How far can a human travel under their own power in 24 hours?

July 15, 2006 Last week we reported on Fast Freddy Markham’s world one hour human powered vehicle record of 53.43 miles, set on a recumbent bicycle with carbon fibre fairing that resembles a torpedo – now think how hard it is to average 53.43 mph in your car and wonder just what the limits might be for human powered vehicles given our ever-growing understanding of science. Next week there’s a serious attempt on the world record human powered vehicle distance record for 24 hours. A similar eight-foot long torpedo-shaped recumbent christened Critical Power has been designed and built using SolidWorks and COSMOS software for the attempt on the 1,021.36 km (634.6 miles) record. Forty-something year old triathlete Greg Kolodziejzyk will attempt the record at Redwood Acres Motor Speedway in Eureka, California, sometime between July 19 and 24, depending on weather. To take the record, Greg only needs to average just over 42 km/h, which can be achieved with a continuous output of 110 watts – not much more power than that required for a light bulb. But he’ll need to do it non-stop for 24 hours. Great story!

« Back to How far can a human travel under their own power in 24 hours?