Good Fit Extreme Sport! Speed Record?
Good Fit
…
Rowing on ice should be
particularly well suited for racing.
Exciting performance, athletic ability, driving skills, and
attention-to-detail all come into play.
At high speeds,
control will be pushed to the limit.
Sports car like handling will demand skill for corners and passing. Even drafting may be a factor.
The rowing stroke
will be particularly critical for starts, corners, and passing. The racer must be in the right gear using
the right wheel loading and then take a stroke at just the right time …
all while watching the competition and planning ahead for the next
corner!
Ice conditions vary considerably. To be competitive, the vehicle would have to
be set-up properly for the conditions at hand.
Runner and cleat selection/preparation would likely be key tactical
decisions.
And then there’s the athlete him/herself. Strength, conditioning, and training would be nearly as important as for traditional rowing.
Extreme Sport!
If competition becomes
popular, the best race courses would probably be iced trails made on land with banked
turns and modest changes in elevation.
The design of a course could
easily turn this wholesome activity into an extreme sport. Imagine the speed and challenges that downhill
portions of an iced trial could create (or even the skills and tactics required
for the uphill portions)!
Let’s see: Head-to-head competition on a closed-loop
(multi lap) course … competitors with
the strength/conditioning of a rower and the driving skills of a car
racer ... top speeds a function of course design ... refined vehicles carefully
set-up for the ice conditions … and then there are those razor sharp runners
….
Hmmmm ..
maybe the Winter Olympics someday? J
Speed
Record?
Varna
Diablo, a faired recumbent bike ridden by Sam Whittingham,
currently holds the human powered speed record at 80.2 MPH [200m
- flying start].
Does
this concept have a chance to do better?
Probably not,
but I think a rather extreme variation may
be worth considering …
·
Vehicle
would be fully faired with only runners and a saw blade type drive wheel
slightly exposed. [incremental frontal area reduction] Overall width would be about 20”.
· User would be semi-prone on his back and use a motion more like weight lifting than rowing. [frontal area reduction relative to pedaling]
· Course would be hit to bias speed above average. [i.e. 200m course would require 4 strokes and only 3 recovery periods … and be entered while accelerating.]
·
Nearly perfect ice
would be used for record attempts. This
would minimize vibration and small drag inducing movements. [possibly a significant advantage relative
to wheels on land]
·
Vehicle
would a) have a sliding foot assembly
but not a pivoting column (handles
on cables), b) have only one pulley
(for arm cable), and c) probably be
steered (aimed?) using head tilting motions.
·
Downside: Lower operating temperatures will
increase air density/drag!
·
Unknown: It may not be possible to
generate enough short-duration power by this method.
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