January 2006 Newsletter, page 3   (1 2 3 4 5 6 Next>)

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The Races
In the past three years, I've worked at many areas: Catch, IHPVA timing, Garrie's timing, Ranch Road 1 and start, and I've just been a spectator in the grandstand.  The best position has been at Garrie's spot, the start of the 200 meter trap.   You can easily see the riders coming in at their fastest speeds.  Once past you, they are still pouring on the speed to get to the other end of the trap, but just before this portion is really where they are pushing the bike to its max.  I heard Charlie Ollinger groaning this year as he reached this point. 

I was also able to film the riders approaching from Ranch Road 2 (about a kilometer away) at this point.  Later the Discovery Channel contacted me for some of my videos from this vantage point.  Despite being one of the "best spots" in the house, only Garrie and I and Brad Teubner got pictures. 

This is a tough job because as the rider is flying through the trap, you are staring at the dancing numbers on the anemometer wind gauge. sometimes something like this 0.7, 1.1, -0.2, 0.6 m/s. Garrie would call out "mark" at the exact moment the rider was over the Start line. We had to mentally note these numbers and then read them off to Garrie. After he punched them into equipment, and checked the speed readout from the timing equipment, we could tell if the run was legal or not for the DeciMach rules.

Best spot on course - 200 meter Start  / Timing with Garrie Brad Teubner, Dave Kennedy and Garrie Hill

I was standing next to Garrie's timing this year when Lisa set her record.  You could just hear her laying down the rubber.  Her bike was distinctly pulsating either with her power strokes on the pedals or perhaps a high speed wobble on one of the wheels, but it was louder and faster than most.  The bike was solid, a great testament to Dave Balfour.  I was at the Morris, Illinois race in May when Dave bought this Varna from Sam Whittingham. The streamliner was about 11 years old at that point and had not been raced in a while.

Last year, I was helping Paul Gracey when Ellen went by at 66 mph.  Unfortunately, I was the one who had to read off the wind gauge and say "wind was illegal."  I forgot the exact number we recorded, but I think it was 2.9 m/s, over the 2 m/s max. If legal it would have been a world record.  You sort of feel like the referee that has to throw a penalty flag on a player who's just scored the winning touchdown and everyone is starting to celebrate - its just a bad feeling. She did get a legal world record run of 65 mph the next day.

I missed Lisa's world record run on Friday because at that moment I was using Garrie's camera because my camera batteries had ran out.  His memory card got full, and neither our batteries or memory cards were compatible to make one working camera.  I also heard that the official IHPVA camera didn't capture it and the plane flying overhead, which was rented by a Slovenia filmmaker there with Damjan had engine problems.  By far the most disappointing moment of the trip.

I've helped lay down the IHPVA timing tape across the road and tape it down just prior to each of two sessions of runs, then take it back down for traffic to pass through, and down again for the second session.

We have clearly laid out markers and lines, all surveyed in recent years so we know pretty exactly where to lay it down.  Still you feel like you have a lot of power when you lay down that tape.

Being a catcher is the easier of the two jobs between launch and catch. Both jobs can involved some sacrifice and diving on the cement and scrapped hands or knees.

On Tuesday, I had the honor of catching Damjan as he came to a stop after setting a new European record (later broken by him on Saturday) -- almost magical when you think that here is Europe's fastest cyclist ever. I ran past some others to catch a speeding Eivie and let him fall over against my thigh and said "stop"  my first night there this year, when Damjan misjudged a bit where we were.  After all, he is pedaling on his back, facing BACKWARDS while staring up into a mirror, so his depth perception might not be that good. 

This year, I volunteered Wednesday and Thursday night at Ranch Road 1.  I met several locals. and four spectators from California.  Ranch Road 1 is about a mile from the start point.  It's a great place to get pictures, up close to the road.  We all heard Warren Beauchamp go "whoopee" as he passed.  The fastest riders like Sam, I estimate are doing 50 mph already by this point.  

Sometimes, it was a little hard to me to tell a local that we out-of-towners closed the road for the next half-hour and could they please wait for our "special high-speed bicycle with people from all over the world trying to-set-a world-speed-record, and, oh by the way, the Discovery Channel is here filming so Battle Mountain is going to be famous, watch for a special soon", as they're trying to get into town for their 6 pm game at the high school, but they all understood. 

