The world’s fastest bicycles

Over at Wired News there’s a cool writeup about a freelance writer’s attempt to break a land speed record for riding a bicycle. Taken at first glance, this doesn’t seem like that big a deal except the current record, held by Canadian Sam Whittingham, sits at 81 mph. Author Bryan Ball writes,

Long winters make cyclists do crazy things. Sometime in early January, I decided to take a shot at a world record riding a streamlined human powered vehicle — a recumbent bicycle with a carbon fiber shell.

I’ll be aiming for the flying 200-meter world record, which is currently held by Canadian rider Sam Whittingham with a speed of 81 mph flat. That’s right, 81 mph on a bike, on flat ground.

And, sure, these bikes aren’t the carbon fiber road rigs that you’ll see in the Tour de France but, judging by the video below, they all haul.

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