greg Kolodziejzyk in Critical Power (ABOVE and ABOVE RIGHT) beat the 24 hour record while Fast Freddy Markham (TOP) set a new hour benchmark

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A new 24 hour record for fullyfaired HPVs has been set by Greg Kolodziejzyk in the USA. He rode an impressive 1046.94 km in the time, decisively breaking Axel Fehlau’s old record of 1021.36 km set in 1995. He also set a new 1000km record. Greg built his own vehicle, Critical Power, and the process is extensively documented on his website: www.adventuresofgreg.com Congratulations to Greg for a superb achievement.

France HPV champs

Congratulations to Barbara Buatois and Hans Wessels, the new HPV World Champions after the Championships in Allegre, France in late August. Velo Vision provided sets of back issues for fi rst to third prize winners in six categories. The event was followed by a week of social touring in the surrounding countryside. Event website: www.allegre2006.ihpva.org

A cycling technical journal – in German

Fahrrad Zukunft (‘Bicycle tFuture’) is an new online technical journal about cycling in the German language. The fi rst two editions are already available for free download. The fi rst edition included articles mainly on the subject of lighting, including bench tests of a variety of hub dynamos, while the second tackles gearing systems with a discussion of ‘half-step plus granny’ systems revisited with modern components, plus a look at tyre-rim compatibility. It’s something of a successor to the ‘ProVelo’ magazine some may remember from a few years ago. Contributions are very welcome, and could be translated from English to German if necessary. Fahrrad Zukunft: www.fahrradzukunft.de