You don't have to worry about feeling in the way - plenty of hands are needed, and all the crews will appreciate your help.  Volunteers are selected for the next day's events at the nightly meeting after the races.   People need others to follow them in a chase vehicle (preferably a truck which can drive the vehicle back to the catch area if it breaks down), starters, catchers, ranch road observers, time keepers - you can fill many roles.  Warning though - if you get good at one particular job or stop, the organizer probably will want you there the next night. 

World records have typically been set on Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights, so be down near the finish those days to see some real speed, if you've already taken a turn at the other posts.

Bring a duffel bag or backpack with extra clothes; you'll end up putting probably two layers on as the evening progresses.  This is after having worn sunscreen probably at 4 p.m.

The Race director
Many people have worked very hard over the years to pull this event off without many glitches.  The most important job is the race director.   Jonathan's done a fine job on this post the past two years and Carol Leone, Garrie Hill and Sean Costin before him.

What to do
During the day, there are many things to do in Battle Mountain.

If you're like Dave and I or some of the race teams, you are running around in the morning on the qualifier course, then three four hours go by chatting in the parking lot, and then you're off to the races.  Every day the schedule is the same.  Morning activities, afternoon chatter, evening races, results meeting at hotel, dinner with any one of many groups going out to eat.

The motel parking lot daily is center of activity. How many hours goes into sanding and repairing I don't know. We really kind of take over the motel.  And the motel staff is so nice about it.  There's bikes parked everywhere, inside and out.  Power cords run outside doors propped open.

The fastest bent Varna Diablo and the one of the fastest upright designs, the Moulton, 2004

I try out the Varna Diablo, Sam, standing in grey T-shirt told me "get out of there!" He was only kidding!

Most people don't know much about the races going on 14 miles outside of town.  Most don't come out to see them.  Some hear about because of their daily commute to Austin, the next town about 50 miles south down 305, because they've come across our road blocks.

It's in the local newspaper from what I hear, and the Chamber of Commerce has it advertised on its big billboard on Main Street.  But the Super8 staff, local pharmacist,  Donna now retired, NDOT and others remember us well. Everyone is so friendly.  People like to hear that their town is a chosen place and people from all over the world are out on the highway trying to set speed records.  Other speed events exist in Nevada like the Silver City Classic, also held on the open highway and some locals I met were volunteers and spectators for that.  I guess cars whizzing by at close to 200 mph might be louder.  When I mentioned to some that Discovery Channel was here filming, I think they got a little bit more excited.

The Weather and high-altitude
The mornings can be incredibly cold.  I had a big problem this year with the altitude on the first day.  I may be in "good shape" after 3,000 miles of biking and being 31 years old, but I was panting and oxygen deprived after doing three 200 meter sprints in about 30 degree weather at high altitude and maybe more importantly, after a day and a half of non-stop activity including packing, traveling, etc.  Dave Kennedy told me an altitude of 4,600 feet takes some time to get used to. at 4:30 pm and it's a comfortable 70 degs F, but by the time you'll head back to town 2 and a half hours later it can be 40 to 50 degrees F.  In the morning it's even worse cold, in the 30s, so cold you're seeing your breath as you walk across the lot at 7 or 8 am to breakfast at McDonalds and you'll be using your defrosters in the car.

For those from the Midwest and used to a bit or a lot of humidity, the air will dry you out in Battle Mountain.  Damjan filled a bathtub and in the morning,the water was gone.  Your lips will get dry and parched.  You skin gets dry.  Dave says you lose water without even realizing it, because your sweat can instantly evaporate.  So you have to preemptive and drink lots of water; about double what you'd drink in the humid Midwest.

My fastest ever list
Each year, my principal contribution to the event has been posting a listing of all the fastest speed runs in history, so each night racers and fans can get an idea of where the most recent runs from that week compare to the all-time list.

For instance, the three women over 65 mph this year would have won the $18,000 DuPont Prize that Fred Markham won in 1986 for being the first human over 65 mph.

Eric Ware and his team wanted to know what the fastest tricycle ever was.  Answer Allegro at 63.01 mph. They failed to beat this mark. Eric told me he went 57 mph in West Virginia, I think, but just couldn't get up to speed out there.

Of course, Thom Ollinger and son Charlie were after Macky Martin's junior record.  Charlie went 56 mph; Mackie 61 mph in 2003. 14 -year-old Charlie is sure to be the fastest ninth-grader in the world.  Macky, who set the record last year, is 17 years old. 

Charlie and his dad made the 1,800 mile trip from Ohio in their van, hauling a bunch of streamliners.  I pulled out of volunteering to help them drive out there.  I had to cut my vacation time short and was going to fly.  Next year, I'm definitely driving.

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