Human Power Challenge 2012

Last weekend myself, BopOp, Grumpy, TBuss, and TheAmboyObserver all enjoyed…

[tangent]
I like nicknames, and for some reason – especially here; perhaps here more than ever anywhere. I especially like it when somehow they stick because then there’s like this little other “personality” that comes out on this blog – and it really doesn’t even have to apply to anything else, anywhere else – relative to this blog it works. Sometimes they’re borrowed – ala Grumpy and BopOp.
Sometimes they are mine alone, like TheWeeOne and LaGrande.
And I’m pretty sure I’ve dropped monikers on some folks (like TBUSS) before but their appearances here are relatively far between and so I’ve mislaid it/them (their monikers that is) and so there may be many – I wish it wasn’t so, but alas.
Anyway – somewhere along the way (pretty much right now) I realize that I’m not sure if I’ve EVER dubbed (hehe) my brother in this place, this blog, this…this…blief.
Not that I wouldn’t or couldn’t or even that I shouldn’t – I just don’t think it’s come up.
By all means, correct me if I’m wrong.
And, well, I hope that I’m wrong ’cause I’ve got a good one – and it’s even a clever backronym, which I think gives me the mnemonic to make it stick – whether he likes it or not.
Where was I?…oh yes Oregon…
[/tangent]

So we (BopOp, Grumpy, TBuss, and Tao) all enjoyed the vagaries of the Human Power Challenge in Portland.

Put on by the Oregon Human Powered Vehicles organization (OHPV.org), this event brings folks of like-mind and generally sound body together on one track for two days of pedal to the pavement madness; typically recumbent pedals.
Bodies are typically sound, at least, to begin the weekend, perhaps not so much by the end.

This year we were further treated to an epic downpour (one of the aforementioned vagaries) on Saturday night that saw well over 1″ of rain (closer to 1.5″ methinks) in less than 30 minutes. This rain squall not only sequestered BopOp under a canopy near the restroom for it’s duration but it also forced us, in the tent, to actually bail (water that is) OUT of the door of the tent.

This wasn’t a rainproof tent to be sure – but then again, this wasn’t just rain. Any tent would have been hard-pressed to endure such a deluge.

Besides two overnight rainstorms, the days were good and the wind was calm – perfect for bike racing.

This year, I participated in all five events in the Stock category and generally performed as well as or better than last year. The jury is still out on whether I did better in the time-trial – and technically I finished in the same place in the road race – but I’m skipping ahead.

The Time-Trial
This is not my strength to be sure but it’s the first event for me and I was able to maintain a decent pace (didn’t ever feel like vomiting this year) however, I was able to ramp my speedometer up to 30MPH in the finish straight and with an approximate avg speed of 23.4 mph for the near 10 mile course – that’s probably too much extra energy.
At one point, on the incline at the west end of the course, I sat forward in my climbing position thinking I would momentarily increase my speed and use some different muscles; wrong. I lost over 1 mph and just stayed tired.

The Drag Race
Two epic contests here – one with TheHumanTimeTrial (aptly named TT) and the other with Grumpy.

TT was actually being attacked on both fronts by two good sprinters, myself and PPlath. After taking down Plath in an all out grudge match (not sure there is such a thing at PIR really) he answered my challenge and after perhaps a slow start by me and a mis-shift by him we crossed the line 1/100th of a second apart – I edged him by a crankset length. Great race.

The other, more intense, challenge came from Grumpy and I wasn’t up to it. He was fresh off two other contests with BopOp and Tao so I self-imposed a limiter of one-gear and no-hands. Next year perhaps, but this year I chose wrong and he whipped me good – he’s written about it here.

Sunday morning, somewhat early, after all the excitement of the rain the night before, was my favorite event:
The 200M Flying Sprint
I knew from experience that I only had one shot at this. My legs take much longer to recover from this effort than the hour we have. You wouldn’t know it unless you’ve tried it but 200M is really a pretty major distance when going great gonzo.
I started like last year, over-oxygenating and going VERY slow from the very distant start line. I started my run in earnest 100M closer to the start line and quickly rapped my speed up to over 36 MPH as I crossed the start line – that was good.

What I didn’t do well, I think, was pick the right gear – again. At the halfway point I had to shift for more speed, I had left over power but I had spun out and so the loss of forward momentum in that shift may have cost me as much as 1/2 MPH. I crossed the line at somewhere north of 35 MPH for an electronically timed 12.50 and an average speed of 35.79 MPH.

Despite my execution problems and with no real perceptible wind at the time – I think this might be a good estimation of my max – I will have a tough time beating that again.

The AutoCross
One of the most enjoyable (and dangerous right TT?) events is the autocross. Time doesn’t really matter but handling does. I did well but this year the course changes actually made it too “fast” in my opinion – it was fun to watch and toodle around. Next year I may enter my BMX in this event. 🙂 We’ll see.

The Road Race
Last year this event surprised me at how fun it was – an enjoyable 30 minutes trading pulls with a young upright rider and a sprint finish for 4th place was one of the best of that year. This year, I wasn’t so keen to rocket off the line like in 2011 (and then fade so quickly) so I held back just a bit too much perhaps and missed my chance at perhaps riding the wheels of TT and PPlath for a lap or two, or at least until I gagged on my own larynx. My early efforts made for a sizable lead over 4th place which nearly held, but not quite, and so I finished 4th. A valiant effort, but overall, the road race for me was more of a time-trial, not much in the way of “competing” with anyone else on the course – just the wind. Of course there was that lap and a half that I “drafted” Joe K – rather I stayed as close behind him as safely possible and purchased at great price what wind I could from his bottom-half-streamliner. That and I did stave off a late pass for a half lap with a well-executed hairpin turn – that was fun.

The Swap
TT by now recovered from his win in the Road Race wanted to try out my Silvio – which he did with amazing success. Me on TT’s Corsa, counter-steering for all it’s worth out of habit and he on my Silvio counter-steering for all it’s worth out of necessity took a “victory” lap.
I think my shoulders were more tired from holding back my habit than they were for the entire 30 min road race. The Bacchetta Corsa is an amazing machine – very nimble and light. I recommend it after just a short ride and especially after seeing what both TT and PPlath can do on the course.