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Cyclist Reaches 85.71 Mph on Way to Human-powered Speed World Record

posted by martyb on Saturday September 19 2015, @12:34AM   Printer-friendly
from the waiting-to-see-him-pop-a-wheelie dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Aboard an enclosed recumbent bicycle in Nevada today, Canadian Todd Reichart has claimed the world record for human powered speed. The annual World Human Powered Speed Challenge draws cyclists from around the world seeking to push the limits of pedal-powered motion, but it was the 33-year-old who left the competition in his wake to clock a top speed of 85.71 mph (137.9 km/h).
...
The pilot sits in the recumbent position, with their legs out in front of them, in an enclosed capsule crafted with aerodynamics as a driving principle. Using a camera mounted to the top of the vehicle and a video monitor to see ahead, Eta was expected to offer around a one percent improvement on performance compared to its predecessor, according to the team's computer simulations.

Pretty cool, but their human-powered ornithopter is possibly cooler.

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  • (Score: 2) by eof on Saturday September 19 2015, @01:49AM

    by eof (5559) on Saturday September 19 2015, @01:49AM (#238267)

    It is all about direct and continued (individual?) human effort to produce motion. Jet engines and motors of all types are produced by humans, but the motion they give rise to is produced by using external chemical means to directly drive external machinery--no humans necessary. (I won't contemplate humans as fuel.) With jumping, cannons, slingshots, etc, no continuous effort is involved. I'm sure using skates, a skateboard, or a non-motorized scooter would count under the same conditions as the bike.

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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by penguinoid on Saturday September 19 2015, @04:00AM

    by penguinoid (5331) on Saturday September 19 2015, @04:00AM (#238321)

    I won't contemplate humans as fuel.

    Liposuction biodiesel!

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