Hindsight did not get to make a final run, and so the collegiate record set by Berkeley will stand for another year.

The ambulance crew at Battle Mountain is made up of 9 volunteers. Late Saturday afternoon they had to respond to a call out on the highway. Apparently there was an accident involving a triple trailer. Later on, they had to respond to a call in town involving a small child.




This was the rear of the bike after extensive repairs on Friday and Saturday. The stickers read "Life's a party. Crash it!!!" and "Miracles Happen".

Everyone worked pretty hard on Saturday to get the bike ready. It was a real team effort; despite a broken wheel fairing, a broken chain link, and a mysterious flat tire everyone pulled together and fixed the bike with over half an hour of time to spare.

At about 4:30 pm we drove the bike out to the course with hopes still high. Matt was scheduled to be last in the launch line, but as 6pm rolled around we knew that the chances of the ambulance showing up were slim.

We left the course silent and dissappointed. We did all we could, but a factor outside of our control sealed our fate... at least until next year. Matt would have broken the record, everyone knew it. The conditions were perfect, a bit on the cold side... but the wind was low. He said his legs felt great, and the bike was ready for the run too.

At the awards ceremony the Cal Poly team won the perserverance award, and I believe everyone else in the room could feel our pain, especially after the repairs we put in. I really felt that the recumbent community accepted Cal Poly as a legitimate team. We probably surprised a few people with the 55mph run, and the knowledge that there was still power left in the rider. I think that we were a class act, and a model for other universities who may want to enter the competition.

During the ceremony, in a moment of opportunity, Bill Patterson mentioned to Damjan that Cal Poly could take the bike back to school and do some analysis on it. Damjan agreed and the next morning the yellow Evie II was in the back of Darryl's truck. The bike is quite a work of wonder, and it's pretty exciting that this piece of art, and engineering marvel will be part of Cal Poly. I think that this opportunity helped to brighten the trip and really give the team something positive to take home. Oh, Nick also bought Sam Whittingham's old wheels... you should ask him aboot it when you see him on campus.

For me, I've been overjoyed to work with Nick and Matt on their bike. The experience of Battle Mountain has been a blast, and I've really just enjoyed the ride the last few weeks. Saturday was a reminder that sometimes there are things that are more important than what you're trying to do, and sometimes you just have to be patient. I was also reminded that you can do everything in your power, but sometimes the results you want aren't in your control. I've really enjoyed seeing the passion Nick and Matt put into this project. Projects like this, along with the ASME HPV, baja, formula, supermileage, hybrid vehicle... are about the people who are passionate about the project/sport. There was little prize money in the event, probably just enough to cover the trip for the winners. But the money wasn't why anyone was there, and I think most of the people would still be there if there wasn't any prize money.

Finally, thanks to all of the people involved... firstly Matt and Nick for being crazy enough to take on the project. George and Carol Leone for their continuous support of Cal Poly HPV, their undying generosity and willingness to help. Thanks to Matt's family for making it out to Nevada along with Staci, Joe, and Darryl. And thanks to everyone for all of the support you've given us.

For those of you eagerly awaiting an update...

...the ambulance did not show up today.

More details will follow.

One Last Chance

Today is the last day of the World Human Powered Speed Challenge. Matt Scott will launch at 6:17 pm and should cross through the timing marks about 8 minutes later. For the collegiate speed record a lot of things will have to fall into place. Firstly the weather will have to cooporate, the track will have to be dry for us to run, and the wind will have to be slow enough so that it is under the legal limit of 325 feet per minute; a sever wind could also push the bike off the course. Also, it would be preferable if the temperature was warmer so that there would be less aero drag. The forcast is for a partly cloudy evening with a temperature of 58 degrees when Matt takes to the track.

The bike will also need to be flawless. Mechanically the bike will need to stay together. A few of the competitors have had chain derailments and other rubbing issues. There are still a few cosmetic/aerodynamic details that need to be smoothed over before our last run tonight.

