Todd Reichart, the founder of human-powered vehicle company AeroVelo, claimed the world speed record in the annual World Human Powered Speed Challenge in Nevada by reaching a top speed of 86.5 miles per hour.
The annual event gathers cyclists from all over the world that are seeking to go to greater heights with pedal-powered vehicles. The 33-year-old Reichart came out on top of the competition, clinching the record that was in his and AeroVelo's sights for quite some time.
On the first day, AeroVelo reached the top speed of 85.71 mph. At the time of writing, AeroVelo was already able to post a record of 86.5 mph.
AeroVelo has been known in its initiatives concerning human-powered vehicles over the previous years, boosting its knowledge and confidence in the space. Back in 2011, the group's Vortex bicycle was able to go as fast as 72.6 mph, which was then a new world record for land speed by a college-built and college-piloted human-powered vehicle. AeroVelo has also dabbled in aviation, as the team has created what it says is the first human-powered ornithopter, and has won the Sikorsky Prize back in 2013 for its human-powered helicopter Atlas.
The momentum that AeroVelo acquired in these achievements carried over to its development of the Eta, which is the vehicle that the team trusted will allow them to set a new world record for human-powered land speed. AeroVelo revealed its plan to set the record back in June, when the record stood at 83.1 mph as set by 26-year-old Sebastiaan Bowier.
The Eta, which is an update to AeroVelo's 2012 bike named the Bluenose, has the pilot sitting in a recumbent position with the legs in front. The bike encloses the rider in a capsule created with aerodynamics, and features a video monitor in front of the driver connected to a camera that is at the vehicle's top to allow the pilot to see ahead.
All the work that AeroVelo put into the Eta was expected to provide the vehicle with only a one percent performance improvement compared to the Bluenose, and apparently that one percent is all that the team needed to set the world record.
AeroVelo faced a challenge on race day itself, as the Eta toppled over upon its launch on the first heat to cause damages on the front fairing. The vehicle had to sit out of the second heat to undergo repairs, but it was able to join the third heat to set the record.
However, the event is not yet over at the time of writing. While AeroVelo has claimed the world record with the Eta, it remains to be seen whether the human-powered vehicle's record can be eclipsed.
