Historically speaking, fully-faired HPVs, like Diablo, are a recent addition to bicycle design. Though recumbent positions were tinkered with in the late 1800s, it wasn’t until the 1970s, during an oil crisis, that super-efficient designs for “bent” bikes gained ground, especially in North America.
Origins
Long before computer simulations and high-tech engineering tests, recumbent riders in France were discovering the advantages of a laid-back riding position. In the 1930’s, inventor Charles Mochet introduced his Velocar as the pauper’s alternative to the expensive motorcar. Mochet continued to tinker with his designs; eventually, he built a two-wheeled machine.
Immediately, Mochet discovered the advantages of cheating the wind. He hired a rider, Francis Faure, to enter several high-profile track and road races on his two-wheeled machine. Faure went on to beat many of Europe’s top cyclists in both short and long-distance events. Mochet's machine tumbled many standing world records. At the Paris velodrome, in 1933, Faure covered over 45 kilometres in one hour, which shattered Albert Egg’s twenty-year-old record. In 1938, Faure became the first rider in history to ride more than fifty kilometers in one hour.
Not surprisingly, Mochet’s designs challenged the upright cycling industry and racing scene, especially in France, where the Tour De France, with its fan-base and culture, had been well-established for three decades. The governing body for cycling, the United Cyclist Internationale (UCI) sought to invalidate Mochet’s records, reasoning that they weren’t performed on a proper “racing bicycle.” The UCI ratified strict codes to govern racing-bicycle design, essentially making a “legal” racing recumbent impossible to build. Even today, recumbent records are not recognized by the UCI.
Though "bents" and "uprights" are still banned from competing together in UCI-sanctioned events, recumbents have pedaled themselves into a staunch fringe following, especially during the 1970s. This is not a slight; indeed, most recumbent riders seem to take pride in their niche of cycling. After all, bent racers like Sam Whittingham know something upright riders don't: the sensation of over 80 MPH on flat ground. |
A group of distinguished-looking French folks pedal their way through a park in style. Who wouldn't want a Mochet Velocar?
A 1935 version of Mochet's Velocar, the Camionette.
The White Lightning team, shown here in the 1970's, managed over 61 MPH on the Ontario Motor Speedway, in Canada. This mulit-rider HPV was the first bike to exceed 50, 55, and 60 MPH.
Ahh, the 80s. Despite the tragedy of pink spandex, HPVs and recumbents steadily gained popularity in North America.
Into the 21st century. Sam Whittingham tears the lid off the dusky Nevada sky in Diablo II. |
