I
t was watching the Sam Whittingham YouTube Battle Mountain video that first got me into recumbent racing in 2011, and I’ve been eagerly following the various Battle Mountain reports from Dave Larrington, Jun Nogami et al each year since. A competitive run down the course is something I’ve always wanted to do, although I always thought that the expense and time required to build a bike and get out there would be prohibitively restrictive.
TEST RIDE AT ROCKINGHAM (17 DAYS TO BM) I was hence very excited when, upon getting back from hols on a Friday night in August and thinking “I’ll just check the BHPC forum for updates”, there was a very intriguing post: Is anybody interested in an all-expenses paid trip to Battle Mountain? All you need to be is roughly the same size as Mike, fast and willing to ride the Soup Dragon... Four days later I’m at Rockingham to test the bike. Mike Burrows is using the track time on
Rockingham’s oval to make an attempt on the UK hour record, so Andrew Sidwell is also in attendance with timing equipment, along with various other BHPC regulars, and Neil Hood in his Ristretto streamliner. Unfortunately Mike’s attempt is short-lived after a first lap crash with a traffic cone, and Neil also comes off fairly soon after starting – the tricky steering of the Ristretto not helped by 20mph+ gusty winds. I complete two runs with the top off the bike, the first is a one-lap run with a top speed of 37mph, then a two lap run with a short-lived max of 45mph. The runs feel very wobbly, but the innovative single speed and landing wheel elements of the bike work well. I also have a film camera (and boom mike) in my face for the entire time, as I learn that Blue Hippo Media are making a film about Mike building the bike and taking it to the Battle Mountain event. I’ve not dealt with a film crew before so I try not to say anything too daft…
All Photos by Russell Bridge
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BY RUSSELL BRIDGE
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LAIDBACK CYCLIST 38 2019-2
Soup Dragon EPISODE 2
LAIDBACK CYCLIST
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