52.664 kilometres - a new NZ hour record!

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Prior to the staging of the Nelson TT HPV meeting at Trafalgar Park Velodrome in Nelson on Sunday May 31st, Bob Knight and Nigel Farrell attempted to set a new NZ hour record for HPVs.

Both men easily broke the existing national HPV and UCI marks, but overall Nigel was the faster of the two.  Nigel rode 101 laps of the 520m circuit plus an additional 144.30 metres. By comparison Bob rode 97 laps, plus 287.20 metres.

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Richard Middleton has written an excellent account of the attempt on the hour and how it played out.  It's rivetting reading.

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Here is how the New Zealand hour record has developed over time.

49.987km - 15 January 1994
Robb Simpson - Kingsbury “Bean” HPV - Denton Park Oval, Christchurch

50.226km - 29 January 1997
Lee Vertongen - UCI track cycle - Wanganui Velodrome, Wanganui

50.727km - 31 May 2009
Bob Knight - faired Burrows Ratracer - Trafalgar Park, Nelson

52.664km - 31 May 2009
Nigel Farrell - Farrell Streamliner HPV - Trafalgar Park, Nelson

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Some photos taken at the hour attempt

Side view of Bob Knight's modified Burrows Ratracer.
You can just make out the windscreen that he fitted.



Before the attempt, Bob goes off for a warm-up ride.
Richard Middleton assists, Aarn Tate observes.



How they compare: Nigel's and Bob's machines front on.



And now with their owners alongside.



Nigel Farrell, showing that he means business



Nigel, after the ride, and about to be freed out of his HPV



Bob Knight resting after his attempt on the the hour record
(photo by Patrick Hamilton of the Nelson Mail)



Measuring off the final part lap. Left to Right: Annaliisa Farrell,
John Middleton, Richard Middleton and Paul Dunlop

 Bob and Nigel comparing experiences

Two views of what's on the inside of Nigel Farrell's streamliner

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Some videos taken at the hour attempt

Symon Holmes, who also competed in the Nelson TT event that followed the hour attempt, took some video clips of the hour attempt, and these can be seen at Symon's YouTube channel

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Human-powered record smashed
by Charles Anderson - Fairfax Media

It is speed that matters most for Nigel Farrell and Bob Knight and yesterday they proved it by breaking the New Zealand human-powered vehicle record at Nelson's Trafalgar Park.

The pair travelled from Canterbury for the Kiwi HPV event at Trafalgar Park. The challenge was to travel as far as possible in an hour and break the New Zealand human-powered vehicle record. The bikes are different to most, as riders sit with their feet out in front and are encased in a fibreglass shell.

For Farrell, the 15-year-old record was ready to be broken. "I think we were both quite confident that we would break it; we knew we could go faster than the old record," he said. The previous record was 49.98km, set in 1994. Farrell rode 52.66km and Knight 50.72km.

Kiwi HPV Nelson coodinator James McLeod said it was particularly important to attempt the record. "It hasn't been tried for so long there is not really that large-scale interest in the sport in New Zealand so it really had to be done."

The pair were racing against the clock but Farrell said there was still a bit of competition between them. "For the first few laps, I was out in front, but apparently Bob was right behind me, but his bike is pretty vulnerable to the wind, which made it difficult for him when it got blustery."

Farrell reached a maximum speed of about 55kmh. It was that type of speed that got him interested when he watched a documentary on human-powered vehicles about five years ago. "But those bikes were something else; they can reach speeds of 130kmh."

He said the goal was to keep on getting faster. But if he attempts to beat his record, he will do so with a better bike. "We already have another bike in the works."  For both men, it is the speed that appeals to them most about the sport. "Some people like hauling trailers and getting their kicks out of that but for me, that is just not fast enough," Farrell said.

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The above article has appeared online at www.stuff.co.nz and in the following publications:

The Nelson Mail - 01 June 2009 - front page
The Christchurch Press - 02 June 2009 - page A4
The Dominion Post - 02 June 2009 - page A5
The Southland Times - 02 June 2009 - ??

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