Wow! What a trip. I have just arrived back from my German assault on the hour. We had often wondered what was possible if we had a chance to ride what is arguably the finest track for speedbikes in the world. Now we know. Let me share it with you.

On Saturday Evening of July 31,  I broke my own official One Hour Endurance World Record with a new mark of 84.215km. Once again,  I was riding the fully faired recumbent bicycle, Varna Diablo.

The very next evening the women's record was broken twice! First by then current record-holder and Dutch powerhouse Elan van der Horst riding the German Whitehawk. This was record was then smashed open again by Swiss rider Rosmarie Buhler also  in the Varna Diablo in which Sam had ridden the day before.

The weekend of racing was set up much the way the World Human powered Speed Challenge is run in Battle Mt. Nevada every year. An invitational event for those vehicles and riders who honestly have a shot at the record. The German Whitehawk team did a flawless job of organizing and running the event at the Opel car testing facility in Duddenhofen, Germany. Long time rivals are now friends. Still rivals...................but friends as well.

The Battlefield

This (almost) perfect Track is owned by the GM/Opel car company in Germany. It is a 4.8 km perfect asphalt crop-circle carved out of the forest. It has a concave banked surface for speeds of anywhere from 60kph to 220+. The elevation change is only a few inches and it is very close to sea-level. The track is very smooth without expansion cracks or any other such nonsense. The track has one flaw however. It hasn't been re-surfaced in 15 years and although the surface is very smooth it is quite 'wavy' and makes for quite a bouncy and difficult ride. A bit like sitting on a washing machine during the spin cycle.

The Contenders

Germany Our fine hosts were anxious to try there new wunder-bike; the Speedhawk. This bike has an identical plan view and top section to their previous Whitehawk serious of vehicles. About 12" of fat has been removed from the underside so the rider now sits much lower in the bike but in nearly the same position as before. The Powerful legs of professional cyclist Lars Teutenberg was the engine yet again.

Canada We were our usual overstaffed team of two. The bike was identical to what we used in Texas. Except that we had spent 3 full days sanding of ALL of the old layers of paint accumulated from several years of crashes and repairs. This was not so much to improve the finish as it was to make it light enough to go on the airplane! This is the first year I haven't raced my upright bike for a season in preparation. I opted instead to ride only the recumbent and partake in small training rides such as RAAM to get in shape. In the end, my fitness levels seems consistent with years past.

Netherlands van der Horst came with a small Dutch entourage to improve on here previous record of 68km.  She was again piloting her 'optimized' Whitehawk. I never did figure out what had been 'optimized' but it looked very good none the less.

Switzerland We recruited Elan's long time rival Rosmarie Buhler to join our team make a bid for the woman's hour record. These two have been fighting it for years on the 'bent racing circuit and here was an opportunity to throw all the chips on the table. With a few pillows and a stool to stand on she quickly adapted to peering over the dashboard of the Varna Diablo. Once she got a handle of starting (always the hardest part) she quickly proved to be a natural.

A brief history of the hour record

Men's:

Women's:

George and Guido. This picture says it all.

  Some friends I met on the airplane.

  "Anyone have Schwalbe tape?"

  George and Axel. This moment made possible by lots of good German beer.

   On the bus with the Dutch.

Elan and Rosmarie. Clash of the titans.

Still to come a complete report of the rides.

Big THANK YOU to:

• First and most importantly to the amazing hospitality of Axel Fehlau, Guido Mertens, Stephen Goroncy, Gunner Fehlau and the rest of the RSC Speedbike/Whitehawk team.
• The Opel test centre for providing us with such an excellent facility and having a genuine interest in our endeavors.
• Rosmarie Buhler for being so damn fast and giving us another world record. A very worthy champion.
• Michael Solomon and Shawna Baird for getting us across the pond. What can I say. This kind of generosity is rare these days.
• Everyone on Gabriola Island who wished us luck, especially Peter and Anna Marcus. 
• Lars Teutenberg. After years of dueling we finally meet.
• Andrea Blaseckie for her never ending organizational skills and allowing me to come home without the cash.......again.
• Air Canada for letting us on the plane with a SCUD Missile and only losing it once and dropping it twice
• Andrea Georgiev and Varna Handcycles.  
• Martin as our flawless official from the  IHPVA.
• PowerCranks
• Schwalbe Tires