Record attempt
On 15 September 2013, Bowier broke the International Human Powered Vehicle Association record, previously set by Canadian Sam Whittingham in 2009, by 0.6 kilometres per hour (0.37 mph).[3] The speed of 133.78 kilometres per hour (83.13 mph) was achieved over a 200 metres (660 ft) stretch of road in Battle Mountain, on a recumbent bicycle named VeloX3, designed by students from the Delft University of Technology and the VU University Amsterdam.[3] He required a run-up of 8 km (5.0 mi) before setting the record.[4]
Vehicle
The VeloX3 bicycle he used has a profiled carbon fibre shell covered with the same type of coating used on Formula One cars.[4] It experiences approximately one-tenth of the drag of a conventional bicycle, and uses a camera on the top for navigation.[5] It was found that hard pedalling led to deformation of the shell, which had to be corrected before the record could be set.[6] Two new shells were used for the racing, with parts from the testing vehicles being reused.[7]
Training
He trained for 15 to 20 hours every week for a year, under a regime chosen by Human Movement Sciences students from VU University in Amsterdam.[8]