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New world record in one-hour cycling set - 91.556 kilometers

August 11, 2011
New world record in one-hour cycling set - 91.556 kilometers
The Eiviestretto team celebrating after beating the one-hour cycling world record
The Eiviestretto team celebrating after beating the one-hour cycling world record
View 25 Images
The rider lies flat inside the vehicle
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The rider lies flat inside the vehicle
Francesco Russo of Switzerland, riding a custom-built streamliner, has broken the world record in one-hour cycling by covering a distance of 91.556 km
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Francesco Russo of Switzerland, riding a custom-built streamliner, has broken the world record in one-hour cycling by covering a distance of 91.556 km
Francesco Russo of Switzerland, riding a custom-built streamliner, has broken the world record in one-hour cycling by covering a distance of 91.556 km
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Francesco Russo of Switzerland, riding a custom-built streamliner, has broken the world record in one-hour cycling by covering a distance of 91.556 km
The Eiviestretto team celebrating after beating the one-hour cycling world record
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The Eiviestretto team celebrating after beating the one-hour cycling world record
The Eiviestretto team celebrating after breaking the record
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The Eiviestretto team celebrating after breaking the record
The overall interior space is so narrow, that the rider can move only his legs
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The overall interior space is so narrow, that the rider can move only his legs
The Eiviestretto team celebrating after breaking the record
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The Eiviestretto team celebrating after breaking the record
The rider lies flat inside the vehicle
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The rider lies flat inside the vehicle
The rider lies flat inside the vehicle
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The rider lies flat inside the vehicle
The streamliner is made of carbon components and finished with an acrylic glass cover
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The streamliner is made of carbon components and finished with an acrylic glass cover
The streamliner is made of carbon components and finished with an acrylic glass cover
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The streamliner is made of carbon components and finished with an acrylic glass cover
The streamliner is made of carbon components and finished with an acrylic glass cover
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The streamliner is made of carbon components and finished with an acrylic glass cover
The custom-built recumbent bike is just 70 cm (27.5 in) high and weighs 21 kg (46.2 lbs), with a front surface area of 0.238 square meters (2.56 square feet)
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The custom-built recumbent bike is just 70 cm (27.5 in) high and weighs 21 kg (46.2 lbs), with a front surface area of 0.238 square meters (2.56 square feet)
Built by a Slovenian team led by Damjan Zabovnik, Eiviestretto is a fully faired vehicle that is ridden in a supine position
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Built by a Slovenian team led by Damjan Zabovnik, Eiviestretto is a fully faired vehicle that is ridden in a supine position
The overall interior space is so narrow, that the rider can move only his legs
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The overall interior space is so narrow, that the rider can move only his legs
Built by a Slovenian team led by Damjan Zabovnik, Eiviestretto is a fully faired vehicle that is ridden in a supine position
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Built by a Slovenian team led by Damjan Zabovnik, Eiviestretto is a fully faired vehicle that is ridden in a supine position
It's powered via the front wheel, which is 20'' in diameter
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It's powered via the front wheel, which is 20'' in diameter
The custom-built recumbent bike is just 70 cm (27.5 in) high and weighs 21 kg (46.2 lbs), with a front surface area of 0.238 square meters (2.56 square feet)
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The custom-built recumbent bike is just 70 cm (27.5 in) high and weighs 21 kg (46.2 lbs), with a front surface area of 0.238 square meters (2.56 square feet)
The streamliner is made of carbon components and finished with acrylic glass cover
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The streamliner is made of carbon components and finished with acrylic glass cover
The custom-built recumbent bike is just 70 cm (27.5 in) high and weighs 21 kg (46.2 lbs), with a front surface area of 0.238 square meters (2.56 square feet)
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The custom-built recumbent bike is just 70 cm (27.5 in) high and weighs 21 kg (46.2 lbs), with a front surface area of 0.238 square meters (2.56 square feet)
Its design principles assume to keep drag coefficient as low as possible, and minimize the frontal area
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Its design principles assume to keep drag coefficient as low as possible, and minimize the frontal area
The custom-built recumbent bike is just 70cm (27.5in) high and weighs 21kg (46.2lbs), with the front surface of 0.238m2 (2.56 square feet)
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The custom-built recumbent bike is just 70cm (27.5in) high and weighs 21kg (46.2lbs), with the front surface of 0.238m2 (2.56 square feet)
Its design principles attempts to keep the drag coefficient as low as possible, and minimize the frontal area
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Its design principles attempts to keep the drag coefficient as low as possible, and minimize the frontal area
It's powered via the front wheel, which is 20'' in diameter
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It's powered via the front wheel, which is 20'' in diameter
Francesco Russo of Switzerland, riding a custom-built streamliner, has broken world record in one-hour cycling by covering a distance of 91.556 kilometers
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Francesco Russo of Switzerland, riding a custom-built streamliner, has broken world record in one-hour cycling by covering a distance of 91.556 kilometers
View gallery - 25 images

