Local universities to attempt world record for the fastest human powered vehicle

This week, sports scientists from Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University will be helping to select riders to take on the World Human Power Speed Challenge, due to take place in September 2015.

Applicants from across the country will be tested for strength, stamina and endurance in special tests devised by Liverpool Hope University’s Dr Marwood, Dr Angell and students from LJMU alongside Professor of Applied Sport and Exercise Science Greg Whyte. The University of Liverpool’s Patrick Harper, Lead Ergonomics Engineer with the University of Liverpool Velocipede (ULV) Team, designed the bike.

This testing will take place in LJMU’s Tom Reilly Building which offers some of the best facilities in the world for sport and exercise sciences and will be supported by MSc Sport and Exercise Physiology students from LJMU, Matt Chadwick, Rebecca Monteith and Paul Colgan.

30 people applied to take on ten months of intensive training to reach the physical peak needed to ride the ARION1 Velocipede, an entirely pedal-powered aerodynamic bike which is being built by the ULV Team. When manufactured, the ARION1 Velocipede should be able to reach a top speed of 90mph and could generate enough power to light the average UK home. It weighs less than 25 kilos, is 98.4% efficient and will travel at almost double the current sprint cycling record. It will be 35 times more aerodynamic than a standard upright bicycle and the wheels will spin at over 1500 RPM.

Matt Chadwick LJMU MSc Sport and Exercise Physiology student said: “The tests are designed to push the participants to their full physical potential, and test a variety of important attributes by utilizing different energy systems within the body. We have some great riders involved with the project and are increasingly confident that we can break the world record.”

The ULV team hopes to break the World Human Power Speed Challenge (WHPSC), held in Battle Mountain, Nevada in September 2015. The team will be the first university team from the United Kingdom to attempt the land speed record. They aim to smash the 83.13 mph record set in September 2013 by TU Delft and VU Amsterdam universities – but to do that they need the best possible riders.

To test their endurance, participants will undergo a ramp test, which will indicate the maximal minute power (average power during final minute of a ramp).  They will also be asked to complete a three-minute bout of all-out exercise. Mathematical modelling will be used to determine the physical requirements to break the record.

Liverpool Hope University’s Dr Peter Angell said: “We will combine the use of a normal, upright cycle and a recumbent bicycle during the training, gradually moving towards using the recumbent cycle more, until we're able to use the ARION 1 for parts of the training and testing. This is where the rider will begin to reach the record-breaking speeds required. We could potentially be training the fastest human on earth – to do that we need to help plan for every eventuality and ensure that the chosen athlete is at the optimum performance level."

Patrick Harper, Lead Ergonomics Engineer with the ULV Team said: "There are some really talented sports men and women being tested I am looking forward to seeing the athletes being put through their paces by the sports scientists from Hope and LJMU. After these tests we will be left with a difficult decision: who will ride our speed bike - the ARION1.”

Further information is available at http://ulvteam.co.uk/

You can also read about the story in the Liverpool Echo 

Clare Coombes, Press and Publications Officer, Liverpool John Moores University, T: 0151 231 3004 press@ljmu.ac.uk 

Founded in 1825, LJMU is a modern civic university delivering impactful research and scholarship that form the foundation for its interaction with industry, business and the community. The University has around 24,000 students, recruited from over 100 countries, who are enrolled on a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate taught and research degrees as well as continuing professional development programmes. 

LJMU is one of the UK’s leading research active contemporary universities, with world-leading and internationally recognised research taking place across the institution. It also continues to be one of the UK’s leading higher education institutions for its interaction with business and the community. This interaction informs both teaching and research at the University and impacts positively on graduate employability, with 92% of graduates being in work or further study within six months of leaving the University.