Dutch student breaks female cycling world speed record with speed of 122.12 km/h

By Janene Pieters on September 10, 2019 - 14:00
TU Delft and VU Amsterdam's Human Power Team with their aerodynamic recumbent bike
TU Delft and VU Amsterdam's Human Power Team with their aerodynamic recumbent bikePhoto: Bas de Meijer / Human Power Team

The Human Power Team, a student team from TU Delft and VU Amsterdam, broke the female cycling world speed record a the World Human Powered Speed Challenge in the United States on Monday. Athlete Rosa Bas reached a top speed of 122.12 kilometers per hour with the team's self-made aerodynamic recumbent bike, breaking the old record of 121.8 km.h, TU Delft announced.

"We worked towards this for a year and now we have succeeded", Bas said about the record. "It is amazing to cycle so fast. I went faster than cars are allowed to drive on this road."

The previous record was set in 2010 by French athlete Barbara Buatois. "It is special to finally break this record after nine years", said Britt Krabbenborg, team manager of the Human Power Team. "Every year, athletes from all over the world have tried to surpass Buatois. After months of designing, producing and training, we have finally achieved it."

The Human Powered Speed Challenge is the world championship for human-powered vehicles. It takes place in the Nevada desert in the United States, and for good reason, according to Krabbenborg. "It is not possible to achieve such high speeds in the Netherlands", she explained. "The championship takes place in Battle Mountain, where there is a straight road that is 10 kilometers long. This is long enough to build up speed, do a sprint, and finally slow down again. Because of its location at 1,400 meters, the air there is thinner than in the Netherlands, so the air resistance is even lower and we can ride even faster."

The Human Powered Speed Challenge is happening until September 14th, so students from around the world still have the opportunity to beat the new record. 

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