This sleek, human-powered missile on wheels is called Eiviestretto and it's one of the world's fastest recumbent bicycles or HPVs (human powered vehicles). On August 2nd, Francesco Russo of Switzerland rode this custom-built streamliner to beat the world record in one-hour cycling by covering a distance of 91.556 kilometers (56.89 miles). The new record was set on the DEKRA Test Oval track in Klettwitz, Germany.

Built by a Slovenian team led by Damjan Zabovnik, Eiviestretto is a fully faired vehicle that is ridden in the supine position, with the rider utilizing a mirror to navigate. Its design principles attempt to keep the drag coefficient as low as possible, and minimize the frontal area. Beating the world record was the only purpose in building Eiviestretto.

The rider's helmet lies directly on the rear wheel fairing, and the overall interior space is so narrow that the rider can move only his legs. The custom-built recumbent bike is just 70 cm (27.5 in) high and weighs 21 kg (46.2 lbs), with a front surface area of 0.238 square meters (2.56 square feet). It's powered via the front wheel, which is 20 inches (50.8 cm) in diameter. The casing is made of carbon components and finished with an acrylic glass cover.

Riding Eiviestretto, Russo has managed to beat the previous record of 90.724 km (56.373 miles) that was set in 2009 by Canadian multi-record-holder Sam Whittingham. Russo's record hasn't been officially confirmed yet by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association.

The overall interior space is so narrow, that the rider can move only his legs
The overall interior space is so narrow, that the rider can move only his legs

While the average speed achieved by Francesco Russo during his one-hour speed trial is impressive, human-powered streamliners have gone even faster on flat surfaces. The top speed record holder is Fred Rompelberg, who reached 268.8 kph (167.0 mph) in 1995 at Bonneville Salt Flats, although it was in the wake of a motor dragster pace-car reducing the aerodynamic drag. Sam Whittingham holds the top speed world record in the 200 meter (656 ft) flying start speed trial, with a speed of 133.28 kph (82.8 mph) set while riding his Varna Diablo III. Greg Kolodziejzyk set a world record riding 1,046.94 km (650.538 miles) during a 24-hour speed trial in 2006.

The following video presents Francesco Russo's record-breaking ride.

One Hour World Record - Francesco Russo & Eiviestretto - 91,556km (by Damjan Zabovnik)

View gallery - 25 images

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SportsRecordVehicleCyclingStreamliner
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3 comments
Renārs Grebežs
Well, it doesn\'t look that fast. And the casing, imho, makes the whole enterprise boring. If a proper aerodynamic casing for a seating position were invented - that would be something.
Frederik De Walle
First, my congratulations to Francesco and the team!
Some corrections: - The article author has confused front and rear wheel: the head is at the front wheel, while the rear wheel. Indeed, the rider is going backwards! Not suitable for street use ;) - The person on the last picture is Damjan - While Fred Rompelberg was fast, the streamlining car in front had about 1000hp so this cannot be called a \"human powered\" record. - The 24h record has since been improved to 1223km by Christian von Ascheberg with the added benefit that the velomobile used can be used on the street also.
Panayis Zambellis
fantastic achievement congratulations