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September 16, 2002

Press Release/FYI:

World's Fastest Human 2002 Speed Challenge, Sept 30 - 0ct 5, Nevada USA

Two days ago, world silver-medalist American Tim Montgomery edged Maurice Greene's mark for the world's fastest man on foot at the Grand Prix in Paris by 0.01 seconds (5 inches at the tape) for 100 meters (9.78 seconds).  There's another "World's Fastest Human" who wears a very different shoe.

Two weeks from now, the "World Human Powered Speed Challenge" will be held in Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA.  It's where humans have gone the fastest using pure muscle power and innovation.  The laws of physics are the rulebook.  Top athletes are melded with technology and art.  There's more to the challenge than "speed" - it's about discovering the "possible" and symbolizes the all-encompassing concepts of human potential, ability, energy and intelligence.

Six days of racing, Sept. 30 - Oct. 5, 2002.  Held in the spectacular desolation of Battle Mountain, Nevada (see below).  One pure-muscle sprint each sunset (5:30pm).  Athletes accelerate over 5.1 miles of desert highway from a standstill to top speed. New this year: $25,000.00 ".deciMach" Prize for fastest human over 82-MPH (must break reigning Sam Whittingham's 80.55-MPH world record set last year).  No-nonsense extreme speeds (100 meters under 2.8 seconds) using pure muscle strength. Athletes power the most energy-efficient vehicles in existence.  The world record surpassed 70-MPH in 2000 and 80-MPH in 2001.

Official Race Site - The World Human Powered Speed Challenge 2002:
http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/whpsc2002/speedchallenge-2002.htm
Photo Gallery - http://www.speed101.com/gallery/
Race Articles - http://www.speed101.com/articles/

The race site is off Interstate 80 on Hwy 305 between Salt Lake City, Utah and
Reno, Nevada, USA.  It is exactly midway between the Bonneville Salt Flats where the world's fastest automobiles gather and the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, where the British Thrust SSC jet car cracked the speed of sound. Hwy 305 is also the course for one of the world's fastest public-road races, the 90-mile "Pony Express" with a top course average near 200-MPH.

Confirmed teams from USA, Germany, Canada, UK, The Netherlands.  Possible team from Russia. Also, a trio of women from USA, Germany, and Canada will vie for top speed honors.

Athletes include:  (see www.speed101.com/gallery/ for racer photos and links)
 * Sam Whittingham, Canada,  80.55-MPH World Record Holder
 * Matt Weaver,     USA,     78.02-MPH U.S. Record Holder
 * Jan Van Eijden,  Germany, World Cycling Sprint Champion/Olympian
 * Fred Markham,    USA,     Former 65.48-MPH World Record Holder/Olympian
 * Tanya Markham,   USA,     51.27-MPH Fastest Women's Kilo. 16-yrs old.
 * Andrea Blaseckie, Canada, 54.04-MPH Women's Top-Speed World Record
 * Ellen van der Horst, NLD  42.46-MPH Women's World Hour Record Holder
 * Sean Costin,     USA      World Lowracer Sprint Champion 2000, video bike
 * Rob English,     UK       Top European "low racer" cyclist in the "Mango"
 * Plus at least 4 more elite cyclists/teams through a pre-race qualifier.

Most teams stay at "Race Central" at the "Best" Inn, only five inches from the heart of the Washington Post's official "Armpit of America" - Battle Mountain, NV.  For details, see:
http://www.battlemountain.org/armpit.html or
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A31628-2001Nov28&notFound=true 

The 2001 contest was full of surprises, and a 50-minute BBC/NOW Ash Potterton documentary, "The Fastest Man on Earth" captured it.  If you're not familiar, there's a brief summary and photos of the racing by 2000 racer/organizer Sean Costin at
http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/whpsc2001/resultsSaturday.htm.
There's also a good article in the April 2002 Canadian "Explore" Magazine - see http://www.explore-mag.com/new/current/exp_current03042002a.html.

There will be activities every day, including bike races at the airport and two sets of sprints in the evening on a 6-mile stretch of highway.  Details forthcoming at the "official" website.  Keep tabs there and you might be tempted to make the final day, Saturday, Oct 5.

Also, the annual bicycle industry "Interbike" show (www.interbike.com) is being held immediately after BM in Las Vegas (Oct 6-8).  There's a chance there  will be arrangements for a world hour record attempt (Ed Dempsey-Paul MacCready Hour Prize) on the fast 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway immediately after BM, but track availability and racer commitment is undetermined at this time.

Sincerely,
Matt Weaver
(address omitted)
email:  edge "at" speed101.com

============End of Press Release=======================================

Feel free to forward this to whomever you see fit.  It would be nice if more knew of it.  This basic human challenge plainly illustrates a key aspect seldom recognized embodied in "speed" pursuits.  Instead of "more," it's "doing more with less" - a relevant concept to comprehend.

---------notes---------
Notes on Known Teams Racing:  German "Whitehawk" team with world sprint champion (standard racing bikes) Jan Van Eijden has confirmed their presence.  Jan will be riding the world hour record bike.

British "Blueyonder" team will not be present.  2000 Olympic Record Kilo Gold Medallist Jason Queally dedicated his training this year to the 2002 Commonwealth Games.  In BYs place, there's a promising super-compact new British bike - Kingcycle "Mango" - that has a few hints of Matt Weaver's unfinished "eta" project.  It will be ridden by top European "low racer" cyclist Rob English.  It was build by former world hour record bike designer/builder Miles Kingsbury.

The 80.55-MPH world record Canadian "Varna" team has a new "refined" version of the "Diablo."  Even smaller for 2002, and sporting for the first time features traditionally found on Weaver's Kyle Edge bike.

The University of California, Berkeley tandem (2-man) will be present, as well as the Easy Racer's 65-MPH Dupont Prize winning "Gold Rush" (in the Smithsonian Museum) and others.

I am planning to race a "rebuild" of the "Virtual Edge" bike and will have the 78.02-MPH U.S. record holding "Kyle Edge" built in 1992 on hand as well. BTW, there's lots of advertising space available on the side of my bikes! Several teams may run very fast - rumors are that 90-MPH may someday somehow be reached on the Battle Mountain 5.1 mile course.

Additional Links:
(Forte Bicycles, Sam Whittingham)
(Matt Weaver) www.speed101.com  (see "links" or "gallery" pages there)
(Jason Queally, Telewest Blueyonder)
(Jan Van Eijden, Whitehawk)
(Freddy Markham, Easy Racers)
(Rob English, Kingcycle Mango)
(".deciMach" Prize/Official Organizer, Garrie Hill)