Sam Whittingham Is The World's Fastest Cyclist

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-Staff

By Staff

Monday, September 29, 2008, 15:16

Here is another record made by the champion cyclist Sam Whittingham after he managed to out do himself.

Sam Whittingham from British Columbia has become the world's fastest cyclist after hitting a cool 82.3 mph on his recumbent bicycle . Whittingham, who is a bike-builder by profession, has beaten his own record of 81.02 mph during a picture-perfect run through the desert during the World Human Powered Speed Challenge outside Battle Mountain, Nevada.

"On the one hand, it's terrifying, but also completely exhilarating. It's like going down the steepest hill you can find on your bike, but you get to do that all the time," The Wired News quoted Whittingham, as telling the Vancouver Sun. The biker, who has won the competition every year since its inception six years ago, took home the 26,748 dollars deciMach Prize for Human-Powered Speed after winning this year's event.

However, Whittingham's bike is nothing like your bike. He runs Naked Bicycle and Design, set the record on the Varna Diablo III, a sleek teardrop shaped recumbent designed and built by bike designer Georgi Georgiev. It features carbon fibre wheels and a carbon frame wrapped with Kevlar bodywork. He made his record-setting run down Highway 305 just outside Battle Mountain last Thursday during what could only be called perfect conditions. The course has a five-mile run-up and a 200 meter trap.

The International Human Powered Vehicle Association sponsored the race. Whittingham made his first run in the morning, going a little more than 80 mph, but took to the course again in the evening beating all the previous scores at 82.3 mph.I was flying down the course, but I was getting bumped around like crazy. That was one of the scarier runs of my life because I've never gone that fast before," he said afterwards, according to Canadian news blog The Tyee.

Now that sounds like some news in the world of speed.