Finally, Matt will need to produce a record breaking run. Both the bike and Matt are capable of breaking 61 mph, but they will both need to break it on this run. Matt will need to bring the bike up to speed at the right time, and then lay the power down early enough that he hits max speed through the traps, but not too early that he peaks before the timing tape. Visibility on the bike is not the best, and Matt will have to be able to see the signs and where he is on the road.

So with a little luck we will set a new collegiate speed record this evening.

The reinforcements arrived late last night. Which is perfect since we had a bit of work to do on the bike. The bottom of the bike was structurally sound... except for a few scratches on the paint it was as if we just pulled it out of the mold. The "Speed Bump/It's not a tumor" had to be rebonded to the fairing, but we were able to take care of that today. The front wheel fairing was knocked off in the crash, but George and I were able to find it in the field.


Joe "Mr. Composites" arrived last night, and here you can see him bonding the speed bump back into the fairing.

Hindsight and Matt Scott did not make a run tonight as the repairs to the fairing would not be ready in time. The temperatures for the evening were a bit cooler than the last few nights, which led to denser air and slower speeds. The highlight of the evening did involve Cal Poly though. A certain Mrs. and Mr. Patterson (a professor at Cal Poly, and the "Godfather of bicycle dynamics) took a red RX-8 on a course sweep (to make sure the 5 mile course is clear); keep in mind that at the time of the sweep the course was "closed". Had this sweep been timed it would have set the fastest speed of the day (by a fair margin).

The atmosphere here is fairly relaxed... and well, the occasional practical joke should be expected.


Sam drew this on Hindsight this evening... he said it "looks like Matt".



He also made a modification to our part labeling "The purpose of this is to cover the secret motor."


Matt and team responded with "Kick me (then I might go faster than 80)."

If I counted correctly, there are 13 people here that are somehow involved in Cal Poly's appearance. Overall, there are probably about 50 people involved in the event, so the support for the team is quite significant... we've also received quite a bit of support from the other competitors and attendees in our attempt to break the world collegiate speed record.

The plan for tomorrow includes a morning run to get Matt in the bike and regain some confidence, and then an afternoon of detail and cosmetic repairs. At around 4:30 pm we will be leaving the hotel to reach the race location. Our run will occur sometime between 5:15 pm and 6:45 pm depending on the start order and weather conditions.

After a long day of anticipation... Hindsight went down at 55mph. Matt exited the bike under his own power, but was clearly unhappy. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution, and has checked out ok. He has a sore neck and a chipped tooth, but hindsight took the majority of the damage.

The crosswind played the major role in this crash. Matt mentioned that there was a steady cross wind that would die off at some parts. It just happened that the wind died down at the wrong time at the wrong point in his pedal stroke, and he wasn't able to straighten the bike up fast enough.

Tomorrow morning we will check the bike over for structural damage and assess Matt's condition before moving forward with any action.

Damjan took another horrific crash... at around 74 mph again. Theories about the ride frequency along with the pedaling cadence have been thought of as possible causes for the crashes. Oscillations of high amplitude have been visible before both crashes.

"Fearful People do Stupid Things."



Matt Scott is now the 49th fastest human in the world. He ran through the speed traps at 55.09 mph, just 6 mph under the collegiate world speed record. We achieved today's goal of finishing an official run on highway 305 at over 50mph with the fairing and windshield on. Matt mentioned that he was able to cruise at 50mph through most of the course and that there was still more energy left, so a record breaking run tomorrow is within reason.

The bumper sticker above was found at the local coffee shop... well worth the $3.


Nick, Matt and Chris Brown around the Cal Poly work area. Bill Patterson and his wife showed up today along with Larry, a gentleman who was involved with Cal Poly HPV years ago. Cal Poly clearly has the largest number of people in attendence with more coming tomorrow. It's really comforting to have so many people from Cal Poly present... and we really do enjoy the company and the support.



Hindsight's tumor also sported a growth this afternoon.


Matt warming up before the start.


Tomorrow morning we plan to help UC Davis out and help to get them qualified for the event. After that we will take the rest of the day to carefully prepare the bike and rider to break the collegiate world speed record.

