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Welcome to Velo Vision magazine, covering specialised bikes, cycling as transport and human power. It's a quarterly dose of cycle inspiration.The current issue is Issue 16. The next issue is out early March 2005.
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Will HPV racing get the Queally effect?Jason Queally, one of the surprise stars of British cycling after he won gold in the Sydney Olympics, is set to launch an attempt on the HPV land speed (sprint) record, currently set at 115km/h (72.24mph). His success had helped revitalise British track cycling: will it do the same for HPV racing? Queally's decision to go for the HPV sprint record is an important one for the HPV movement: he is one of the UK's highest-profile cyclists, and is sure to bring with him attention from the cycling media who normally wouldn't go anywhere near an HPV event. His attempt is also sponsored - to the tune of a quarter of a million pounds, apparently, by internet company Blueyonder. Motor-racing company Reynard Motorsport will build the vehicle, which is to be designed by Hotta, the people who made his winning (upright) bike in Sydney. Reynard will have aerodymanics experts, wind tunnels and advanced CAD facilities aplenty, and Hotta are obviously experts in their field. But HPV racing is a whole new ball game, and despite Queally's obvious physical prowess, his success in breaking and retaining the record is by no means assured. Several other attempts are in the pipeline, mostly from teams with long-term experience of HPV racing. Will Reynard have the humility to learn lessons from these people? Sam Whittingham, the Canadian who holds the current record for the Varna team, should not be counted out. Further competition may come from Matt Weaver, whose experiments with 'laminar flow' HPV fairings seem to be advancing apace. On a recent (untimed) run he estimated that he reached speeds of up to 85mph in the latest 'Kyle Edge' - a speed verified by his pursuit vehicle. This HPV is a 'camera bike': to get the best aerodynamics, the rider doesn't look through a windscreen directly, instead relying on a video display to see where he's going. Queally will also face competition from another established upright racer. World sprint champion Jan van Eijden has been working with the 'White Hawk' team from Germany to take the record, and his attempt is planned for May 2001. The White Hawk already holds the HPV hour record (81.158km (50.44 miles), held by Lars Teutenberg) and the six-hour endurance record (359.929km (223.967 miles), held by Axel Fehlau). It's a highly developed machine, and Reynard will have their work cut out to match the years of work put into it by the team led by Guido Mertens. Queally's attempt is to be made in September or October 2001. Posted on 08 January 2001 Your comments ...
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