Team Schroeder gets ready to ride: James in peddler's seat, Kevin on the left, and on the right, Don Schroeder, designer of the three-wheeled Specter II, next to his grandson, Kid Reporter Jacob. (Photo by Heidi Schroeder)

On Your Mark, Get Set, Pedal!

Home-made, human powered vehicles set speed records

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Cyclists came to Battle Mountain, Nevada, recently to break speed records on a track that is one of the flattest and straightest sections of highway in America. Powering their two- and three-wheel homemade vehicles with only the strength of their bodies, some of these cyclists reached speeds of up to 80 miles an hour and more.

Participants in the World Human Powered Speed Challenge (WHPSC) competed on a five-mile stretch of highway in the Nevada desert in its 10th anniversary race in September. The Human Powered Speed Championship combines the best of science and technology with top athletic performance.

This reporter's grandfather, Don Schroeder, was there to challenge the world record with a machine he built called the Specter II. His team of three riders included my dad, Kevin Schroeder, and my uncle, James Schroeder. It was the Schroeder team's second year competing.

"Racing human powered vehicles is an exciting and demanding high-speed sport," Kevin Schroeder said.

Vehicles entered in the event must be powered only by the riders. They also have to meet safety standards set by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association. Every human powered vehicle (HPV) must pass a technical safety inspection. Riders must qualify in a 2.5-mile run to prove they can control their HPV at top speeds. They also have to prove they can stop their vehicles safely.

The HPVs are a combination of two- and three-wheel designs. Don Schroeder chose a 3-wheel design, called a trike.

"I built the Specter II camera trike because it is more stable than a bicycle design," he said. "The machine is designed to keep the riders safe."

Although human powered vehicle racing is a little-known sport around the nation, kids in Battle Mountain study the technology in school. The annual event is even included in Nevada textbooks.

Students are invited to meet the vehicle builders and their riders before the event each year. The kids can sit in the machines, get autographs from the riders, and learn about event rules and the world records.

Although the trikes are more stable, the 2-wheel HPVs are the fastest.

Designer Georgi Georgiev holds the most world records for his aerodynamic two-wheeled machines. Sam Whittingham, a Canadian cyclist who powered Georgiev's Varna HPV, broke another world record traveling faster than a U.S. car's legal speed limit! Whittingham's record-breaking speed of 82.8 mph makes him the fastest HPV man alive.

Barbara Buatois from France, another Varna team member, set a new women's world record with a speed of 75.46 mph. Her speed also sets a European record for both men and women.

Greg Westlake set a new handcycle world record. He rode 43.48 mph in an HPV called the Avos Arrow, which is powered only with his arms. This is the fastest in history for a handcycle!

The Specter II team was also recognized for speed. The three-wheel cyclists from New Mexico set the 50 and 55 mph club speed goals. The team's female rider, Tiffany Underwood, became the eighth fastest woman in history in the second fastest women's trike with a speed of 48.25 mph.

James Schroeder rode the Specter II this year at a speed of 59.69 mph, making him the fifth fastest trike rider ever on the five-mile long track.

"My goal is to be the fastest trike rider in the world," said James. To do that, he will have to exceed the 66.2 mph world trike record set in 2008.

Kevin Schroeder competed for the first time this year and became the world's 10th fastest trike rider with a speed of 54.47 mph. His fastest speed was 56.65 mph, but it wasn't counted because he didn't have "legal winds." Legal wind requirements are set to make the race results fair for all cyclists. Sometimes wind speed can make riders go faster, while head winds can slow them down.

For the first time this year, junior categories will allow kids to compete in future World Human Powered Speed Challenge events.

"Kids will get to set world records too," Kevin Schroeder said. At present, no official juniors records exist, but the International Human Powered Vehicle Association hopes to see kids compete in their challenges soon.

For more information, check out the International Human Powered Vehicle Association Web site.

Jacob Schroeder is a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps,

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