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Sept. 17, 2009 More Records Fall At World Human Powered Speed Challenge • France’s Barbara Bautois Sets Woman’s Speed Record
• Canadian Paralympic Medalist Greg Westlake Sets Hand-Powered Mark
• Whittingham Continues Quest to Raise Men’s Bar After Tuesday Record
(Battle Mountain, NV) -- Under perfect conditions, Barbara Bautois riding the Varna Diablo III recumbent bicycle shattered the women’s human speed record by 6 mph Wednesday night in Battle Mountain pedaling to an astonishing 72.53 mph/116.7 kph. The 32 year-old French cyclist eclipsed Lisa Vetterlein’s 2005 world record of 66.59 mph making Bautois the 6th fastest human of all time, according to International Human Powered Vehicle Association records.
Another long-time record fell Wednesday when Canadian Paralympic athlete Greg Westlake cranked a hand-powered world record of 37.85 mph/60.914 kph in his three-wheeled Avos Arrow. The 22 year-old is a member of the Canadian Sledge Hockey team which took gold in the 2006 Torino Games. The Oakville, Ontario resident beat the 1995 record of 32.60 mph/52.47 KPH set by Longmont, Colorado’s Jacob Heilveil.
Tuesday, 37-year-old Canadian cyclist Sam Whittingham pedaled his new Varna Tempest recumbent bike to a new men’s world record of 82.4 mph (132.67 kph), one-tenth mph better than last year‘s mark he set in the George Georgiev-designed Varna Diablo III. This is the ninth time Whittingham set the world human powered speed mark on the Battle Mountain Course where racing continues through Sept. 19.
Nearly two-dozen cyclists from around the world are gathering this week on SR305 outside of Battle Mountain, Nevada for the 10th consecutive year to race on one of the straightest, flattest, and smoothest surfaces in the world. The 4,619ft (1,408m) altitude road allows riders an acceleration zone of over 4 miles, enabling them to reach their maximum velocity before being timed over a 200 meter distance. The section of the road being used was
newly refinished this year with a smooth surface specially prepared for this event by the Nevada Department of Transportation and Frehner Construction Co.
“The human powered racers have been very pleased with this road surface final product,” said Kim Nelson, Executive Director of the Lander County Convention and Tourism Authority. “In preliminary and qualifying runs several personal bests have already been set.”
Lander County officials urged the highway department to go beyond the normal “chip and seal” resurfacing, urging a design that results in a super-smooth surface. The $3.8 million project – made possible through federal and a small amount of stimulus money -- would not only satisfy transportation
needs, but also assist with economic development, tourism and marketing in the town of Battle Mountain.
The speed trials run through Sept. 19 and require a five mile stretch of highway. Riders, mostly in recumbent- style bikes surrounded by an aerodynamic shell, must get to speed pedaling huge gear rings. The energy expended usually allows just one pass per day, although Whittingham set his latest world record on his unprecedented second run in 2008.
Whittingham has become a household name in this little-known sport. He is a well-know custom bicycle builder -- Naked Bicycles based in Qudra Island, north of Vancouver. But since the 1990s he has ventured into the desert, employing the speed bullets designed by fellow Canadian Georgi Georgiev. The record meant a big pay day for Whittingham as he claimed the $26,748 prize as the first rider to break the deci-Mach barrier – one tenth the speed of sound.
There are several web sites and blogs to help you follow the race, here are some of those sites:
Results site: http://www.recumbents.com/WISIL/whpsc2009/speedchallenge-2009.htm
Blog site: http://www.recumbents.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2814
Sam Whittingham’s Blog: http://timetogetnaked.com/?p=2625
Sponsor Hydrive twitter: http://twitter.com/hydrive
To view Sam Whittingham’s record-breaking run log on to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQwpGLCAMm4
To find information on attending the Speed Challenge log on to:
http://www.battlemountaintourism.com/index.html
Official web sites:
www.ihpva.org
www.whpsc.org
CONTACT:Kim Nelson at (775) 635-1112 or Don Vetter at (775) 848-0670
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