most exciting thing i saw today

08Feb07

I thought it was a motorbike, because of the speed it was moving, but it seemed too low. Perhaps it was a microscooter. No, during my run today I saw a Windcheetah, a world-record winning recumbant cycle barrelling along the Kennet and Avon Canal towpath.

There was a time when I hankered after one, and even got to ride an early model a dozen years ago, well before children. A fully-faired version has been ridden the length of Britain from Land’s End to John O’Groats, a total of 1386 km (861 miles) in 41 hours, at an average speed of 33.7 kmph (21mph), according to Wikipedia. Some speed and some endurance.

This trike was designed by Mike Burrows, who also designed the gold medal winning Lotus bike that Chris Boardman rode in the 1992 Olympics. Both bikes are regarded as works of art, having been exhibited in design and art museums around the world. Boardman, incidently, was coached by Peter Keen, who is now head of high performance at UK Sport.

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