"The purpose of this is to cover the rear gear shifter."


We slept in this morning. After putting up the 40mph run we're feeling quite confident, and the need to qualify for the official runs on 305 doesn't exist.

Today's plans include a fitment of a breathing system (made the Cal Poly way with a respirator and some hose we found at a pawn shop) and a few practice launches. The weather today is a bit windy and quite sunny. Hopefully the wind will die down in time for the runs.




UC Davis showed up late last night. They brought a handful of people and were quite friendly. We're enjoying the extra company of another college team... rumor has it that UMR has sent a few people to come and observe the event too, but I haven't seen anyone from Missouri yet.

Nick and Matt are the perfect married couple... it's still hilarious to watch them argue (about anything). It's also pretty funny when the agree on something too.




Some scratches on Damnjan's bike after he hit the ground at 74 mph.

Oh and on a sidenote; the comment made about people on baja just being monkeys is not what I meant... what I meant to say was that the monkeys on baja are similar to people because they use smart hammers. It's a good thing that a formula guy invented the smart hammer too. :P

You can't control the weather...

Sometimes it rains, and sometimes it hails. Matt Scott and Cal Poly's "hindsight" didn't get to make a run Tuesday night. The weather was perfect, you really couldn't ask for better conditions. Another thing you can't control is whether or not the ambulance shows up.

The rest of the riders made their runs with the knowledge that if they were to have an accident, an ambulance would not be at the scene and that it would be awhile before one could arrive because of the secluded location of the event.

In a test of character and integrity George Leone made the decision to abort Cal Poly's run. As a team we understand and support this choice and will wait another day.

Damnjan Zabovnik, a rider from Slovenia, powered his bicycle (backwards) to 74mph before hitting a bump and experiencing a horrific crash. He survived with just a few bumps and cuts... this guy is either really brave or really crazy. I'm thinking more on the crazy side.




Above, Sam Wittingham gets ready to strap into "Diablo". On his run he reached 74 mph.




Before the start the bikes line up... the few minutes before the first launch until the last bike reaches the end are quite intense.


Late this morning, everyone involved with the event brought their vehicles to the civic center where students were able to come by and look at the bikes. The 3rd grade class was ecstatic to see the vehicles. They came with drawings of their own recumbent bikes, wide eyes, big smiles, and tons of questions. Most of them also collected autographs from all of the riders.


Sam signs a few autographs (yes the bike is that small)


Matt the rock star signs his name for a few kids, notice the growth on top of "hindsight" (it's not a tumor... I call it a speed bump).

The best part of the day had to have been the free lunch provided during the display.




Matt posing by the official qualifying speed of 28.48 mph. Everyone else was between 44 and 67 mph.

This morning Matt set a trap time of 39mph in qualifying conditions. The top speed shown on his bike was 40.4 mph. This was the first full run with with the fairing and windshield in place. The launch was perfect too... just within the alloted 15 meters. In a few hours Matt will make another attempt to break the world collegiate speed record.

To say that we're excited about tonight would be an understatement... it's possible he can break 61.3 mph tonight, but we're aiming for a high 50 mph run first...

We had a beautiful day in Battle Mountain... The first official runs were taken today by 5 bikes. The top speed of the day was 66mph... set by riding backwards.




Waxing the bike in the afternoon.



5 miles of straight road, view taken from the finish line.

Matt attempted a run this evening, but issues with the brake lever hitting the fairing prevented a run at full speed. He ran without the top and crossed the timing section at 28mph.

Hindsight qualified at 21.7 mph this morning. This acutally put us in as the fastest qualifying bike of the morning... well, we were the only bike to make a qualifying attempt as it was a little windy.

Anyhow, as long as the weather is acceptable we'll make an official attempt tonight.

We've arrived in Battle Mountain... Below are some pictures of the night.





Last minute touches before calling it a night.




The bike in the parking lot at night.















Tomorrow morning we go for a qualifying/warm up run... and then have our first shot at breaking the collegiate record in the evening.