3 ms·
You could really probably optimize for the 200m speed zone. As long as you can get to your top speed before it, you dont need to fly through the 5 mile zone.
by QuotedForTruth 11y ago
You could really probably optimize for the 200m speed zone. As long as you can get to your top speed before it, you dont need to fly through the 5 mile zone. Better to save energy for an explosive finish.
Track cyclists sometimes do a "flying 200m." The record is 9.347 seconds which is 47.86 mph. Thats on a non aero bike with drop handle bars. It would be very interesting to see them in a perfectly aero recumbant bike like this.
- irl_zebra 11y agoAbsolutely. Being trained for such short intervals, I wonder how much their power output would drop in the final 200m after that 5 mile buildup. In any case, there has to be some optimal cyclist build for this event. I suspect it's probably somewhere between a time trialist and a pure sprinter.
- foobarian 11y agoWould it be within the rules to include a power capturing mechanism like a flywheel or spring that can be unleashed at the end? That would change the game to maximizing total energy output over the 5 miles, and make the whole section count.
- dalke 11y agoEven without reading the rules - no. Otherwise, why not spend 8 hours to go the 5 miles, charging up the system the whole time, and get a brief burst of 100+ mph at the end? It'll end up seeing who can build the better power capturing mechanism, not seeing how fast a human powered vehicle can go.