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Graeme Obree facing Dutch competition for human powered vehicle record attempt (+video)

Speed skating world champion turned Olympic cyclist Jan Bos to spearhead Dutch challenge

Just a fortnight after Flying Scotsman Graeme Obree revealed plans to attempt to break the world human powered vehicle speed record, a competing bid has been launched by Dutch former speed skater Jan Bos – raising the prospect of a battle similar to that involving Obree and Chris Boardman, among others, for the Hour record during the 1990s.

The current record of 82.819mph (133.28kph) was set by Sam Whittingham of Canada at Battle Mountain, Nevada, in September 2009. Whittingham first broke the record in 1999 at the same location, and has done so on five subsequent occasions.

Speeds, ratified by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association, are taken over a 200-metre distance following a flying start.

This year, a team of students from Delft University of Technology and the VU University Amsterdam reached a speed of 129kph at Battle Mountain with their fully-faired recumbent bike, VeloX.

The team has produced a video showing the design, construction and testing of Velox that gives a fascinating insight into what lies beneath the fairing.

Roll-out from Human Power Team on Vimeo.

As the team’s website acknowledges, “The challenge of reaching world record speeds is highly multidisciplinary. It is not only about making a vehicle that is highly aerodynamic, efficient and lightweight but also about getting the most out of a cyclist by selection and training.”

Bos, best known as a speed skater – he won silver medals at the Winter Olympics in Nagano and Salt Lake City, and is a two-time world champion – is also an accomplished cyclist.

Together with his brother Theo, now riding for Rabobank, and Teun Mulder, Bos was part of the Dutch team sprint squad that finished sixth at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

The 2012 World Human Powered Speed Challenge takes place at Battle Mountain from 10-15 September.
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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4 comments

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Cooks | 12 years ago
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I'd still like Mark Renshaw leading me out.

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Old Cranky | 12 years ago
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No sign of any washing machine parts  26

Graeme is going to need a lot of help in building something to compete.

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Simon_MacMichael | 12 years ago
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It would certainly cut down the commuting time, not sure the missus would fancy popping out in her dressing gown on roller skates to help get the thing moving, mind  3

Traffic lights might be an issue too  39

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Benjamin Hall | 12 years ago
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I WANT ONE!!!!!

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