Speed Speed Speed
I organized a speed attempt on the CERAM track (North of Paris) and I am happy to announce that Francesco Russo has the new Swiss record with 75.1Km/h. (check his blog).
I crashed 3 times after bad launching but we finally found how to do it properly. I managed to complete my first hour in a fully faired recumbent at 49.95Km. The new canopy helps a lot to control the bike and the riding position is far better. (pictures soon) This is just a few Km/h faster than what I can do on a normal recumbent but I had no training what so ever because I was sick for six month after Paris Brest Paris. I started at 63Km/h then my speed was stable between 56 and 58Km/h for a few minutes then my legs said they had enough.(speed went down to 42Km/h with head wind) I talked to them (please please, let me finish, no stiffness please... etc...)and they said OK for 15 minutes then we get out. I finished the last few laps at 48-51Km/h and I just missed the 50Km mark by a few meters.
After Francesco's attempt, I tried the 200m sprint but my chain derailled twice and the rain reduced my visibility. I had to wipe the screen with one hand all the time while pedaling. My top speed was 67Km/h and I was just starting pushing hard when the chain derailed. I will now search for a quiet road to see if I can exceed 80Km/h.
Riding in a fully faired bike requires a lot of experience and hours to find the maximum performance. I am very far from Francesco or Damjan but I will try again and my only goal is to set a decent French speed record.
Zockra Speed bike with new canopy.
Ellen starts her 100Km attempt. (she had a slow puncture and stopped after 58minutes)
Close up on Ellen, well supported by ELAN experienced Team.
I went into the Varna fairing to check how small it is and I am now sure that my bigger fairing is better for learning. I was tight on the shoulders but the rest looked acceptable. Hans Wessel then let me fit in the White Hawk and it looks like a bus inside. Thank you to let me try and don't scare me again!
I crashed 3 times after bad launching but we finally found how to do it properly. I managed to complete my first hour in a fully faired recumbent at 49.95Km. The new canopy helps a lot to control the bike and the riding position is far better. (pictures soon) This is just a few Km/h faster than what I can do on a normal recumbent but I had no training what so ever because I was sick for six month after Paris Brest Paris. I started at 63Km/h then my speed was stable between 56 and 58Km/h for a few minutes then my legs said they had enough.(speed went down to 42Km/h with head wind) I talked to them (please please, let me finish, no stiffness please... etc...)and they said OK for 15 minutes then we get out. I finished the last few laps at 48-51Km/h and I just missed the 50Km mark by a few meters.
After Francesco's attempt, I tried the 200m sprint but my chain derailled twice and the rain reduced my visibility. I had to wipe the screen with one hand all the time while pedaling. My top speed was 67Km/h and I was just starting pushing hard when the chain derailed. I will now search for a quiet road to see if I can exceed 80Km/h.
Riding in a fully faired bike requires a lot of experience and hours to find the maximum performance. I am very far from Francesco or Damjan but I will try again and my only goal is to set a decent French speed record.
Zockra Speed bike with new canopy.
Ellen starts her 100Km attempt. (she had a slow puncture and stopped after 58minutes)
Close up on Ellen, well supported by ELAN experienced Team.
I went into the Varna fairing to check how small it is and I am now sure that my bigger fairing is better for learning. I was tight on the shoulders but the rest looked acceptable. Hans Wessel then let me fit in the White Hawk and it looks like a bus inside. Thank you to let me try and don't scare me again!
posted by Speedy at 7:20 PM
2 Comments:
Malric,
Do you know the distance that Ellen rode after 58 minutes of her 100 km attempt? If she rode further than 56.4 km, I would like to add her to my list of the best one-hour performances of all-time.
http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/fastest_list.asp.
I added Damjan to this list, even though in 2006, he had a flat tire after about 48 minutes, but still he rode 68.4 km, much further thn Chris Boardman's UCI "Best Hour Performance" of 56.4 km.
Sincerely,
Mike Mowett
mowett at aol dot com
IHPVA Records Committee
I am pretty sure that she rode more than 56.4Km/h but you should contact Jean-Charles Josselin of France-HPV to get the official numbers.
Post a Comment
<< Home